Old Florida
Hideaways offer a taste of the sea (usually deep-fried)
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — The late afternoon sun creates a rainbow in the mist of a hose blasting the remnants of the day’s catch from the loading dock. At the end of this rainbow is no pot of gold but rather a bucket of blue crabs.
“People come hundreds of miles to eat our blue crabs,” said Larry Corbin, general manager at Peace River Seafood.
Perched on the side of the highway near the center of Punta Gorda in southwest Florida, Peace River Seafood is one of several area establishments that have retained the unpretentious charm of old Florida.
Housed in a small 1920s cottage (the restroom still has the original bathtub), it has seating inside
or out on the front porch and covered deck. Dollar bills and fishing nets decorate the walls, lending authentic old Florida ambiance. The one detractor from the experience was the plastic utensils.
On the side of the restaurant, behind a screen door, is the small fresh fish market.
“We only do what we call boat-to-throat seafood here,” said Mr. Corbin.
Because Punta Gorda is not on the water, contracted fishing boats are pulled out of the water each day and loaded onto trailers that are driven here.
“Peace River is one of the only places in southwest Florida that really serves fish and crabs caught in these waters,” Mr. Corbin said. “If we didn’t catch it that day, you won’t be eating it.”
A handful of other establishments along the Gulf Coast have survived the crush of development, strip malls and new highways crisscrossing the state. One is the Bean Depot Cafe, which is housed in an old post office and grocery built in 1922 along unused railroad tracks.
“It also has a jail cell that used to hold prisoners until the train came,” said manager Jodi Ebertshauser, who was doing some touch-up painting before the cafe opened for the day.
For 18 years, the Bean Depot has drawn regulars and tourists to El Jobean. There’s no air-conditioning and the ceiling fans look nearly as old as the building. The screened-in porch and walls are covered in dollar bills (it’s a thing in old Florida). This place doesn’t have a website, but you can find plenty of reviews on the internet.
“Wednesday is live bluegrass and it’s nuts here,” Ms. Ebertshauser noted.
The cafe is known for live music and Suicide Simon burgers, named after a circus performer who used to be shot out of cannon. It’s a cash-only establishment.
Snook Haven in Venice is not easily found. A rutted dirt road leads through a thick canopied jungle that finally opens up to let some sun shine on this Myakka River restaurant shack. Huge stuffed alligators with names like “Old Nik” and “Big Hank” hang from the walls. The menu is filled with deep-fried and breaded dishes, but again, it’s more about the setting than what’s on your plate.
An outdoor stage hosts local bands. The Gulf Coast Banjos are there every Thursday, but a calendar posted on Snook Haven’s website gives lots of choices to listen to with your deepfried alligator bites.
If you want to burn off some of those comfort-food calories, there are kayaks and canoes for rent to use on the river, which is more like a slow-moving stream rolling through the mangroves. If you do go out on the river, watch out for the alligators that haven’t been stuffed yet.
Matlacha, a former fishing village on Pine Island, is defined by the road that runs through it. Just about a mile long, it is a blink-and-youwill-miss-it kind of place. You know you are there when you see tiny colorfully painted roadside buildings. These former fishermen’s shacks are now shops and art galleries.
If you keep driving on Pine Island to Bokeelia, you find Captain Con’s Fish House, where you can enjoy fried food while watching pelicans dive for fish. It’s been on the Charlotte Harbor waterfront since the 1920s.
On the National Register of Historic Places is Warm Mineral Springs, an Ice Age sink hole filled by a freshwater underground spring. Boasting the highest concentration of minerals in the country, the spring is popular with Europeans who have settled in Florida. It’s like a United Nations meeting with a life guard.
“Americans don’t seem to use it as much,” said a Russian woman as she floated by on a foam noodle with her friends.
Maybe Americans are put off by the tiny harmless spring minnows that swim all around you while you float and soak in the minerals.
Warm Mineral Springs in North Port goes to a depth of 210 feet and has delivered some exciting archaeological finds. A human skull dating back 10,000 years was discovered more than 70 feet down as were saber-toothed tiger bones.
It’s worth a dip for $20 a day. Plastic lawn chairs are first-come, first-serve on the grassy area surrounding the pool.
The Warm Mineral Springs Motel is less than a mile away. It opened in 1958 and was designed by architect Victor A. Lundy, who was known for his moreroof-than-wall approach to architecture. The exterior retains that Atomic Age ambiance.
A place to stay that is near the water is the Tropical Bay Inn Motel. A real throwback to the roadside motel era, it’s made of seven colorfully painted cinder-block bungalows, each housing one-bedroom suites with efficiency kitchens and tile floors.
“The motel has been here since 1957,” said Lisa, the property manager, who did not want to use her last name.
The motel is on Bayshore Road in Port Charlotte just across the street from the Peace River and a very long fishing pier. Port Charlotte Beach Park is just three miles down the road.
The property was rehabilitated in the 1990s and has become popular with people who need a place to stay before their vacation rental is ready. Each unit has lounge chairs, a palm umbrella and outdoor grills for a cookout.