The beach is the obvious thing to do on a trip to Florida with kids, but there are more options! My personal favorite is the variety of birds – I could post hundreds of pictures of Florida birds, but don’t worry, I only shared a couple. Enjoy and let me know what we should add to our list for next time!

I feel very fortunate that my in-laws spend the winter months (January, February and sometimes March) enjoying Florida and have invited us to enjoy a piece of it with them the last couple of years. For me, escaping to the Sunshine State is perfect for my state of mind because it’s always significantly warmer than the temperature in Maryland where we live. Over the years, here are ten fun things to do on and near Pine Island, Florida (located on the west coast of Florida, south of Tampa and north of Sarasota). Given the location of where my in-laws stay, near Bokeelia, our travels have taken us to Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel/Captiva and Punta Gorda which are all within an hour. We have flown into Fort Myers Airport (RSW, about 1 hour), Punta Gorda Airport (PDG, about 45 minutes) and have driven all the way from Maryland. Of course Florida is choc full of airports, so if you’re willing to drive, you may get a better deal flying into Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, Sarasota, Miami or Fort Lauderdale to name a few.

We have adventured around this area with our daughter between the ages of three and five. Below are things we have done with her and enjoyed, in no particular order. (Always do your due diligence to check hours, road conditions and current pricing.)

• Lee County Manatee Park – See manatees near the water tower. Just pay a couple of dollars ($2/hour or $5/day in 2024) for parking and you’ll find a great place to walk, play at the playground, have a picnic, etc. There are also bathrooms.
• Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve – An amazing boardwalk trail and chance to look for wildlife! The parking lot is small, so go early or late to try and snag a spot and pay the nominal parking fee. I loved seeing the ibises.
• Flea Master Flea Market and Goodwill Outlet – My in-laws hid 10, $1 bills for my daughter to find and then off the flea market, in the rain, we went. Bring an umbrella and good water shoes for the parking lot, but then enjoy the covered market. She loved getting a $1.60 back scratcher, $3 to have her face painted and $2 for fairy hair and a $2 tsum tsum necklace. Goodwill Outlet is no ordinary thrift experience and kids under 12 can’t go in this location, BUT, if you’re looking for inexpensive toys for your trip, pop in here for the experience. Nearly everything is by weight and you can snag some amazing deals! Some people like to wear gloves when looking through the humungous bins! My favorite part is watching the crowd when a new row of bins comes out – trust me!
• Fort Myers Beach – This one is probably obvious and it does look different since the hurricane, but still lots to explore and a fun family outing! And while we haven’t been, I want to check out D Street along the river (The River District). They hold a variety of events and Leoma Lovegrove (one of my favorite spots from Matlatcha is moving here in 2024).
• Pine Island Public Library, Philips Community Park and Spot Ice Cream – If you’re driving onto Pine Island, you’ll come through the town of Matlatcha. Sadly, as of January 2024, it still has not fully recovered from Hurricane Ian (September 2022), but if you’re able to, definitely get out and see the beautiful street art, pop in the stores that are open and get coffee at the Perfect Cup! Continue on to the library which has a cute kids area and bathrooms, play at the playground across from it that has a scavenger hunt and one of those kid “elevators” and then end with Spots Ice Cream across the main road. My personal favorite was the blueberry cheesecake. (Sundays and Mondays aren’t the best days given some things are closed.)

• Cayo Costa State Park – Fortunately, my in-laws can take us here on their boat, but there is a way to get here if you don’t have access to one (verify the details). The bird life, walking the beach and looking for dolphins are some of my favorite parts. And if you have time, drive to the farthest point north on Pine Island to Bokeelia. Next to Capt’n Con’s restaurant I love to buy earrings made by locals. You can also check out the pier or catch the sunset behind the restaurant. And if you’re walking, take a look down Moyer Lane – it’s a hoot! We love eating at the Lazy Flamingo up the street, walking around the marina and catching the sunset from the bridge by it. There are so many pelicans and Addy even fed some this year! We’ve also seen wood storks, night herons, great blues and others.
• Fellowship Park in Cape Coral – This is a playground, splashpad and coffee shop! It’s associated with a church, but is open to all. Don’t forget to pack a bathing suit and towel.
• Fishermen’s Village – If you fly into Punta Gorda (check Allegiant Airlines for deals), this is less than 10 minutes away. We loved popping by here during the holidays when it was beautifully decorated, walking around the shops and watching Addy play in the sand and climb the big chair while catching the sunset. There’s also a huge outdoor bar in the sand.
• Turner Beach – There are multiple beaches on Sanibel and Captiva. We parked in the small parking lot here, paid for parking on our phones and then started searching for seashells. Right by the big rocks is the best place to look we found – we collected and then went to the Dollar Tree for art supplies to use them in crafts like decorating picture frames and other wood décor! There’s also real restrooms here too. I needed my coffee fix and popped into Jerry’s Grocery to get one. (Unfortunately, some of the other coffee shops have not reopened since the hurricane.) Prepare with a Sunpass to pay the toll or get a bill with your license plate.
• J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge – Start with the visitor and education center and then explore the wildlife loop. I believe it’s a couple of dollars, but if you have a U.S. National Parks pass (like the America the Beautiful pass), it’s included. This is a great place to spot birds – we were so happy we brought our Nikon D500! Many people had binoculars. It’s on a paved road, so you can easily walk with a stroller, bike, etc. This is located on Sanibel and requires a toll to get on the island.

We look forward to our next adventure here. And if you have the time, definitely make the drive to the Everglades! We’ve been twice and I would happily go again. Check out my post here (Right Up a Birders “Alli” (gator)), which includes the stops we made along the way. The Everglades and Acadia National Park are my favorite east coast parks.

What should we add to our list for the next time we visit this area? Feel free to leave them in the comments so we can all benefit! We particularly love free and low cost fun for our family. And if you didn’t find me via my newly created Substack newsletter, take a look and subscribe or follow us on IG at TeamTravelsBaby!