This park is very close to where we ate lunch at the newly reopened Sweet Tomatoes, so after we ate, 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. read more

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What a huge and beautiful park. I'm a little jealous we don't have anything like this near us! We let 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. read more

Lakes Regional Park - The train museum - Parks Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

We love this park! On any given day, you can walk or bike around the lakes. They offer bike and paddle boat rental options and a train to ride. Today, we rented the pedal cart for four and another for two. Our teen grandsons and their friends really had fun! Plus, they saw a small gator, a fairly big green iguana and a snake (in addition to all the beautiful birds). Wednesday mornings they have a very nice farmer's market with quite a few vendors. Put it on your to-do list! read more

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What a lovely little park! Great spot for a picnic, rent a shelter for a party, or like us: morning walk. I love that this area offers a semi-shaded walking path - can be hard to find in the area! There's tons of trees and wildlife around here, and the path can be about 3 miles, plus more if you add on other little sections. The amenities here are plentiful: a music/kids section, a cactus and plant area, a train museum, tons of walking and biking paths, Wheel Fun bikes for rent, and even a mini train ride! The mini train ride is soooo cute and worth it - $5 per person and you sit on this little mini train and it goes along the path and back to a ton of mini figurines and buildings made to look like Fort Myers. It's so stinking cute!! Our walk here was so enjoyable - tons of birds and wildlife to see that made it fun to get out our binoculars and snap photos. We'll definitely be back! read more

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Beautiful and expansive park for a variety of people. There's a small train museum that speaks to the railroad history of the past, which includes the ability to ride a small train for the kids. There's a wonderful kids garden with storytelling that is sponsored by the local library. And there's beautiful botanical garden that has various plants, flowers, and vegetables that show the diversity of plant life. Some parts of the park are undergoing renovation, but I'm looking forward to it being even better in the future :) read more

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We visited Lakes Park while we were on vacation. It was an excellent find! There is an entry fee required. There are no pets allowed in the park. The park is very big with several things to do. Paved walking paths, playgrounds, pavilions, concessions and bike and boat rentals, bird watching, train rides etc! You can bike, walk or rollerblade on the paved paths. In the middle of the park there is a small lake for wildlife viewing. There are alligators in the lake a sign said, but we did not see any during our visit. The splash pads are currently out of service but will be getting rebuilt in the months to come. A great park if you want to get outside and experience Florida's natural beauty! We would visit again. read more

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Love coming out here with the family.they have train rides,playgrounds,walking trail,butterfly garden and just lots to do.They added a food truck which is pretty cool and I've learned they have a train museum that's very educational and the staff are amazing.its hot so they have ice cream as well and you can rent out the pavilion that's very educational have huge grills built inside. read more

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We love to visit here and take advantage of the nature. Even though you are in the middle of Ft. Myers, it is very peaceful and relaxing to walk the grounds and enjoy the place. We love visiting when they host different events during the year. Come for the event and stay for the nature. read more

It's a great Park to walk around; it has great trails; it was hit by a hurricane, but it is still a great option to enjoy outdoor life; several party shelters, two parks for kids, exercise stations along the park; and great ice cream shop! Ideal to play Pokemon Go as well! read more

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Really nice park. There's a lot to do and see. Perfect for picnics and relaxation. Also great for all ages. read more

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great park! theres surrey bike rentals available. the miniture train is nice too! lots of parking.has a nice lake and a wooden boardwalk across the lake. highly recommend read more

It has a nice lake which is nice. Has a variety of birds and you might see a gator. There is a ice cream place you get your ice cream quick and it is tasty. read more

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A nice walking trail, when not under construction. Much renovation in progress, diminishing the experience. Still can be enjoyed, just less than in past. read more

Great place to enjoy scenic park.. walk jog bike! Can get busy... but we love it! They have concessions! Boat rentals and more! Children love it! read more

Great park! Can't say enough! Bike and boat rentals, concession stand where you can buy food and plenty of trails. Wildlife seems so at ease here birds actually came within feet of me when I stopped to enjoy the view. read more

We have now been to this park three times in our last two visits to the area. This is a very nice park with lots of trails for walking and biking (though on busy weekends you need to be carefully to avoid being run down by the bikers). There are lots of picnic tables and shelters that can be reserved. The park is open again after Hurricane Ian though they are currently not renting kayaks and the splash park is closed. We saw the train running but not sure about the status of some of the other features of the park. They charge $1/ hour to park or $5 for the day. No entrance fee. Definitely check this place out! read more

Lakes Park is probably one of best park in Lee County. Although it is children and family centric but adult can enjoy this facility as well. There is a huge lake right in the middle with activities all around it. You can visit the Train Museum that filled with interesting exhibit from locomotive to miniature trains. For a fee, you can take the train ride around the lake. During the Christmas holiday, the train paths were decorated with holiday theme artifacts. We did the train ride during the day but was told, it is an amazing ride near sun set with the lights on.! There are shelters you can rent for a gathering with nearby BBQ grills and stands. Ice machines and bathrooms are available within walking distance. There is a track about 1.5 miles you can jog in the morning or evening. You can rent pedal boat, kayak or Surrey to ride about the lake. A Children Garden, Community Garden and Botanical Garden has flowers, trees and exotic plants. If the Florian heat is bothering you? No problem, you can use the water sprouts on one side of park to cool off. On Wednesday morning, a Farmer Market is available to pick up local fruits, vegetables and other items. There are activities planned all year round. Today, we stop by to check the pumpkin patches with a walk around the lake. It has hundreds of pumpkins for sale. The train ride is not operational due to Covid-19. Hayride is available with limited capacity to observe social distance. Nevertheless, you can see children running around to enjoy the locomotive and playground. The official name is Lakes Regional Park but local called this Lakes Park. The park was named because it has 158 acres of man-made freshwater lakes. The lakes were formed in 60's by rock mine in the property. A variety of wildlife and birds can be spotted throughout the year. We had a wonderful time at Lakes Park! read more

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Stopped by on the way to the airport with my children (2&5) and was highly surprised! Giant playground next to the train museum. Both kids enjoyed playing while we (the parents) sat in the shaded area. read more

Lakes Regional Park - Playground - Parks Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

So much offered here. This park has everything for everyone. Several kids playgrounds, Lots of area to walk, to ride bikes or rent paddle boats. read more

This large park has lots to do and I did a lot of it today. A great walking path, picnic shelters, playgrounds, bicycle paths, paddleboats and volleyball courts. I had a lovely walk though it was quite hot. Everyone was doing a great job of practicing their social distancing. Note that parking is not free. Vending machines are available to obtain a ticket to display on your dashboard. $1 per hour. I did not see any enforcement today. [Review 13275 overall, 593 of 2020.] read more

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Lakes Park is an excellent family friendly park in a great location. The park has plenty of walking paths, biking paths and seating areas. This park is definitely family oriented and has events throughout the year as well. The splash pads are nice for kids to cool down in the summer. They have several shaded playgrounds and there is typically plenty of parking. They rent boats and bikes and they have party size pavilions available as well. No dogs, so plan ahead. read more

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The Lakes Regional Park is Great Overall. The Selection is Fantastic. The Value is Good. The Ambiance is Nice. The Laks Regional Park is Great Overall. read more

Can't believe I've lived in Ft Myers for 3+ years and never visited this place. What an excellent way to spend an afternoon. Rode the train, walked 5 miles of trails, and had a snack at the concession stand. Missed the railroad museum - as that closes early. A tip: pay attention to some of the activities as they occur early/end early. For example - there's a farmers market on Wednesday's but it ends at 1:00pm. There's a lot to do for families. You can rent bikes and boats. There's a big field for sporting activities, there's a couple small water parks - for little kids, and they had a bounce park (although I'm not sure that is a year-round thing). You can grill in the pavilions- but you have to reserve them and you can go fishing if you are a fisherman (license required). Definitely be back - with the bikes. read more

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Wow! One of the nicest parks I have seen. There are a plethora of things to do here. Playgrounds, water park, paved walkways, open fields, exercise stations, bikes for rent and much more. Facilities were clean and plentiful. It looked like there was some basic food items but I did not stop. There were also water fountains available. Wildlife are bountiful. Saw an osprey catch a fish and a very large alligator. Fishing was even allowed. There is a botanic garden which looked like it was being expanded. Amazing! The only downside was the small cost. It was $1/hour or $5/day. Prolly worth the admission. Enjoy! read more

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Amazing playgrounds for kids, splash pads, and train ride pre covid. Wonderful pathways and beautiful scenery. You can also rent bikes and peddle boats. I simply love this place. What a wonderful place for children to get some fresh air. read more

Lakes Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

I always go here with my family and we always rent the four seater bikes and they are super entertaining to bike around the park with them.

Great location for a party! It does get a little hot and risky with the summer Florida rain but it was worth it. I called the day before and they had a 90 person pavilion for $50! You won't find anything else of value and size. read more

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We get used to get here almost every day for a walk. A gem in the area we are staying. Easy to park. One dollar per hour or five per day. Several trails either with blacktop or gravel surface. Very scenic and ideal for photographers taking pictures of birds and different plants. One part of trails has almost new build excercise stations. There is a rental place for different types of bicycles. We didn't try to rent. Families with small children can take advantage of nice playground and small choo choo train. read more

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This park has to be my new favorite place to go running. It's full of people , nature and life. There are miles of cement and compacted ground trails that bikers and runners utilize throughout the day. They weave throughout the park; going over bridges and leading through wooded areas. I really enjoyed the fact that I saw so much wildlife active around the park. You don't have to just be on foot all day. Lakes park also offers bike rentals (traditional or 4 person) and canoe rentals. In addition to the biking, the kids can also enjoy the day splashing around their two mini water park style attractions. And if for some reason they get tired of that , they can dry off and explore the indoor mini train museum. The park is just overall a great places for people wanting to run or families wanting to have fun! read more

We're in town for Spring Training and staying nearby so thought we'd check it out. What a great park! Several trails with wildlife and water. Concession stand was nice (ice cream cones hit the spot after walking a while!). Bike and kayak rentals available, although we didnt use them. It was just a really nice morning walk. The mini train looked kind of fun. For $5, we almost did it, but opted out. You do have to pay for parking so keep that in mind. Not sure how much because we walked in. read more

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Lovely park on the lake. Lots of walking paths. They are even paved Not 5 stars because they don't allow dogs And no drinking wine or booze Covered picnic areas. Perfect for church or family functions. They are covered You have to pay for parking. You go to the machine and put in your card or dollars They have charcoal grills to use Well kept Fun for rollerblading and kids They have a nice farmers market on Wednesday. Local produce and plants Clean restrooms Big enough park that you don't feel crowded read more

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They allow kids - but not dogs! Very confusing concept in 2020. NO DOGS in the entire park. Who doesn't love dogs? We would tell more tourists about this place but, I never think of it because why would I go to a park without my dog? Two stars for excellent maintenance and friendly staff. read more

Very nice park. Rentals available like bikes, kayaks paddle boats etc., great playground areas. Two splash pads. Snacks available at the rental stand. You can rent picnic areas with grills that were very busy with parties while we were there. The trails would be great to run on but I didn't get the chance. Definitely a must stop if you have kids and need to kill some energy. Parking is a dollar an hour or $5 for all day and they take debit. read more

Lakes Regional Park - Parks Near Me - Fort Myers, Florida

I could've sworn I reviewed this already! This is probably the best park in this area of ft Myers and Cape Coral. If reminds me of bigger and nicer parks I've been to nation wide. Maybe similar to Wash Park in Denver. It has the water in the middle or lakes. Activities all around it. Available vehicle or things to ride and then...year round events. Unfortunately, not sure to it's own fault, it lost a lot of trees with the hurricane maybe 2 years ago so it currently looks a bit nude to me. We did my son's 1st birthday here in their big shelter and it was money. Totally worth it with its own ice machine and bathroom. The shelters go quick so book early. The fields are great for just playing, flying kites, and loads of picture taking. It seems like a popular photoshoot place which I would agree with. We recently did our little holiday family shoot here and I think the pics came out great. There is also a track that's about 1.5 miles I believe so a couple laps may lead to a 5k distance. I believe their farmers market happens during certain seasons and that's kinda fun. Overall I'm sure I'll be back again and again. read more

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We were visiting from out of town and a few locals told us to visit here with our 21 month old. He (we) loved everything about it! The playground (9on the right side by the train station) isn't as toddler friendly as it could have been, but he played on the big kid part and had fun. The walking parts of the playground are wide and long. There are lots of slides, swings and so much more! We also took the train ride ($5 for ages 5 & up). The little towns you pass were cute and the tunnel was cool. The walk around the lake was very peaceful. There were exercise stations where it showed you how to use the equipment there. Unfortunately the splash pads were closed (since hurricane Ian). The Children's Garden can be easily missed as it's across the parking lot. That was very pretty to walk through. They have a free little library there too. I'm sure we missed some stuff, but we'll be back on our next visit here! Parking was $1/hr or $5 for the day. read more

If you haven't been to Lakes Park you are missing out. I don't even know where to start. This park has a little bit of everything. My favorite part is the HUGe playground with interactive sections and tons of side walk space for parents to ride their bikes as they watch their kids play. My favorite part was the train. It costs $5 per adult (kids ride free). This little train is amazing. You ride in a big seat and your child sits in a little seat in between your legs. It is 15 minutes long and it takes you all around the park. My favorite part was how it takes you behind the scenes into this area where they have a tiny village that teaches you a bit of Lakes Park and Fort Myers history. There is paddle boarding, bike rentals and so much more. There are tons of biking paths, picnic sections, beautiful scenery to enjoy your snack or lunch. They have a splash pad (get ready to be there for hours). If you come here pack for the entire day because you'll be here for hourssssss! read more

It is always good for visitors like me to keep well in mind that Southern Florida is more than tiki bars, beach bumming, and peacocking at the pool-dock-volleyball pit; it is after all a swamp, a simi-rainforest and therefore an opportunity to experience flora, fauna, and wildlife of an exotic nature. You really can't say you've been here if you don't breath in the environment; you can't say you know Florida unless you've experience its eco-culture, smell the flower, view the rare wildlife. There is no better place to do so in the area than Lake Regional Park, where I spent a lovely afternoon under the sub-tropic sun among a sweet gulf breeze, soaking in the je ne sais quoi of la tierra de las floras. LRP is a large regional park, the type some areas call county parks or what, at my home, we call metro parks--smaller than state level but bigger than community playgrounds. The 279 acres were developed in the 1980s from an abandon rock mine whose gauges created the lakes--158 acres of it is water. Mainly a nature preserve, Lakes Park has a variety of other activities. Foremost is the weekend farmers market that showcases flavorful huge tomatoes, sweet corn, veggies as well as avacadoes, gordes, and ripe watermellon. Strawberries were an attraction worth noting, sitting tastee red in their bamboo weave containers, and other exotic fruits not at farm fairs back up north. Another is the train village, an area dedicated to the history of the cho-choo. Here is found a vintage steam propelled train exhibit. Huge and refurbish its massive steal engine brings to mind the force of our industrial era past. A mini-train is here to take you across the park, it's rails follow the old Seaboard Air Line Railroad that once crossed the lands. A succulent garden is on down from the train village. The variety and size of the cactus and other desert plants are impressive. I identified several types including aloe and zanzibars. Nearby were a fragrant flower garden, a butterfly preserve, and a beginning of a botanical exhibit. But the acres dedicated to nature is what makes the park a must stop for park lovers. Its wildlife is best highlighted on a long bridge that leads back to the multi-use hiking trail. The bridge, cutting between duel quarry lakes, acts as a viewing platform. Here I watched two great american alligator ripple through the water toward an island, their nose poking through the swampy film. I also saw three gopher tortoise floating partly submerged in their mpressively sized shells. Channel catfish leaped and splash all around. The multi-use trails in the back are nicely asphalted but runs through unique plants and trees. Part of Florida's Great Birding Trail, about 144 species of birds can be found here including Great Eagles. I saw egrets and ibis, a blue hern, and an Anhinga snake bird. These were cool finds. I spent a lot more time here than I orginally planned. Places like this is key to appreciating the Everglades environs of southern Florida. read more

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This place is great. So much to do, and a little bit of everything for everyone. My wife and I explored this place by tandem bike that you can rent by the hour and we rode through all the trails. The property is very well maintained and there are several trails that intertwine if you're up to explore the whole part as we did. Plan a few hours to really soak up all this park has to offer. Great place to picnic and enjoy nature. read more

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Despite what reviews say, only service animals are allowed. We drove all the way out here based on reviews to find service animal only signs. read more

Great place to have family gatherings if you don't have a problem with the heat in the summer.