Whether you live in Southwest Florida or are planning to vacation here, if you have young kids and have not visited Golisano’s Children’s Museum of Naples (C’MON) then you need to plan a trip soon.
C’MON is located near the North Collier County Regional Park, so you can easily spend an entire day in this area enjoying not only museum but the playground and dig site.
C’MON: Children’s Museum of Naples
The museum has a number of unique hands-on sections in which children can play and learn—including the Produce Market and the World Cafe creating excellent pretend-play opportunities based around food.
Kids get a chance to experience the seasons and natural environments through the Journey Through the Everglades, Banyan Tree, At the Beach and Mother Nature’s House exhibits. Other areas of the museum give kids a chance to get creative with art or building. But the fun does not stay indoors—young museum visitors can head outside to Johnsonville Backyardville for a beautiful hedge maze, green space with yard toys, a shaded amphitheater, chalk art space and a water-play area to get their hands wet. My three year old daughter has fallen in love with this interactive museum designed to make learning fun. She did not want to leave the grocery store because it made her feel like a grown up shopping with her cart then checking out.
Traveling Exhibits
The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples has an area set aside for temporary exhibits, so this space frequently changes as various traveling exhibits pass through. On a winter visit, we experienced The Children’s China, a wonderful immersion into Chinese culture. The current traveling exhibit is Big League Fun where kids have interactive experiences with baseball training simulations, sports trivia and hands-on activities for all those little baseball fans. Make sure to take your Little Leaguers to C’mon by May 19 as the museum is making way for its next traveling exhibit: Future Park: Art + Technology, running June 2 – September 1. This exhibit is designed to encourage creative thinking, collaborative play and to build interest in technology.
The Golisano’s Children’s Museum of Naples has an area of the museum set up for a changing exhibit; so this space frequently changes with traveling exhibits that have a unique theme. On a visit this fall, The Children’s China, was a wonderful traveling exhibit that created a great immersion into Chinese culture that adults and children alike enjoy. With all the activity stations, this can provide a full day of entertainment for the family.
C’MON Information
address: 15080 Livingston Rd Naples FL 34109
phone: 239-514-0084
hours: Monday-Tuesday: 10am-5pm | Wednesday: Closed | Thursday-Saturday: 10am-5pm | Sunday: 11am-4pm
website
Can U Dig It Playground
And be sure to check out the large playground across the parking lot from the museum and just beyond Sun-N-Fun Lagoon Water Park. This playground is part o the North Collier Regional Park offering interactive playground equipment with a unique dig site that will extend the day trip from learning inside to having physical activity outdoors.
Can U Dig It Playground Info
Address: 15000 Livingston Rd. Naples, FL 34109
Hours: Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Website
I live in Fort Myers Florida, which is about a 40 minute drive, so we plan a day trip here and include lunch at the playground and dig site. This truly is the perfect day trip from Fort Myers or Cape Coral for any mom with young kids. And a must add to the family list of things to do when vacationing with kids in SWFL.
