We’re pleased to be partnering with the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce this year for our walking tours.
Join us as we lead you on a 2-hour leisurely Walking Tour of our beautiful city stopping at 12 historic murals along the way.

We’ll also make a stop to see the progress on the Harborwalk mural and meet the artist.

Weekly Tours every Thursday, Jan 10th – April 4th
9:30am – 11:30am; Check-in 9:20am

Tours start & end at the Punta Gorda Chamber Office
252 W. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda

Join us as we present the history of the area as told through the murals throughout our beautiful City.   Visit all 30 murals from the comfort of your Air Conditioned classroom seat while we present 450 years of history using the murals as a guide.   Hear about the Mural Society and get a sneak peek of upcoming projects.

“Part 1 – The Early Years” – from pre-Spanish Exploration to pre-WWI

All Classes:  10:00am – 12:00pm (Noon) | Each Class – $18 per person

2019 Dates: January 28 & 30 | February 25 & 27 | March 25 & 27

You know it as Punta Gorda, but it wasn’t always called that. The town’s original name was Trabue, named by Col. Isaac Trabue after himself.

It all started with his purchase of 30 acres on the southern shores of Charlotte Harbor from the Laniers in 1883.  The Laniers were the only folks here at the time living in cabin along the river.

Trabue hired a local surveyor, Kelly B. Harvey, to survey his land and create the town according to his wishes. Isaac had the streets wind with the curve of the bay and laid out the entire waterfront as parks.  All 20 parks and 34 streets were named after his relatives, friends and business associates. The town plat was recorded on February 24, 1885 and the town of Trabue was born.

After negotiating with the Florida Southern Railroad, Isaac’s little town got rail service in July 1886.  That put the town of Trabue on the map and it started to grow.
Kelly Harvey had settled in Trabue but wasn’t a fan of Isaac. In the fall of 1887, he organized a town meeting to change the town’s name to Punta Gorda. Thirty-four registered voters met in Tom Hector’s second floor pool hall and the motion was approved.

We’re sharing an amazing volunteer program that Punta Gorda Fire and Police Departments participate in each season called  “Christmas Cheer”. It serves the students of Baker Center School who are 5 months to 5 years of age, with many in great need.
This program grew out of a teacher’s request to PGFD seeking a “sponsor” to provide her students with a small Christmas toy. It was learned they may not be getting any gifts for Christmas and were lacking food and warm clothes during the winter. The teacher told stories of a boy in her class taking a girl’s coat to wear because he didn’t have one of his own and another student putting their school lunch in their pockets to feed a younger sibling at home.
PGFD adopted her class that year, raising enough money to provide a winter jacket and a Christmas toy for each child. The story was shared and Walmart donated a send-home holiday meal for each student. It was discovered that this was not an isolated case in this school and over the years, PGFD and PGPD joined forces to sponsor more classes, reaching 175 children last December.
This season their goal is the entire school (210 students).  They need help to make this happen.  If you’d like to support them, please donate a Walmart Gift Card to PGFD and PGPD to purchase the items for each child.  All amounts are welcomed.  Donations are needed by 11/23 and can be dropped off at the Public Safety Building, 1410 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda.