Pineapple Festival

Punta Gorda was once the premiere supplier of our nation's pineapples, second only to the fishing industry in the area. Located in an area of Charlotte County called Solana (just up Riverside Drive from The Gardens) this pineapple production facility set our region on the map for harvesting this tropical treat. Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens will be honoring our region’s rich history and celebrating this tropical delicacy with a first annual Pineapple Fest on Saturday July 29th from 9-2pm. With daily admission to The Gardens, you’ll enjoy live music, food trucks, kids’ crafts, unique vendors, fun games, and so much more. Are you a pineapple enthusiast? Bring your largest, home-grown pineapple for the Biggest Pineapple Contest (judging starts at 10am). Love to cook? Bring your best pineapple inspired dessert to be judged in our cookoff (drop off between 9-11am, and judging starts at 11:30am)! The Gardens has also propagated hundreds of unique pineapple plants that will be available for purchase. While pineapples appear exotic, they make a great landscaping plant in Florida as they are easy to care for, enjoy full sun, and are pretty drought tolerant. A member of the family of bromeliads, pineapple is an herbaceous perennial. Unlike most bromeliads such as tillandsia and Spanish moss, pineapple grows in soil on ground level rather than in trees. Come to Pineapple Fest and take home a unique variety to add to your home or yard!