13 ways to keep cool this summer in Southwest Florida
There are plenty of fun ways for the whole family to beat the heat this summer in Southwest Florida. We found some new activities and also rounded up some oldies-but-goodies. Mix them up to satisfy everyone!
No. 1: Icy treats
Treat everyone to ice cream, Italian ice and more frozen deliciousness at the likes of Zirilli’s Chilly Treats (zirillisice.com) in Cape Coral; Pelican’s SnoBalls (pelicanssnoballs.com) near Fort Myers Beach, in North Fort Myers, Port Charlotte and Lehigh Acres, where mini-golf is also offered; Love Boat (loveboaticecream.com) in south Fort Myers, and Royal Scoop (royalscoop.com) in Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach and Naples. Great Licks Ice Cream (239-282-2802) on Matlacha serves Queenie’s Ice Cream, which is made locally and served at numerous locations.
No. 2: Inside games
Play inside games at the new Dave & Buster’s in south Fort Myers (239-264-3000, daveandbusters.com). It opened in April. There, families can shoot baskets, play air hockey, bowl, “ride” motorcycles and much more without breaking a sweat. You can also find some of the same games indoors at Mike Greenwell’s Bat-A-Ball & Family Fun Park (239-574-4386, greenwellsfamilyfunpark.com) in Cape Coral, if taking swings in the outdoor batting cages or experiencing the amusement park area are deemed too hot. Other indoor arcades can be found at Game Time at Gulf Coast Town Center (gametimeplayers.com) and at Zoomers (zoomersfun.com) near Fort Myers Beach.
No. 3: Museums
Keep cool while learning something new at a museum. All the cool cats are going to the Marco Island History Museum (239-252-1440, colliermuseums.com), where the Key Marco Cat, discovered by Frank Hamilton Cushing on the island in 1896 and on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, and other rare pre-Columbian artifacts are on display. In Fort Myers, the IMAG History & Science Center’s (239-243-0043, theimag.org) exhibits, stingray feedings, marine touch tank, virtual reality and more will keep you busy all day. The Science Saturday edition on July 6 delves into fireworks. Along with its permanent interactive exhibits that promote learning, the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (239-514-0084, cmon.org) is currently showcasing a Harley-Davidson traveling national exhibit through September 8. An ancient, 1-foot-long, 10-inch-wide woolly mammoth bone fossil uncovered last year during a local utility excavation is a must-see at the Cape Coral Historical Society & Museum (239-772-7037, capecoralhistoricalmuseum.org).
No. 4: Splash around
Splash into Southwest Florida’s water-ful recreation centers. Most people know about the water parks: Sun Splash Family Waterpark (239-574-0558, sunsplashwaterpark.com) in Cape Coral and Sun-N-Fun Lagoon (239-252-4021, napleswaterpark.com) in Naples. But you can also find waterslides and other splash amenities at places like the Fort Myers Aquatic Center (239-321-7553) in the Sam Fleishman Regional Sports Complex and the Sanibel Recreation Center and Sanibel School Complex (239-472-0345, mysanibel.com). Public pools also abound, including the recently refurbished North Fort Myers Community Pool, which now has two additional swimming lanes, more umbrellas and other amenities. Most facilities also offer summer swimming lessons and junior lifeguard programs. And admission is usually just a few dollars. (leeparks.org, colliercountyfl.gov)
No. 5: Go shopping
Rediscover the indoor mall. There’s plenty to see with 125-plus retail and specialty businesses and restaurants under air conditioning at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers, our region’s original indoor mall in its 54th year of operation (239-939-1933, shopedisonmall.com). There’s a back-to-school party 3 to 5 p.m. July 27. In Naples, try the Coastland Center mall (coastlandcenter.com), which has a carousel kids love.
No. 6: Visit a resort
Score a poolside cabana and lounge at a local resort (or enjoy some great waterslides) via booking site resortpass.com. The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa (239-444-1234, hyatt.com) offers three acres of water attractions, including five waterslides and a lazy river plus spa passes for the sauna, indoor mineral soaking pool and discounts on treatments. The Lazy River Cabana package includes up to six day passes, a shaded cabana with a sectional and two lounge chairs, flat-screen TV, refrigerator, towels, bottled water and more. During both the July Fourth and Labor Day holiday weekends, the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa (239-466-4000, sanibelmarriott.com) offers special room rates and arts and crafts plus magic shows for kids to augment their indoor game and arcade room.
No. 7: Go skating
Glide on the ice during public skating times at Hertz Arena (239-948-7825, hertzarena.com) in Estero and Fort Myers Skatium (239-321-7510, fmskatium.org), or don roller skates at Spinz Skating & Entertainment (239-482-7789, spinzskates.com), formerly Bamboozles, in south Fort Myers. Spinz continues to offer free kids’ passes (kidsskatefree.com/spinz).
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No. 8: Get on the water
Cruise on the water. According to Evelyn Stewart, one of the owners of Adventures in Paradise (239-472-8443, adventureinparadiseinc.com), based at Port Sanibel Marina in south Fort Myers, it’s usually about 10 degrees cooler out on the water. They offer a variety of cruises including the Sea Life Encounter Excursion, which provides an up-close study of marine life both near islands and in deeper waters. On the Capt. J.P. (239-334-7474, jccruises.com) paddlewheel boat that plies the Caloosahatchee River, two passenger sections are air conditioned and the top deck includes a canopy; so Mark Twain, eat your heart out. Water taxis that connect Pine Island with barrier islands Useppa, North Captiva, Cayo Costa and Boca Grande — like Island Girl Charters (239-633-8142, islandgirlcharters.com) and Emmy Girl Charters (239-462-4073) — put families in the northwestern-most reaches of Lee County, often a few degrees cooler.
No. 9: Catch a movie
Big screens offer big family savings over the summer. Kids can enjoy the first children’s movie on Thursday mornings for $7 instead of the regular $15.55 ticket at Silverspot Cinema (239-592-0300, silverspot.net) in the Mercato in North Naples. Regal (regmovies.com) locations at the Bell Tower Shops in south Fort Myers, on Hollywood Drive in Naples, and Gulf Coast Town Center (IMAX) in San Carlos Park offer $1 kids’ tickets on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings into early August. Tickets for everyone for all showings on Tuesdays at Marquee Cinemas’ (239-458-2543, marqueecinemas.com) 10-screen facility in Cape Coral, which underwent major renovations recently including the addition of power leather recliners, are $8.75. AMC Stubs members (enroll at amctheatres.com) can get discounts on Tuesdays at AMC Merchants Crossing 16 in North Fort Myers.
No. 10: Explore your library
Not just for books. In addition to reading a cool book, graphic novel or periodical, many public libraries harbor children’s sections and put on special programs and events. They even have prizes for young readers who sign up for the summer reading program. For locations in Lee and Collier counties, visit leegov.com/library and collierlibrary.org.
No. 11: Visit a car museum
As we relish the air conditioning in our cars, take in a visit to see some indoor vintage vehicles. A 1916 Ford Model T and a Ford “Chuck Truck” are showcased in the orientation building and Smithsonian gallery, respectively, which also includes the Spark!Lab children’s interactive stations, at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates (239-334-7419, edisonfordwinterestates.org) in Fort Myers. Kids 12 and younger are admitted free with paying adults through August. (Several other historic cars are on display on the outdoor grounds.) The Edison Ford Shoppe (239-433-0054) in the Bell Tower Shops has a 1919 Ford Model T. Auto aficionados will also rev-up their interests at the Muscle Car City Museum (941-575-5959, musclecarcity.net) in Punta Gorda.
No. 12: InPlay
Sip local coffee while doing yoga as the kids are supervised in a playroom, all indoors. This can be enjoyed at the recently opened InPlay Family Fun (239-963-9716, inplayfamilyfun@gmail.com, inplayfamilyfun.com) in Naples. The indoor play center offers birthday parties, other special events plus kids’ science and technology camps into August.
No. 13: At home
Want to just stay home? Try some simple, fun activities you can find online, such as putting a small toy in a water balloon, filling it with water, freezing and then letting your little archeologists chisel out the toy. Cut an orange in quarters, freeze, and then let the kids gnaw on them as they thaw. And of course, take some time to relax and talk about the fun you had all summer.