Port Charlotte Beach is a small park located on the north side of Charlotte Harbor and is the only beach directly in our area. However, within a 30 minute drive, there are plenty of other options including Boca Grande, Englewood Beach and Ft. Myers Beach. If you are willing to go 45-60 minutes away, you can reach either Naples or Sarasota, including Siesta Key. Use this section to learn more about the area beaches.

PORT CHARLOTTE BEACH PARK

Port Charlotte Beach Complex is a public beach facility at the southeast end of Harbor Boulevard in Port Charlotte. The beach complex offers a concession, boardwalk, tennis courts, horseshoe area, fishing pier, picnic shelters, grills, a swimming pool, boccie ball courts, playground equipment and an outdoor basketball court.

Parking is 75 cents per hour or $6.75 per day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. No lifeguards are on duty at the beach. The heated pool is guarded.

ENGLEWOOD BEACH

Englewood Beach is along State Road 775 near the Charlotte-Sarasota County line. It is across the street from restaurants and tourists shops. This is a beach with light-colored sand and turfs of sea oats growing along the dune line. Facilities include a boardwalk, covered picnic shelters, grills and volleyball.

Parking is $0.75 per hour from dawn until dusk, seven days a week. No lifeguards are on duty at the beach.

STUMP PASS BEACH STATE PARK

Stump Pass Beach is located at the south end of Manasota Key, beginning where Gulf Boulevard ends and stretching about two miles. A new 40 space parking lot is open, as is a building with rest rooms and a weather shelter. Enjoy the great beach, shelling and fishing.

BOCA GRANDE BEACH

Take the Boca Grande Causeway (off State Road 771 in Charlotte County) through the village of Boca Grande to explore the four miles of beach front. There is a $6.00 causeway toll for cars and a $2 charge for parking.

The public beach is noted for its light-green surf and white sand. There are three lighthouses along the beach and large shade trees near shore.

The beach offers full facilities, including freshwater showers, picnic tables and grills. There are no concessions available or lifeguards on duty. The beach closes at dusk.

The best fishing and shelling are at the southeast public beach; however, there are no facilities available.

FORT MYERS BEACH

Fort Myers Beach is approximately 45 minutes by car from Punta Gorda. Fort Myers Beach enjoys a reputation for friendly folks, a wide, palm-shaded beach and great family vacations.

Located on Estero Island and often referred to as the world's safest beach, Fort Myers Beach has a wide shoreline that gently slopes into the Gulf of Mexico. An absence of steep drop-offs makes it an ideal spot for family vacations.

SANIBEL

Of the 100 barrier islands that make up The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, Sanibel is best known. Connected to the mainland by a dazzling three-mile-long scenic drive across a causeway from the mainland, Sanibel has a worldwide reputation for it's shelling and the associated posture referred to as the "Sanibel Stoop."

There is a $6.00 causeway toll for cars.

CAPTIVA ISLANDS

Captiva Island, Sanibel's northern neighbor, is one of the most beautifully preserved and well-known areas on the Gulf Coast. The nation's foremost authority on beaches, Dr. Stephen Leatherman (also known as Dr. Beach) has recognized Captiva's beaches as the country's most romantic for two years in a row, noting as its key features its abundance of shells and overall tranquility.

The main attraction on Captiva is that there are no attractions, only the pristine white sand, calm water and warm fresh air. Visitors can sit back and let the hours fly by, sunning, walking the beach, fishing or just doing nothing. Anne Morrow Lindbergh was so inspired by Captiva's surroundings that she wrote her best-selling love letter, "A Gift From the Sea," while a guest on the island.

There is a $6.00 causeway toll for cars.