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Whether kids are walking through a thunderstorm, or looking at a house inside out, they're learning and loving it.
Indoor Fun for Families
Need a break from the sun (or occasional rain)? Take your family on an adventure to see treasure recovered from shipwrecks, walk through a simulated thunderstorm, visit the home of an inventor or view a shell collection with more than 30,000 varieties from all over the world.
By Chelle Koster Walton, member of the Society of American Travel Writers
Need a break from the sun (or occasional rain)? Take your family on an adventure to see treasure recovered from shipwrecks, walk through a simulated thunderstorm, visit the home of an inventor or view a shell collection with more than 30,000 varieties from all over the world.
By Chelle Koster Walton, member of the Society of American Travel Writers
  Ford Motor Cars |
Estates and Shopping Malls
Meet Lee County's most famous forefathers at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates complex, where re-enactors sometimes dress the part and a museum holds many of Edison's 1,000 patented inventions, along with the Model T his friend and neighbor gave him.
The afternoon calls for shopping, either at the inventor's namesake Edison Mall, indoors with some 150 stores, OR at the fun and funky Shell Factory, where stuffed African animals and a video arcade rank high on the kid barometer.
Museums
Downtown Fort Myers’ Imaginarium Hands-On Museum gives free reign to children's natural curiosity. Whether they're walking through a thunderstorm or looking at a house inside out, they're learning and loving it.
Follow it up with a history lesson at nearby Southwest Florida Museum of History, where baseball, cowboys and Indians and saber tooths will pique their interest in the past.
 Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum |
Aquariums & Skating
Explore the marine heritage of shrimping town Fort Myers Beach at Ostego Bay Marine Science Center. Here kids can peer into aquariums, touch a shark's skin, and learn about endangered manatees and loggerhead turtles. Stop at one of the many family-friendly, inexpensive restaurants where fresh local shrimp is the specialty.
For fun in the afternoon, head south to Estero for a cool time at Germain Arena’s ice-skating rink. There's also a roller rink, and in season (October through April), professional hockey at night.
Treasure, Arts & Eats
Cross the causeway to Sanibel Island. Take the little buccaneers to Mel Fisher's Treasure Company, where they can feel a gold bar and ogle the riches recovered from sunken treasure ships. Call ahead to see when special children's programs are being offered. Or, when school's out check with BIG ARTS (Barrier Island Group Arts) to find out what kids art classes are scheduled for the day.
If you are lucky enough to schedule this island visit on Monday, head up the road to Captiva Island for the wacky Nascrab Races at 'Tween Waters Inn’s Crow's Nest Lounge. The early show at 6 p.m. (starring local hermit crabs) is geared towards families. If it's Wednesday, try the All-American Buffet at Chadwick’s in South Seas Resort, where jugglers, magicians and face painters accompany hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers and grown-up fare.
If you go…
Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, 239-395-2233, www.shellmuseum.org
BIG ARTS, 239-395-0900, www.bigarts.org
Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 239-334-7419, www.edison-ford-estate.com
Edison Mall, 239-939-5464, www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=129
Germain Arena, 239-948-7825, www.germainarena.com
Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium, 239-321-7420, www.cityftmyers.com/attractions/imaginarium
Mel Fisher's Treasure Company, 239-395-5376
Ostego Bay Marine Science Center, 239-765-8101, www.ostegobay.org
The Shell Factory & Nature Park, 239-995-2141, www.shellfactory.com
South Seas Island Resort, 239-454-1700, www.south-seas-resort.com
The Southwest Florida Museum of History, 239-321-7430, www.cityftmyers.com/attractions/historical.aspx
'Tween Waters Inn's Crow's Nest Lounge, 239-472-5161, www.tween-waters.com
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