If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Fort Myers Beach and enjoy a small slide of…read moreFlorida Wilderness, consider visit the Matanzas Pass Preserve. This preserve is located behind the Library and elementary school off Bay Road. The Estero Island Historic Society maintains the historic cottages by the left side of preserve entrance. The preserve has about 1.25 miles of trails that wind through canopies of mangroves and maritime hammocks in 60 acres of undeveloped area of the island. Take a stroll or relax at many trailside benches. You can relax at pavilion at the North side that offer a panoramic view of Estero Estuary. Within a short distance, a Kayak Landing ramp is available. I witnessed joggers on one of my visits. Depending on seasonality, this bayside preserve can be a good site to observe some wildlife like raccoons, rabbits, hawks, owls, herons, turtles, snakes or dolphins in the bay. There are many native plants unique to this environment but the main native plants here are mangroves; red, black and white mangroves. Want more information about the trails and plants, pick up information brochure by Lee County Parks and Recreation at the Preserve Entrance. You can scan the QR Codes in the brochure using your smartphone and watch the excellent YouTube presentations done by Jim Rodwell. A Peace pole was installed by the Historic Cottages near the rain barrel and reminded us 'May Peace Prevail on Earth' in 4 different languages. The only negative aspect is the limit parking of only 4 parking space! Whenever I have some time, we love to stroll through the boardwalk and enjoy the view, fresh air and sunshine here.

This was a fantastic morning walk. We walked out to the observation area and the sun was just up…read moreover the bay and it was beautiful! A few of the trails were closed. Parking area has 4 spots. We were the only car there.

It's a nice little adventurous preserve. You can easily spend 90 minutes there…read more The preserve is being enhanced with a boardwalk, paved parking lot and restrooms, etc. This renovation started in the summer of 2025 and it's still ongoing (June 2026). However, access to the old entrance off Del Prado Blvd is still opened with limited parking. https://share.google/sUUdpymsREWL2T24R

Nice trails. Quite from the hustle and bustle. Took wrong turns a couple of time. Could be…read morebetter marked.

This park is very close to where we ate lunch at the newly reopened Sweet Tomatoes, so after we…read moreate, we headed over to check it out. Lakes Park is a 279-acre public park located along Gladiolus Drive, just south of Fort Myers. It is operated by the Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation. The park was named after its main feature: 158 acres of man-made freshwater lakes that were created when the site was occupied by West Coast Rock Co., a rock and limestone quarry, during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1958, a railroad spur was built to serve the mine, running along what is now Six Mile Cypress Parkway. The track bed had previously been used by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad from 1926 to 1952. In 1978, Lee County purchased the abandoned quarry to preserve the land before opening it to the public as a park on April 21, 1984. My first impression was that this has to be one of the nicest parks I have ever visited. It has so much to offer that I could have easily spent the entire day there. If you visit the park, it is important to note that admission is free, but parking is not. It costs $1 per hour, up to a maximum of $5. Once you enter the park, there is so much to do. There are more than 2.5 miles of paved paths running throughout the park. There is an amphitheater, beach volleyball courts, a boat launch, a fishing area, a train-themed playground, picnic shelters, gardens, a wedding gazebo, and a train museum. You can also rent a boat, kayak, or bicycle. Admission to the train museum is $5, and the 15-minute train rides, when operating, cost $5 per adult. The park also offers story-time programs, a farmers market (October through June), and a two-hour bird patrol tour on the first Saturday of each month at 8:00 a.m. The park is a stop on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, a network of more than 500 wildlife viewing sites across the state. On the day I visited, it was blisteringly hot. I recommend visiting during the cooler months. Even so, I was able to walk the boardwalk, where I spotted a variety of birds, and I explored a few of the gardens. The park is so lovely. We have multiple parks on Florida's east coast that offer some of the same features, but here in Fort Myers, you can find it all at Lakes Regional Park.

What a huge and beautiful park. I'm a little jealous we don't have anything like this near us! We…read morelet the kids play on two different playgrounds. There was a splash pad that was closed off due to construction. We saw a community garden, children's garden, and train museum and boardwalk. You can easily spend a few hours here. I think parking was $1/hours or $5 for the day. It's huge here!! I read 279 acres.

This was our beach choice on this trip to Sanibel Island. It was the first time we had been back…read moresince Hurricane Ian. Feel like this park's trees were swept up. It's completely empty of trees. But now there's lots of space for cars to bring their families to hang by this beach. You still pay for the toll to get on the island $6, but the hourly rate that's on the Sanibel & Captiva beaches don't apply to this beach. Which is why we went. We also really liked our car close by. I was super happy I brought my beach shoes. It's been a while I used them. There are lots of huge shells in the water so it's hard to walk without them. The water was nice and it's a convenient spot to refresh in the water. People also bring their jet skis and boats here. I do love the Sanibel beaches but I don't want to pay for the hourly rate. So this was good for us. They only have portapotties here no bathrooms like the other beaches

As you take the Sanibel Causeway Bridge (cost $6) ​to Sanibel Island there are two islands A and B…read morewhere you can stop and swim. The 10 acre islands are made from roadside spoils built when creating the causeway that links the mainland to Sanibel Island. When the bridge was built the islands allowed for shorter bridge spans. When you visit the parks you can have both and gulf access. When coming from the mainland you first come to island A which has parking. Island B has restrooms, water fountains, and picnic tables on the gulf side. Some of the activities you can enjoy in the park include fishing, swimming, picnicking, canoeing/kayaking, wind surfing, kite boarding, shell collecting, and sun bathing. You can bring your own grill for cooking out. Leashed dogs are allowed as long as you pick up after them. While it does cost the toll fee to get to the parks once you are here parking is free. The governor has ordered all of the beaches closed so they were taped off and empty except for some birds flouting the rules. A lot of people use the beaches here as an alternative to the ones on Sanibel Island during times when they are crowded and it is impossible to get a parking spot. You also have to pay to park on Sanibel Island. It was so hard to drive past the empty inviting empty stretch of beach without stopping. Hopefully we all soon be back to enjoying all the things that make Florida so special.

Great adventure at a great price! We rented a tandem and had the best time. We even saw a manatee…read moreand way too many birds to count. The mangrove passages were a bit scary but fun. Fun way to see the area and get some exercise!

This was such an amazing experience! The young college-age man who was our guide (Caleb maybe?) did…read moresuch an excellent job keeping us safe, being encouraging, being patient and calm. We had the most incredible manatee experience that we will never forget. And it was quite an incredible adventure, definitely pushed us out of our comfort zone but we did it and had fun (mostly! A little scary at times!) doing it. Liked the bigger double kayaks and no shame for being a little "bigger" ourselves. Highly recommended!

This place is AWESOME! I've been twice now while visiting a friend in Fort Myers, and my boyfriend…read moreand I have had a blast! My friend is really talented, my boyfriend has gotten the hang of it, and then me on the other hand not so great. This just solidifies the fact that people of any skill set can enjoy a day out at the cable park. The staff is SUPER friendly and are very encouraging when it comes to teaching and cheering you on. I never felt intimidated or that people were going to laugh at me when it was my turn to ride. Everyone is helpful and will be there if you have any questions. The park offers the life jacket, helmet, and board as part of the fee. You pay by the hour (1, 2, 4, 6 or a seasonal pass), and the prices are reasonable. For the first time you go you get a first timers price, and it's definitely worth it! They also have knee boards and skis you can try out if you're not comfortable with the wake board. Overall, this place is a lot of fun and it's a perfect place for a group of friends or even a day date! It's great exercise too!

You would never know that this hidden cable park is a little gem tucked away in Fort Myers. This…read morewas my first time ever going to a cable Park and I had a blast. They gave a discount to me since it was my first time and I had to watch an instructional video on the safety and precautions when riding in the cable park. The rental of the helmet, lifevest, and beginner wakeboard was included in the price presented so I like that there was no hidden fees. When you first walk up you will drive into a parking lot that has a trailer where they will get you a wristband and any information you need to ride. If you have never wake boarded at a cable park this is a great place to start! Getting used to riding on the cable versus riding behind a boat is slightly different, but I would say the biggest thing is to make sure that you keep your arms tucked in a little bit more so it doesn't yank you as much when you go around the cable corners. I like that there were different obstacles to use in the park and that The workers and other riders there were happy to give tips of what to do when riding in a cable park. I went with three other people and we had a great time, very glad that they let me borrow their wakeboard that had boots on them or I would not have been able to go off of the jumps. I had a great time and went off of a couple jumps by the end of my two hour riding time. I feel like a two hour time is a good amount to get used to the water and to leave you dead tired by the end of it. I took a couple hard hits in the water so two hours was a good time for me. I started with a sitting start, then I did a standing start, then I did a jump start. Can't wait to go back again to see how I can improve!

This is my favorite Sanibel beach. Always lots of shells. Not too far if a walk from parking lot…read more Beautiful view, white sand and shells. Bathrooms by parking lot. Always a great day there!

Beautiful. Just beautiful!!…read more Hubby and I spent a good day here on the beach walking and shelling. There were several people in the area, but not too crowded either. It was so beautiful here and everyone was so friendly. Very peaceful too!

Blind Pass is the beach name, but could also describe how easily on could simply drive past this…read moresmall beach and never pay it much mind, and it would be fair to do that. I can tell since Hurricane Milton how hard this beach was destroyed which is devastating. But i'm not entirely sure it was a ton nicer even prior. One of the parking lots did get wiped out, so now the amount of parking available is awful, maybe 10-12 spots so if you don't get there quite early good luck getting a spot. And once you park, to get to the actual shoreline you have to walk up and around the giant valley/ pond just beyond the parking lot- lots of decay and damage still there, not sure if they're looking to fix it or not. We also love coming to Sanibel for shelling, and you could find some decent shells along Blind Pass here and there, but pretty underwhelming. There's plenty of other beaches stretching the island with more opportunity, better parking and overall much easier access.

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL, clean, and stunning beach! We found tons of shells, saw dolphins, the water…read morewas clear, and we had a wonderful time. Highly recommend!