Budget Friendly Florida

One of the bedrooms at Casa Coquina

It’s a world onto its own, just a couple of blocks from the Indian River Lagoon in Titusville, an enormous 1927 coquina rock mansion painted with murals and standing three stories tall. Casa Coquina is at once a quirky museum and a relaxing retreat, a place inviting you to have some fun, where a knight in shining armor sits atop a horse in the main hall, a British pub and wedding chapel compete for atmosphere, and every surface in the common rooms are crowded with antiques, all available for purchase. The guest rooms along the eastern side of the building, like the Diamond Suite with its hardwood floors, fireplace and whirlpool, and massage chair, also have sundecks overlooking the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA. If you want to party during a Space Shuttle launch, they’ve got you covered!

There are eight suites in all, many of them with a separate bed, perfect for traveling with girlfriends, siblings, or parents. Each has its own distinct character, and none so rich as the Black Pearl, the penthouse on the third floor, where the Oriental trappings include a 17th century Ming Dynasty marriage bed (for show—your bed is much grander). Outdoors, the mansion is flanked by niche gardens with koi ponds, and of course there’s a hot tub. Why pay motel rates when suites here start at $79 weekdays, $109 weekends—and you have the run of the manor? Your stay includes a full breakfast, complimentary beer and wine in the evenings, wireless Internet, and your own big suite with private bath.

Learn  more about Casa Coquina…

At the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, you can savor the art on display, browse through an extensive art library, take a workshop, or pick out an original gift from the gift shop. There are four main galleries with 12 shows per year, and more than 3,000 art books, tapes, and DVDs in their library – an art student or researcher’s dream destination! The Charlotte County Art Guild, Inc. started this effort in 1961, and my, how it’s blossomed … just the like the surrounding neighborhood with its historic homes and lush tropical plants. In the courtyard you’ll see a fountain preserved from Punta Gorda’s first hotel.

Classes are offered year-round  Admission is free; donations appreciated.  Open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 10am-2pm.

Visual Arts Center
210 Maud St
Punta Gorda, FL
941-639-8810
www.visualartcenter.org

Enjoy a tropical getaway in a formal public garden right along SR 40 in Ormond Beach

Admission: Free

The Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens provide a two-fold aesthetic experience. The gardens, established in the 1940s as a war memorial, designed by Chicago landscape architect Henry Stockman, are atop a sand dune. With lush native plantings, winding pathways, a waterfall, and multiple levels with ponds where turtles sun, it’s a visual and aromatic delight. Benches in quiet spots provide places for relaxation and reflection, and there’s a touch of history in one corner—the 1885 Emmons Cottage, which was moved here from Beach St. Built of heart pine, this pioneer structure withstood many a hurricane and the ravages of the salt breeze; it is open Wed–Fri 11–2 and features fine art from local artists. At the other corner of the gardens, the art museum began with the donation of 56 religious paintings by Canadian artist Malcolm Fraser in 1946, which sparked a community-wide effort to fund a museum. Originally called the Ormond War Memorial Art Gallery, it was the first Florida memorial to honor World War II veterans. The museum has expanded from its original space to include a new building with rotating exhibits by regional artists.

Museum open Mon–Fri 10–4, Sat–Sun 12–4, donation
Gardens open sunrise–sunset, free.

Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens
78 E Granada Blvd
Ormond Beach, FL
386-676-3347
www.ormondartmuseum.org

Explore the remains of an ancient civilization near Daytona Beach

Admission: Free

The Green Mound is one of the largest pre-Columbian middens in Florida, and can be explored on the trail system through Ponce Preserve. The mound is thought to have been built by late St. Johns period cultures, after AD 800, and was greatly disturbed prior to the 1940s—as many middens were—by removal of materials for roadfill. Excavations in the midden have uncovered evidence of a village, including postholes marking the corners of raised houses.

The Green Mound is protected by Ponce Preserve, along Peninsula Drive between Wilbur-by-the-Sea and Ponce Inlet. Open daily, dawn to dusk. Removal of artifacts (including oyster shells) prohibited.

Step into pioneer life by exploring the buildings of Bradenton’s earliest settlers

Admission: Free

At Manatee Village Historical Park, explore historic landmarks brought here for preservation, such as the Bat Fogarty Boat Works, the Stephens’ House, and the Wiggins Store.  Behind the park (on an adjacent tract outside the fence) is the city’s oldest cemetery, the 1815 Manatee Burying Ground, where most of the county’s earliest settlers are buried. The nearby business district at 9th St E and FL 64 is the heart of Old Manatee, the first settlement in the county. Josiah Gates claimed his homestead here along the river in 1841.

Manatee Village Historical Park
604 15th St E
Bradenton, FL
941-749-7165

Open from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday and on Sundays from 1:30-4:30 P.M. Closed Saturdays. Closed Sundays in July and August.

Play Scarlett among the oaks at the antebellum Gamble Plantation

Admission: Free admission to the park. $5 for tour.

Flanked by 300-year-old oaks, the grand entrance to the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park along US 301 is reminiscent of a scene from “Gone With The Wind.” And like the mythical Tara, the last remaining antebellum plantation in South Florida played an important role in the last days of the War Between the States. As one of the first post-statehood settlers in southwest Florida, Major Robert Gamble established his 3,500-acre sugar plantation along the Manatee River in 1843, shipping his finished products downriver and out into the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. Built of tabby (a mix of oyster shells and lime) with walls 2 feet thick, his Greek Revival mansion was designed to trap cool air like a cave and to utilize rainwater cisterns for fresh water.

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