At 9 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2026, Lee County reopened the splash pads at Lakes Regional Park. They had been unusable since Hurricane Ian hit in September 2022. That closure was the last visible piece of Ian damage at the park closest to Island Park Village, and it ran almost four years. If you last walked Lakes Park in spring, you left a park still working through the storm. You come back to one with all its main attractions working again and a regular weekly schedule from now through May.
The drive is short. Island Park Village sits at 17500 Island Park Road, and Lakes Park is at 7330 Gladiolus Drive, a little under three miles away in a straight line. From U.S. 41, the park entrance is half a mile west on Gladiolus, on the right.
Four Summers Without Water Play
WINK News reported that Ian's saltwater and sand got into the old splash pad systems and damaged them past saving. The area then sat closed while the county waited for money to rebuild.
Demolition of the damaged pads was scheduled to begin Aug. 20, 2025, according to a Lee County Parks & Recreation release. The county counted the work as part of the park's Hurricane Ian restoration. The replacement cost $2.6 million, paid with Florida Division of Emergency Management Legislative Appropriations Program funds. The scope covered new concrete pads, plumbing and electrical systems, shade structures, water features, signs and fencing. The county had aimed for summer 2026, weather permitting, and it opened in early August, as Gulf Coast News reported. The county also set a ribbon cutting for Aug. 26.
The splash pads have two schedules, and the second one is the one that applies through the winter. Lee County's Lakes Park facility page lists regular hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and cold-weather hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If grandchildren visit over the holidays, plan on the late-morning window when it's chilly.
The Smaller Additions Around Them
With the big repair done, the Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation has turned to smaller projects. Its October 2026 newsletter names two new pieces. One is an interactive human sundial, where you stand on it and your shadow tells the time, so it works only on a sunny day. The other is a brand-new outdoor library that replaces the old one. Foundation president Barbara Manzo opened that newsletter by welcoming back the water play: "I hope you've had a chance to use the beautiful new Water Playgrounds. Boy, are we glad they are back and better than ever."
The most interesting addition is still growing. The Foundation's homepage describes a native orchid restoration with orchid expert Dr. Wesley Higgins. It is reintroducing 121 native South Florida orchids this season, including the state-endangered Cowhorn Orchid and Clamshell Orchid. The Foundation notes that most of Florida's native orchids are threatened or endangered because of habitat loss and decades of illegal collection. A sundial and a bookshelf are finished the day they go in. Orchids take seasons to establish, so the payoff from this one comes on later visits as the plants bloom.
The October newsletter also reports that the Fragrance, Succulent and Botanic gardens are open for seasonal visits, so the orchid walk fits easily into a longer loop.
Wednesday Is the Day to Plan Around
The farmers market returned Wednesday, Oct. 7. The News-Press listing has it open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday through May 2027, with free parking on market days. That's eight months of Wednesdays, which makes the market the steadiest fixture on the park's calendar.
The market also changes from week to week. Produce and local vendors come every Wednesday, craft sales are on the first and third Wednesdays, and plant sales are on the second and fourth. For anyone furnishing a lanai or replacing what the summer heat killed, that schedule decides which Wednesday to go. Here's how November works out:
| Wednesday | Extra on top of produce |
|---|---|
| Nov. 4 | Craft sale |
| Nov. 11 | Plant sale |
| Nov. 18 | Craft sale |
| Nov. 25 | Plant sale, the day before Thanksgiving |
The Nov. 25 plant sale is the last market before Thanksgiving, which makes it handy for anyone hosting and wanting fresh greenery on the table.
Saturday Belongs to the Birds
The second fixed day is the first Saturday of each month. The Foundation runs a free Bird & Nature Walk that starts promptly at 8 a.m. at Shelter A7 near the train station. From the Gladiolus entrance, turn right and follow the road through the parking lot to the end. The walk is free, but parking is paid. The Foundation suggests bringing water, binoculars, sunscreen and comfortable shoes. The next one falls on Saturday, Nov. 7, and after that Dec. 5.
Regular park parking is $1 an hour or $5 a day, and Lee County annual parking passes are accepted. If Wednesdays and first Saturdays become a habit, the annual pass is worth pricing out.
For a second nature stop in the same area, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve shifts to its winter schedule soon. Its guided walks run daily from December through April, compared with Wednesdays and the fourth Saturday from May through November. From Dec. 1, you can join a guided slough walk on almost any morning you're free.
The Fall Festival's Last Weekend, and the Train After It
This post goes up during the final days of the Lakes Park Fall Festival, which runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. According to the News-Press, festival activities run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The Halloween Express train runs 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Festival parking is $3 per vehicle Thursday through Sunday. The Foundation lists hayrides, a pumpkin patch and its Scarecrows in the Park displays. The scarecrows stay up through the festival, though voting for the People's Choice Award closed Oct. 25. For train questions, the News-Press lists 239-267-1905.
The train has a holiday run too. The Railroad Museum of Southwest Florida operates a Holiday Express. The museum says holiday fares are separate from its standard ticket prices and are set two months ahead. Its train-ride page describes winter lights and decorations running from mid-December through Dec. 30 each year. Watch the museum's site for this year's schedule rather than counting on last year's.
One Stop Back on U.S. 41
The park isn't the only place that reopened this year. Sweet Tomatoes returned on May 18 to its original space at 14080 S. Tamiami Trail, between Volkswagen of Fort Myers and Lexus of Fort Myers, according to the News-Press. The salad buffet chain closed all its locations in 2020 and is now under new ownership. The paper reported that Fort Myers was the second U.S. location to reopen, after Tucson. It's an easy lunch stop between Island Park Road and Gladiolus on a market Wednesday.
Put together, the schedule from Island Park Village is easy to follow this winter. Market every Wednesday morning, with crafts or plants depending on the week. Bird walk at 8 a.m. on the first Saturday. Splash pads open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on cool days. Holiday Express details will be on the Railroad Museum's site.
Want to know which Fort Myers neighborhoods sit closest to Lakes Park, or how places like Island Park Village fit the way you spend a winter? TJ Bialek knows this part of south Lee County well and is happy to help. Let's Connect.
