Day trippin’ to Punta Gorda

A Weekend in Paradise

Punta Gorda evokes the feeling of a far-away vacation destination within a few hours' drive.

BY ADAM HAMERSKY

Ihad the pleasure of celebrating my birthday on a weekend getaway to Punta Gorda, Fla. I was greeted with open arms at the Wyvern Hotel by Matt Nemec, manager, and Frank Ceresoli, general manager and was blown away by their hospitality.

Nemec invited me out to dinner at his restaurant 88 Keys, the restaurant on the first floor of the hotel. The ambience of the restaurant was absolutely stunning as I was struck by the light and dark grey walls with an incredible light fixture above the bar that resembles a treble clef. The food was fine contemporary American cuisine with locally sourced ingredients. I ordered the special for the night, zuppa di pesce and it was one of the best seafood dishes I’ve had in my life and I was able to enjoy with it with a fantastic red wine with my new friends.

The new pastry chef was from Austria and her special of the night was homemade apple strudel. Of course, we had to have cake for my birthday, so we ordered the chocolate mousse and key lime pie. If you want to enjoy a memorable meal with your significant other, 88 Keys is the place to do just that.

On top of the Wyvern Hotel is Perch 360. The rooftop bar is accompanied by a pool and an almost unobstructed 360-degree view of the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor. Both relaxing and exciting the setting is ideal for either getting some sun, planning your next stops, or just unwinding.

After a great meal at Perch 360, I headed toward the town of Arcadia, where I was greeted by a motivated kayaking guide, Nick Holzerland. We kayaked 4.9 miles down the Peace River observing everything in sight. Nick was very educational about the wildlife we saw and answered any questions I had. I felt like I was in a completely different world on the water with a few other guests in awe of what we were experiencing. There were several alligators along the riverbanks getting sun and giant ospreys that flew overhead. Nick was composed and confident in his abilities to keep everyone completely calm during the sightings of the alligators. I felt no fear whatsoever after some of the stories Nick shared with us.

Following my kayaking adventure, I headed to the Alligator Bay Distillery, just four minutes from the Wyvern Hotel. There, I met with owners and brothers Alexander and Benjamin Voss who were an absolute pleasure to speak with. They hand craft some of the best local rum possible and give tours

Photo courtesy Aqua Marketing & Communications

Photo courtesy Adam Hamersky Photo courtesy Adam Hamersky

from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Alexander and Benjamin are subject matter experts on the production of rum when it comes to using 100 percent Florida cane molasses sourced from local sugar mills. After my distillery tour I headed back to the rooftop bar to enjoy some drinks accompanied by a gorgeous sunset. The following morning, I was craving a friendly neighborhood restaurant to enjoy breakfast. No better place to eat a flavorful and filling breakfast than Penny’s Restaurant. Located only seven minutes on the road from the

Photos courtesy Aqua Marketing & Communications

Wyvern Hotel, I was immediately greeted by the outgoing staff and was able to speak to Penny and her husband, Gordon. I enjoyed the eggs benedict with a fruit bowl upon the recommendation of Penny, and I can say that was one of the tastiest eggs benedict I’ve had. The fruit bowl was plentiful with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and kiwi and without filler fruits such as honeydew or cantaloupe. I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast and really appreciated their hospitality.

Following breakfast, I headed to my last stop of the trip: Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens. I was utterly blown away by some of the sculptures I had observed – sculptures by Carole Fuerman scattered throughout the botanical garden. She is a world-renown hyper-realistic sculpture artist whose main focus is swimming and water features in her art. I was caught off guard when I was touring around the garden because I thought one of these sculptures was an actual human! The botanical garden is the place to stop if you love nature and artwork like myself and you just want to get away from the city for a bit.

After I left the botanical garden, I headed off to Ocala. It was bittersweet leaving Punta Gorda because I had become attached to that city and it definitely left an impact on me. The people, the food, and the atmosphere were so unique – it’s definitely a gem that you need to go visit on a weekend getaway.