PARENT & CHILD

Things to do with the kids this weekend

Pamela Hayford
The News-Press
The Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair kicks off this week.
  • Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair
  • The Wild Kratts Live
  • CREW Concert & Silent Eco-Auction
  • Walk the Spectrum

Here's our list of things to do with the kids this weekend, February 23-25, in the Fort Myers-Naples area.

Friday, Feb. 23

Baby Boot Camp — 9 a.m. Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Road, Estero, FL 33928. Certified fitness professionals instruct exercise classes for pregnant, post-natal and ultra-fit moms. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in WINK Playland.

Budweiser Clydesdales — 1-4 p.m. Shell Factory & Nature Park, 2787 North Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers, FL 33903. Budweiser is bringing the full hitch with all eight horses and the famous Budweiser wagon complete with the Budweiser dalmatian. Your family can observe the actual hitching process and then view the Budweiser Wagon as it is pulled around the property stopping for free photo ops. 

Dinosaurs: Back with a Roar — February 17-June 3. Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples. Ten life-size animatronic dinosaurs are on display among the foliage of the gardens. Plus, there’s a fossil dig and a dinosaur photo station. The gardens are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Included with regular park admission, which is $14.95 for adults, $9.95 for ages 4-14, free for children younger than 4 and members. 239-643-7275. naplesgarden.org

Friday Night Concert Series — 6-9 p.m. Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Road, Estero, FL 33928. Every Friday, in the Restaurant Piazza. 

Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair — February 22-March 4. Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair, 11831 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers. Rides, fair food, entertainment, livestock, 4H competitions and more. General admission at the gate is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-11. Mega passes, $25, on sale in advance. Child safety bands available. swflcfair.com

 

Saturday, Feb. 24

Art of Movement Hip Hop Workshop — 9 a.m.-noon. Maranatha School of Dance & the Arts, 822 Del Prado Blvd. S., Cape Coral, FL. $25 for three-hour, one-day morning workshop. Beginning and intermediate/advanced levels. Open to all dancers in Southwest Florida ages 8 and older. Hip hop experience is a plus but not required. Register. 239-772-3309.

Buckingham Community Market & Car Show — 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Buckingham Community Church, 10960 Orange River Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33905. Free to attend, $15 to register a car in the show. There'll be a craft show, flea market, fresh market and garage sale. 239-410-8210. buckinghamchurch.com/market

Burrowing Owl Festival — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rotary Park Environmental Center, 5505 Rose Garden Road, Cape Coral.  Admission is $5 for ages 16 and older with free parking. Proceeds go toward local wildlife protection, preservation and education.

CREW Concert & Silent Eco-Auction — 5-9 p.m. Riverside Park, 10451 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs. General Admission: $15 advance; $20 gate. VIP cafe tickets: $75. Support the CREW Trust at its largest fundraiser of the year. Enjoy live music from The High Voltage Band and food from local food trucks. Browse eco-trips, art and more at the Silent Eco-Auction. crewtrust.org

Dancing Classrooms Spring Exhibition — 11 a.m.-noon. Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Road, Estero, FL 33928. Fifth-grade students from four Lee County public schools exhibit their ballroom dancing skills near the Restaurant Piazza.

Engine Demonstration — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Koreshan State Historic Site, 3800 Corkscrew Road Estero, FL 33928. Free with Park Admission. Meet at the Generator Building in the Industrial Area of Koreshan State Historic Site for a demonstration of the Fairbanks Morse diesel engine. Watch as piece of history roars to life.

Free Nature Programs at "Ding" Darling — J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 1 Wildlife Drive Sanibel, FL 33957. At 9:30 a.m. Story and Wildlife Wonders. At 11 a.m., Birds of the Refuge. At 1 p.m., Gators & Crocs. 

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss Storytime — 11 a.m. Three Barnes & Noble locations: Coconut Point, 23130 Fashion Drive, Estero; Waterside Shops, 5377 Tamiami Trail, Naples, and at 13751 Tamiami Trail, south Fort Myers. Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! In celebration of the beloved author’s birthday on March 2, enjoy a special story time featuring coloring, activities and more.

Kids Cruise Free — 10-11:30 a.m. Tin City, 1200 Fifth Ave. South (US 41 East ), Naples. Adult tickets are $37.50 per person. Child tickets are free with adult purchase. Additional child tickets are $18.75. The 1.5 hour children’s cruise provides an entertaining environment for children to learn about the Southwest Florida environment. While Pure Florida cannot guarantee animal sightings in the wild, the captain will alert passengers to wildlife such as dolphins, pelicans, eagles, manatee, native birds and more. Pure Florida offers a sightseeing scavenger hunt for the children to participate in to win a prize. Reservations required. 239-693-4949. purefl.com

Kids Day — 10 a.m.-noon. Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Road, Estero. In WINK Playland. Fun activities, free slice of pizza and a kids’ cone from Dairy Queen. 239-948-3766. miromaroutlets.com

Naturalist Guided Walk at Barefoot Beach Preserve — 9-10 a.m. Barefoot Beach Preserve, 503 Barefoot Beach Blvd., Bonita Springs, FL 34134. Free with park entrance. Every Saturday through April 30. Learn the importance of barrier islands, how our ancestors used Florida’s state tree, and native plant communities on barrier islands of Southwest Florida. friendsofbarefootbeach.org

Nature Lectures at Barefoot Beach Preserve — 10-11 a.m. Barefoot Beach Preserve, 503 Barefoot Beach Blvd., Bonita Springs, FL 34134. Free with park entrance. Join the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve at the Learning Center chickee for a variety of lectures each Saturday through April 21. friendsofbarefootbeach.org

Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair — February 22-March 4. Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair, 11831 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers. Rides, fair food, entertainment, livestock, 4H competitions and more. General admission at the gate is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-11. Mega passes, $25, on sale in advance. Child safety bands available. swflcfair.com

Storytelling with Bil Lepp — 2 and 7 p.m. Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Bil Lepp is five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest, has been a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival multiple times and is a PEN Award-winning children’s book author. Bil’s hilarious, family-friendly stories are a treat for all ages. His matinee and evening performances will not contain the same material. $20 for members, $25 for non-members. artinlee.org

“The Taming of the Shrew” — 2-6 p.m. Sugden Community Theatre, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples, FL 34102. The Naples Players present “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare outside under the stars on the Baker Stage. Performances of this free, abridged version of Shakespeare’s classic are 2 p.m. Saturdays and 6 p.m. Sundays through March 18 (no show March 17). Bring a lawn chair. 239-263-7990. naplesplayers.org

True Tours’ River District History Tour — 10:30 a.m.-noon The Franklin Shops, 2200 First St. Fort Myers, FL 33901. This 90-minute walking tour will educate and entertain you with narratives of local history and acquaint you with the colorful personalities of the founders of our city. 

Virtual Battle of Fort Myers Grand Opening —  IMAG History & Science Center, 2000 Cranford Ave., Fort Myers.  The IMAG History & Science Center has a new virtual reality experience that places visitors directly in the Battle of Fort Myers (minus the violence). General admission is $14 for adults, $10 for children and students with ID, free for ages 2 and younger. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday.239-243-0043. theimag.org

Walk the Spectrum — 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Estero Community Park, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero, FL 33928. $25. Benefits Autism Connection, a local autism support organization. Event features entertainment, activities and vendor booths with a variety of services, games and workshops. Lee County Sheriff’s Office will have fingerprinting services. Plus bubble soccer, face painting and a bounce house for all ages. Nathan’s Hot Dogs, BuddhaBlends, Fireside Pizza and Yo Taco food vendors will be onsite. Raffle prizes include Disney World, Sea World and Key West Express tickets, local destination passes and gift cards. Register at runsignup.com/race/fl/estero/walkthespectrum. For more information, visit myautismconnection.net.

 

Sunday, Feb. 25

5K Run/Walk for the Future — 8-9 p.m. North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Road, Naples, FL 34109. $30 in advance, $40 on race day. Packet pick-up and race day sign-ups begin at 6:45 a.m. Benefits Pace Center for Girls, Collier at Immokalee along with Open Your Heart to Children International.

Bluegrass Music — 2-5 p.m. Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33919. $10. artinlee.org

Book Signing by Local Author: "Crazy Bones! The Tale of a Waggy Tail!" — 9 a.m.-noon. The Sporty Seahorse, 362 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 33957. It is the story of a Hurricane Katrina refugee, a small dog with a big attitude that was rescued by a middle-aged woman from Northern New England. The tale is presented from two points of view: the dog’s and the woman’s. The contrast in perspective will make you laugh out loud

Car Cruise-In — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Fort Myers River District, 1400 Jackson St., Fort Myers, FL 33901. From classic to cool, downtown streets are lined with the sight of these show cars on the fourth Sunday of each month through May. Music, food, drinks and more. Free admission.

Family Day at Millennial — Noon-5 p.m. Millennial Brewing Company, 1811 Royal Palm Ave., Fort Myers. Free admission. Every Sunday, Millennial Brewing Company turns the brewery and the parking lot into a kids' play paradise. Kids' movies by request on the big screens, kids' corn hole, kids' table pong, and a huge bounce house and/or water slide. House crafts, cider, kombucha and beermosas for the adults. There's also a food truck serving kid-friendly foods and dessert (sno-cones, ice cream, etc.).

Fort Myers Drum Circle — 7-9:30 p.m. Centennial Park, Edwards Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33901. Every Sunday. Drummers, dancers, jugglers, hula hoopers, everyone welcome. Bring a chair and instrument or come just to listen.

Free Family Concert — 2 p.m. Riverside Park, 10451 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs. Free. The Bonita Springs Concert Band performs with choruses from Estero High School and Three Oaks Middle School. The music includes two pieces composed by Lisa Batch: “Believe,” written in conjunction with her children’s book, “The First Song,” and “Bright, Positive and Beautiful.” Stuart Shelton is the arranger. Lisa will also perform a solo. lisabatch.com

Free Beach Walk — 9:30-10:30 a.m. Gulfside City Park, 2001 Algiers Lane, Sanibel. Free, though parking fees apply. Explore the J.N. “Ding” Darling Refuge’s Perry Tract and learn about this vital beach ecosystem. Bring a shell bag.

Free Endangered Species Program — 11-11:30 a.m. J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. Free with entrance fee. Discover endangered species of Southwest Florida and what you can do to help them. Located at the Crossdike Pavilion on Wildlife Drive.

Free Florida Manatees Program — 1-1:30 p.m. J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. Free with entrance fee. Explore the world of one of America’s threatened species, the Florida manatee, as it faces a challenging future. Find out what you can do to help them. Fun for all ages. Located at the Crossdike Pavilion on Wildlife Drive. It’s recommended you bring water, insect repellent, sunscreen and binoculars.

Singing for Scholarships — 3-5 p.m. Naples United Church of Christ, 5200 Crayton Road, Naples. Features past recipients of the scholarship program as well as the program’s choir. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 239-455-2582. voicesofnaples.org

Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair — February 22-March 4. Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair, 11831 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers. Rides, fair food, entertainment, livestock, 4H competitions and more. General admission at the gate is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-11. Mega passes, $25, on sale in advance. Child safety bands available. swflcfair.com

SWFL Big Band Concert — 3 p.m. Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Road, Estero. Music from the Big Band era performed by Southwest Florida Big Band.

Taste of North Fort Myers — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Shell Factory, 2787 Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers. Live music and food vendors. Free admission. tasteofnorthfortmyers.com

The Wild Kratts Live — 2 p.m. Germain Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero. $23-$104. A theatrical stage show based on the animated TV series “Wild Kratts.” Martin and Chris Kratt step out live on stage to engage the audience. Doors open at 1 p.m. Infants younger than 1 year get free admission. germainarena.com

More:Mini birthday parties pack big impact

More:Animatronic dinosaurs come to life at Naples Botanical Garden

More:Diamond Girl: Cape Coral High freshman Sophia Mathewson has Major League Baseball dreams