There are so many things to do in Fort Myers, Florida with kids. Here is how you can enjoy an afternoon in downtown Fort Myers with kids at the Imaginarium. Also read about a day at the Shell Factory, a hidden gem in Southwest Florida.

Imaginarium Science Center

Add this to your list of things to do in Fort Myers with kids. The Imaginarium is a hands-on science center located in the middle of Fort Myers, Florida. It is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday Noon-5pm.  Admission is reasonable ranging from $8 – $12 and free for kids 2 and under. Parking is free. Admission includes over 60 science exhibits, a touch tank, aquarium, 3D movie, and all play areas. Our kids (age 5 and 2) had a blast on their first visit. We spent about 4 hours here on a Saturday and got to see and do everything!

Sea to See: Touch Tank

The touch tank experience is open several times a day. This hands-on experience allow even the youngest child to touch sea-life. The tank housed stingray, starfish, hermit crabs, and more. And twice a day they offer the chance to feed the rays – you can purchase the food for $3 and schedule your one-on-one feeding time.

There is a 3D Theater where a short film is played several times a day. On our visit, 20,000 Leagues under the sea was playing. It is a cute 3D animated film that is perfect in length to even keep my 2 year olds attention. See the preview for the show —>

Educational Family Fun!

 

So Many Science Centers

The museum is divided into a variety of areas. All areas have a fun but educational component to it. The Science of Motion and Weather Exhibits were my son’s favorite while Tiny Town and the Clean Room (building atoms) were my daughter’s favorites. They both loved the Caloosahatchee River exhibit outside. I enjoyed the Aquarium and Josh liked the Mind Magic.  

Outdoor Exhibits

The Lagoon provides a fun chance to see and feed a variety of fish and turtles. It is such a pretty area I think it would be perfect to pack a picnic lunch and eat out on the lawn. The river water table was a big hit too, not just for our kids.

Southwest Florida often gets labeled as a city for older snowbirds with not much for young families to do. I respectfully disagree. We enjoy living in this area and hope you find our suggestions helpful. To learn more about the Imaginarium check out their website, http://www.i-sci.org/.

*I was not compensated or given any discount rates or free items for this post.  We live in Fort Myers with two young children and are always seeking fun family things to do. Our entire family truly enjoyed spending an afternoon here and believe that many other parents (residents or visitors) would find this a great choice when looking for something to do in Southwest Florida with their young children.