The scarecrows are gone from Lakes Regional Park. The Fall Festival ran October 9 through 31, and the hayrides, pumpkin patch and Halloween Express went with it. On Gladiolus Drive, the November weeks that follow are usually quieter. This year there's one big difference. The water playgrounds that sat behind fencing for every winter since Hurricane Ian are open, rebuilt from the slab up.
The splash pads, the miniature train and the farmers market each keep their own clock, and the park's seasonal schedules are in transition right now.
Four Winters Without the Splash Pads
WINK reported that the Lakes Park splash pads had been closed since Hurricane Ian. That covers the cool seasons of 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26. Lee County didn't patch them. WGCU reported that the two pads reopened on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, after a full replacement. The $2.6 million design-build project started with demolishing and removing the damaged equipment and concrete. It was paid for through the Florida Division of Emergency Management Legislative Appropriations Program Fund.
The new pads have new concrete, plumbing fixtures, electrical components, shade structures, water features, signage and fencing. WINK identified the design-build contractor as Gulfpoint Construction Company Inc. County commissioners held the ribbon cutting on August 26. In the Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation's October newsletter, president Barbara Manzo wrote that the foundation was glad to have the water playgrounds "back and better than ever."
The shade structures matter more than they would have in August. A covered splash pad on a 78-degree afternoon in November is a different outing from an exposed one in midsummer. And with the reopening landing in August, this November and December are the first stretch of mild weather the new pads will see.
Two Schedules for the Splash Pads
Lee County's facility page lists two sets of splash pad hours. The regular schedule runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Cold-weather hours run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The page doesn't say what temperature triggers the switch. In practice, a family heading over for a 9:30 a.m. start on a crisp December morning could reach dry pads and wait 90 minutes. An after-school visit on a cool day ends at 4 p.m., not at dusk.
The park itself keeps longer hours than either schedule, open from 7 a.m. until dusk according to the foundation. So on a cold-weather day, the gardens, trails and playground are open roughly four hours before the water comes on.
| What | Hours or cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Park gates | 7 a.m. to dusk | Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation |
| Splash pads, regular | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily | Lee County |
| Splash pads, cold weather | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Lee County |
| Parking | $1 per hour or $5 per day | Lee County |
| Train, standard museum fare | $5 ages 6 and up, ages 1 to 5 free with a ticket | Railroad Museum of South Florida |
The $5 daily parking cap means a morning at the market that runs into an afternoon at the splash pads costs the same as staying all day. The Lee County Parks and Recreation Annual Parking Pass is valid here. Vehicles with a disabled veteran license plate, specific mechanical modifications for disability accommodation, or a Florida Toll Exemption pass park free. Leave the dog at home. The county allows only service animals in Lakes Park.
Wednesdays and the First Saturday
The rest of the cool-season calendar follows a weekly rhythm. Lee County lists the Lakes Park Farmers Market season as October 2026 through May 2027. The foundation's newsletter says it runs every Wednesday and rotates its extras. Craft sales fall on the first and third Wednesdays and plant sales on the second and fourth.
Here's how that lays out over the rest of November 2026:
- November 11, second Wednesday: plant sale
- November 18, third Wednesday: craft sale
- November 25, fourth Wednesday and the day before Thanksgiving: plant sale
The foundation also runs a free Bird and Nature Walk at 8 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month, meeting at Shelter A7. That makes November 7 the next one, two days after this post publishes, and December 5 the one after that. At 8 a.m. the walk finishes well before even the regular splash pad hours begin.
What the Foundation Added While the Pads Were Closed
Some of what's new at Lakes Park came from the Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation, not from the county's rebuild. The October newsletter announced an interactive human sundial and a replacement outdoor library. In its September newsletter, the foundation reported that 121 native South Florida orchids were being reintroduced to the park in August 2026. The October issue points visitors to the Fragrance, Succulent and Botanic gardens, with roses and Queen's Wreath in bloom.
The county credits the foundation with maintaining the children's garden, community garden, fragrance garden and succulent garden. According to the newsletter, the foundation's current fundraising goes toward replacing aging raised beds in the community garden and adding murals and educational features to the Children's Garden. Those projects are the next ones in line.
To cover more ground, Wheel Fun Rentals rents bicycles and boats at the park, and the county lists bike trails and a jogging and walking path among its features.
The Work Under West Lake
One project at Lakes Park is easy to miss from the walking path. Lee County's facility page carries an advisory for "Water Quality Improvements (Phase III)," run by Lee County Natural Resources. The county's September 3, 2024 contract agenda item describes it as an alum treatment facility for West Lake. It's designed to cut pollutant loading in the lake and improve the water that flows out of the park toward Hendry Creek.
The system includes shelters, an alum tank, a pump, a control panel, a pipe network on the lake bottom and a dispersal apparatus. The alum binds excess nutrients and algae so they settle out. East Lee News reported that the treatment will remove about 3,300 pounds of nitrogen a year. The county awarded the construction contract to Douglas N. Higgins, Inc. for $4,294,600. A Lee County StoryMap from February 2026 lists the project as underway, with completion estimated in 2026.
Set the two projects side by side. The splash pad rebuild, which people can see and use, cost $2.6 million. The water treatment system, which mostly sits out of sight, cost more than $4.2 million. A fair share of Lee County's spending at Lakes Park goes into the lake water itself.
The Train Schedule to Watch
The Railroad Museum of South Florida runs the miniature train at Lakes Park. It also runs the December Holiday Express. The museum's train-ride page describes holiday lighting from mid-December through December 30.
Last year gives a sense of the pattern. WINK reported that the 2025 Holiday Express ran December 12 through 30. Weekday hours were 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., and weekend hours were 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It closed on Christmas Day and at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and admission was $6 for ages 6 and up, free for ages 1 to 5. Those are 2025 figures, and the 2026 schedule may be different.
Keep that pattern in mind when you check hours online. Lee County's Lakes Park page lists train hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. plus 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays. That matches last December's holiday schedule. The museum's own standard schedule runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at $5 for ages 6 and up. It notes that those rates don't apply to the Halloween or Holiday Express. Regular tickets are sold at the ticket office across from the station. Trains normally leave every half hour, and boarding is first-come, first-served. A weekday evening ride in early November isn't a sure thing based on the county page alone, so check rrmsf.org or call the museum at 239-267-1905 before you go.
Over the next six weeks the market keeps its Wednesday rotation, the bird walk keeps its first Saturdays, and the splash pads switch between schedules with the weather. For the Holiday Express, watch rrmsf.org for the 2026 schedule.
I'm a Gateway resident who spends weekends in the same Lee County parks you do, and I keep track of how the places nearby change from season to season. If you'd like to talk about which parts of Fort Myers keep spots like Lakes Park within a short drive, Fernando Daza is happy to help in English or Spanish. Let's Connect.
