Punta Gorda murals; Florida town honors its past through public art
Punta Gorda shows off its historic past through this public art, here representing how much the water and sports like fishing have meant to the locals and the loal economy. Photo Rori Paul
Punta Gorda, Florida, a suspect sleepy town along the Gulf of Mexico in the southwestern part of the state, offers its residents a reflection on its past, and its visitors a view into where it’s been and where it expects to head. Once a cattle town with plenty of the bovine heading to parts beyond the Floridan shores, Punta Gorda in the Charlotte Harbor area is a town that’s found itself reinvented more than once. Yet with a solid knowledge that the future can only be built on the past, Punta Gorda reaches out to its tomorrows with an artists’ hand reaching into its past.
Public art seen on a number of the buildings around town, offers up a view at what one was here; cattle, trains and fishing at the heart of it all. And while all three remain somewhat, Punta Gorda knows that times change and that growth is important. Honoring it all is their way of showing “they get it.”
Spanish Explorers may have "discovered" this land, but were by no means first, nor the most popular to visit. Photo Rori Paul
(For much more on Punta Gorda and its offerings, visit more of what we’ve done and what we recommend here)
Walk the streets through the charming and rejuvenated downtown and spy a train and one-time land baron, see how much fishing has played a roll, or enjoy the natural world that makes Florida special.
Florida is after all a unique and special setting, where flora and fauna are often found only here, and where the mammals, birds, and reptiles who live here like to be as unique and original as any theme park-imagined character.
(Bring information to help you spot birds, mammals and fish in the area. Click here for Quick Reference Guides that can help)
Public murals blend wonderfully with the local architecture and businesses, including a bar & restaurant showing off the Spanish during their time here. Photo Rori Paul
There’s a special kind of peace that lives here as well. A peace that too often we’re searching for, unable to latch onto in our rush-rush lives, where it brushes by like a stranger in the crowd. Here in this southwestern area, peace is not only at home, its taken up residence with a quiet confidence; something you might not even recognize you’ve found until it’s too late and you’re on your way home.
These murals show of a place so special, not even all the residents know they’ve got it. A place that many Floridians aren’t even aware of. If you can, put Punta Gorda on your life’s journey map, and discover a place that will find a home in your heart for a long time to come.
At present there are no “organized” tours for visitors to enjoy, but the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society provides information, ideas, an interactive map, and any current or upcoming tours they might be offering.
Individual artists are commissioned to do the murals,
creating unique looks for each. This one, one of my favorites,
looks almost like giant photos from a personal family album.
I loved this ode to trains, the mode that transported
local cattle north and soon would begin to bring
northern tourists to this future tourism mecca state.
