Short Family Road Trips From South Florida

Fort Myers Area

Museums 

1) Imaginarium: Located in downtown Fort Myers, the Imaginarium hosts dozens of interactive exhibits that are at once educational and fun. This is the kind of place that brings out the child in you, as it makes you touch and feel a cloud, experience Florida's famed thunderstorms, and excavate biological ruins of extinct species. 

2) Edison and Ford Winter Estates: Spread over a sprawling 20 acres campus along the Caloosahatchee river, this museum will let you take an insightful peek into the lives of two of the nation's most celebrated inventors - Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. You will get to admire the original Model-T from up close, as well the jaw dropping range of Edison's patented inventions. 

3) Mound House: Located in Estero Island, the Mound House sits on an ancient Calusa Indian Mound. The guided tour here will educate you about its 2000 years of history, native wildlife, and showcase an impressive archaeological exhibits. 

Beaches and Outdoors

1) Fort Myers Beach Fishing Pier: No matter what your interest, whether it is fishing, lazing in the sun, or watching people, you can have them all at this popular Fort Myers destination. The pier itself is an impressive structure that extends far into the Gulf of Mexico, and is always bustling with activity. 

2) Captiva Cruises: One of the best ways to explore southwest Florida Coast, this Cruise will take you through Cabbage Key, Useppa, Boca Grande, and Cayo Costa. The water itself is pristine and captivating, and the on board guide will inform you about the wildlife, history and much more. 

3) Sanibel Island Beaches: Home to some spectacular beaches, you can do much more than regular beach activities here including shelling. 

4) The Everglades: Consisting of millions of acres of swamps, saw grass prairies, and sub tropical jungles, the Everglades is a unique Florida nature reserve. Protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Everglades is home to well over a dozen endangered species, with many of them endemic to the area. The vastness of the park means that is offers a surreal experience of magnificent desolation, one that has to be experienced to be believed. Access to the Everglades can be had from both the East (Broward/Miami-Dade) and the West (Everglades City) as well as by boat. 

Nearby Towns Worth Visiting:
1) Naples
2) Sarasota
 

Florida Keys

1) John Pennekamp State Park: Part of Florida Keys National Maritime Sanctuary, this state park stands out from the rest as it is largely underwater. Snorkelers and Scuba Divers can experience a rich coral reef, and mysterious wrecks. 

2) Bahia Honda State Park: The beaches at Bahia have earned the reputation for being the nicest beach anywhere in the Keys. Visitors can enjoy impressive views, lovely picnic sites, and camp ground areas. 

3) Dolphin Research Center: An important venue for DOLPHIN enthusiasts. You will get to admire, and learn about Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and California Sea Lions at this exceptionally efficiently run Center. Options include being a trainer for a day, playing with the dolphins or general admission where you get to watch them interact.

4) Hemingway House: For those with a taste for literature, the former home of Ernest Hemingway is nothing short of a pilgrimage. You can take a tour of the home, and watch the house cats, descendants of Hemingway's own pet cats. Stroll through the gardens and enjoy life as Hemingway once did. 

5) ECO-Discovery Center: 6,000 square feet of interactive, interesting and most importantly, educational exhibits for everyone to enjoy. This free attraction is a wonderful place to allow the kids to explore that is inddors on a hot or inclement day.  Marvel at the marine bio-diversity on display.

6) Key West Botanical Garden:  If you aren't from the Keys, visiting a botanical garden is a wonderful way to learn about the flora and fauna of the area.  Givwe kids the self-guided tour map and let them play tour guide thru the grounds.  Don't miss two of the last fresh water ponds in the Keys as well as amazing tropical plants, flowers, birds and butterflies.

7) Robbie Tarpon Feeding:  This Islamorada roadside gem is easy to fly right past but the kids will be glad you stopped!  These huge marine beasts can jump out of the water with their huge gaping mouths to catch bait fish..  Though tarpon don't have teeth, they can still draw blood so we do not recommend letting the children hold the bait for the tarpon.  They can drop them into the water or watch the other tourists risk their limbs.