Classic Clarissa Getaways

Boca Grande/ Palm Island

Beaches

We usually go straight to the island to catch the last ferry before 9pm. The island is close to Englewood and Boca Grande which are both gorgeous places to visit. These are some of the most beautiful beaches, not only on the island but in the surrounding areas. Stump pass is my favorite beach on Don Pedro Island because it is were I have found the most treasure aka seashells. You can find sand dollars and sharks teeth as well. If you are on Boca Grand then you need to check out Gasprilla Beach with its light house along with a beach. The light house is a museum that you can go in Monday through Saturday 10am -4pm and Sunday 1-am -2pm. If you like to know the history of the area you will love this little serendipitous location. Manasota Beach is a great place in Englewood to check out. Especially, if you are looking for sharks teeth because here you have hit the jack pot. This is a great beach, with free parking and its open 9am-5pm. There is Englewood Beach you can visit that is free as well. One thing this place is not short of is beaches they are located everywhere with all kinds of ocean treasures. If you collect seashells, sharks teeth, sand dollars, coral and other amazing oceanic prizes then you have found the right place to vacation. You can build a sand castle or go for walks on the beach by yourself or with family members.

Gaspirilla/ Don Pedro/ Stump Pass/ Manasota/Englewood

Restaurants

If you have a boat or a car you will enjoy the bar/restaurant life. You are able to pull your boat right up to the locales to order a drink, appetizers or a full blown meal. One of my favorite places to visit is the Sandbar Tiki’s Grill. It has a live band that plays most weekends and there is a dock to pull up to not to mention the drinks are amazing. Englewood has a great restaurant called Placida Grill they have great sea food and unique dishes every time we go. The other restaurant we always stop at is the Pink Elephant on Boca Grande where the drinks are great and the food is better. The view is gorgeous and you will never want to leave the this little spot of heaven. The pink elephant has spa and accommodations if you wish to stay there. The next restaurant on my list is Rum Bay which is located in the only resort the island has. It has fresh sea food and a great favorite local drink called the rum bay smash. I would recommend only driving the golf cart back to your rental or the resort. They do have a water taxi available for those that want to enjoy from the mainland.

Sandbar Tiki’s Grill/Rum Bay/ Pink Elephant

Things To Do

If you like nature you will want to hit up the Cape Haze Aquatic Preserve and Port Charolette Harbor Preserve State Park. The Cape Haze is a great place to fish and kayak if you like a scenic view and calmer waters. Port Charolette State Park is a great place to hike. Make sure you bring your boots so that you can get wet and muddy. It’s a beautiful place with lots of nature, especially the birds. They have a new Geo- Seeking experience be sure to look it up online before you come so you know exactly where to hide or burry the items you bring. Make sure to bring drinking water and go to the bathroom before you get there because there are no places for either inside the park as it is very primitive. If you are into kayaking there are several places you can go partake. Depending on were you are staying in the area you may have free access to kayaks. Many of the vacation rentals on Don Pedro have their own kayaks. We usually go to a place called the hidden lake. It is at the entrance of one of the docs on Don Pedro Island, however it was damaged in the most recent hurricane Idalia in 2023. You will see dolphins, manatees, jellyfish, Pelicans, and many other wild life animals. One of my favorite things is the sea turtles on the island. If you want to go deep sea fishing that is available as well. There is harbor fishing if you want to fish off the dock. You can rent a boat if you so desire so that you have access to places cars do not.

Places to stay

There are several vacation rental houses on the island you can find with Airbnb or Plamislandstays.com. This will allow you to choose if you want to stay on the island or off. There are several places in Boca Grande such as the Pink Elephant that have reasonable accommodations. There is a resort on the island called Palm Island Resort. There is also the Pearl Inn located outside of Englewood, Turtle Bay Condos is a great place, there is also the Sun Coast Inn, and the Manasota Key Resort. These are all places with great locations and you are able to easily access the beaches, restaurants, and other things to do in the area. I have included pictures of the places mentioned below. There is no wrong place to stay as it only matters what is right for your needs. Do you want a pool with a beach? Or do you need a kitchen or a place to cook? Do you want an ocean front view, what is your budget, do you want to be on the island or off? All these are for you to decide when planning your vacation.

Next stop Gatlinburg, Tennessee which has more of a mountain vibe. I cannot wait to tell you about the adventures available there. I love the mountains they are equally as important to me as the beach. They each have their own appeal and both are peaceful each with different environs. Discovering places that not everyone might enjoy is defiantly my specialty however, there are some tourist traps worth visiting.

Classic Clarissa XOXO……