Top 8 Things To Do in Cape Coral With Family

Photo by Kristina Blokhin licensed under stock.adobe.com

Cape Coral, Florida, has plenty of fun things to do for families with kids. You can also enjoy the sunny weather and beautiful scenery. Here are some of the best things to do in Cape Coral with family.

Visit the Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve

The Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve is one of the most popular attractions in Cape Coral for families. It’s on the beautiful Caloosahatchee River, and it covers 365 acres. Parking is free, and a well-maintained boardwalk goes through a mangrove forest. As you walk with your kids, you’ll pass a variety of signs describing plants and other wildlife in the area. You could see eagles, herons, other wading and migratory birds, raccoons, and snakes.

The paths feature plenty of benches if you need to take a break and rest. The preserve also has kayak rentals, a picnic area, two observation areas where you can see the river, restrooms, and a visitors center. You can visit every day from 8 a.m. to dusk.

Go Swimming at Sun Splash Family Waterpark

Sun Splash Family Waterpark is the biggest water park in Southwest Florida. It has more than 14 acres of fun pools and exciting slides up to 5 1/2 stories high. The X-celerator slide lets you travel up to 30 miles per hour. There’s also a lazy river and an eco boardwalk to see Lake Kennedy. Parents can relax on the lounge chairs in the sun, and the concession stand has excellent food.

The City of Cape Coral Parks & Recreation Department owns and runs this place, and it’s open from March through September. The park is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for some months, and you can visit from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at other times.

Hang Out at Tarpon Point

Tarpon Point is only about 3 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and many people call it Southwest Florida’s best marina. You and your kids can enjoy fun cruises, fishing, and more. Waterfront homes, great shopping, and highly rated restaurants surround Tarpon Point. You can rent a boat or take a dip in the pool. People who bring their boats can buy gas or diesel fuel here. The marina is 8 to 12 feet deep.

Enjoy a Meal or Snack

After a great day on the water, you and your kids can enjoy some fresh Florida seafood. Many establishments offer food to go, so you can take a delicious lunch with you when you go boating. If your kids feel like a snack, stop at Gulf Coast Fudge, which serves more than 40 flavors of homemade fudge. You can also choose bonbons, milkshakes, ice cream, soft pretzels, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and more.

Go Fishing

The fishing near Cape Coral is excellent, and you can catch saltwater and freshwater fish on the same day. You and your kids could catch saltwater grouper, amberjack, shark, and more. Freshwater fish in the region include snapper, tarpon, redfish, trout, and snook. While your family fishes, watch for dolphins swimming nearby. You might even see a manatee.

If you don’t have much experience fishing, hire a charter boat at Tarpon Point or another marina. The captain usually provides fishing poles, bait, tackle, cool drinks, and everything else you need. They’ll also help teach your kids how to fish and about the area’s ecology. The captain will filet the fish your family catches so you can enjoy it for dinner.

Check Out the Yacht Club Community Park

Yacht Club Community Park, also called Yacht Club Beach, opened in 1962, and visitors have enjoyed it ever since. It has a public beach on the Caloosahatchee River with picnic shelters and barbecue grills, a marina, racquetball and tennis courts, and a colorful playground for small kids.

The park also has a fishing pier and a heated public swimming pool with two diving boards. Children can take swimming lessons or splash in the separate kids’ pool with an interactive fountain and underwater bubblers. Yacht Club Community Park holds several summer camps for kids as well. While here, visit the nearby restaurant, The Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill, which has excellent water views. You can visit the beach from dawn to dusk.

See the Tom Allen Memorial Butterfly House

The Tom Allen Memorial Butterfly House is part of the Rotary Park Environmental Center. Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife operates this attraction, home to several native butterfly species, including the Florida state butterfly and the zebra longwing. It’s a beautiful garden where your kids can play, and you can enjoy a peaceful stroll.

Free tours are available on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Guides will explain how caterpillars transform into butterflies and how these insects interact with the region’s plants. Donations are welcome, and Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife uses them to buy more plants for the caterpillars. You can often watch staff members release butterflies into Rotary Park, and the tour guide will tell you how to attract them to your yard. You can even sign up for a butterfly garden design class.

Have a Blast at Gator Mike’s Family Fun Park

Gator Mike’s Family Fun Park has zip-lining, rock climbing, go-karts, miniature golf, a paintball field, batting cages, ax-throwing, a rope course, and bungee jumping. It also has an escape room where you and your kids can work together to solve an intriguing puzzle to get free. The Hand of Wax attraction lets you make a colorful wax mold of your hand. Visitors can also play more than 45 arcade and virtual reality games.

The snack bar serves pizza, chicken fingers, pretzels, cotton candy, cookies, and more. If you feel like lunch or dinner, stop by Latitude 78 Bar & Grille. It offers salads, soups, sandwiches, and burgers. This place is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cape Coral is filled with fun things to do for families. Did we miss any of your favorite activities? Contact us and let us know what your kids like most.