5 fun (and cheap) places in Southwest Florida to keep cool at as heat advisories continue

Samantha Neely, Fort Myers News-Press
·4 min read

The Florida heat this summer has been particularly brutal, with multiple weeks with record-breaking highs in the 90s and little reprieve from the dangerously hot conditions.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that the heat index has been over 105 degrees for 103 hours this year as of Monday, more than double the previous record of 49 hours in an entire year, according to Brian McNoldy,  a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science at the University of Miami. All of Florida was under excessive heat warnings or watches from the National Weather Service (NWS) Monday with warnings of heat indexes of 115 or more.

Southwest Florida has not been left out of the hot trends, with the Fort Myers area seeing its hottest July ever at an average high hit of 94.1 degrees. Naples also saw record-breaking heat throughout the last month, seeing highs of 97 degrees.

Want to find easy and cheap ways to escape the scorching temperatures? Here are five activities to try out.

More activities to do on a budget: Spending summer on a budget: 7 things to do in Southwest Florida for less than $20

Enjoy an icy treat to cool off

From Italian ice to ice cream, residents can beat the heat with a tasty treat:

  • Zirilli’s Chilly Treats (zirillisice.com) in Cape Coral

  • Pelican’s SnoBalls (pelicanssnoballs.com) in North Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, and Lehigh Acres, where mini-golf is also offered

  • Love Boat (loveboaticecream.com) in south and downtown Fort Myers areas

  • gelato & Co. (florida.gelatoeco.com) in Naples

  • Sospiri (239-237-6223) in Estero

  • Frozen Flip Flop (616-516-6118) on Pine Island

Eats and Treats offers Love Boat ice creams at its two locations in south Fort Myers.
Eats and Treats offers Love Boat ice creams at its two locations in south Fort Myers.

Splash around at water parks and local pools

With waters in the Gulf of Mexico reaching the mid-90s, skip the beach for now and cool off at other recreational spots around town.

Most people know about the water parks — Sun Splash Family Waterpark (239-574-0558, sunsplashwaterpark.com) in Cape Coral and Sun-N-Fun Lagoon (239-252-4021, napleswaterpark.com) in Naples.

Residents can also find waterslides and other splash amenities at places like the Fort Myers Aquatic Center (239-321-7553) in the Sam Fleishman Regional Sports Complex and the Sanibel Recreation Center and Sanibel School Complex (239-472-0345, mysanibel.com).

Public pools are also open for residents to cool off, including the North Fort Myers Community Pool. Most facilities offer summer swimming lessons and junior lifeguard programs. Admission to these pools is usually just a few dollars.

Visit leeparks.org or colliercountyfl.gov for more information on community pools or splash pads.

Enjoy a stroll through a museum or art gallery

Sometimes you'd rather just spend your day in air conditioning. Check out the various museums in the region and expand your knowledge.

Southwest Florida hosts several museums on fine art, history, prominent figures, and fashion. Most admission ranges from $5 to $20, however many offer discounts for locals, veterans, college students, and seniors.

A reproduction of King Tut's Anubus Shrine that is part of an upcoming exhbit, Tutankhamun: Return of the King Exhibition, at IMAG in Fort Myers.
A reproduction of King Tut's Anubus Shrine that is part of an upcoming exhbit, Tutankhamun: Return of the King Exhibition, at IMAG in Fort Myers.

Here are some museums to check out:

Go ice skating at Hertz Arena and in Fort Myers

Glide on the ice during public skating times at Hertz Arena (239-948-7825, hertzarena.com) in Estero and Fort Myers Skatium (239-321-7510, fmskatium.org).

Prefer wheels over ice? Put on your roller skates at Spinz Skating & Entertainment (239-482-7789, spinzskates.com) in south Fort Myers.

Explore one of Collier and Lee counties' 24 public libraries

In addition to reading a cool book, graphic novel, or periodical, many public libraries harbor children’s sections and put on special programs and events. They even have prizes for young readers who sign up for the summer reading program.

Children read a picture book at the new Book Walk in Lehigh Acres' Veterans Park.
Children read a picture book at the new Book Walk in Lehigh Acres' Veterans Park.

Collier County

  • 8787 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, FL 34113

  • 1266 Golden Gate Blvd. W., Naples, FL 34120

  • 102 Copeland Ave. N., Everglades City, FL 34139

  • 2432 Lucerne Road, Naples, FL 34116

  • 2385 Orange Blossom Dr., Naples, FL 34109

  • 8065 Lely Cultural Pkwy, Naples, FL 34113

  • 650 Central Ave., Naples, FL 34102

  • 417 N. First St., Immokalee, FL 34142

  • 210 S. Heathwood Dr., Marco Island, FL 34145

  • 788 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Naples, FL 34108

Lee County

  • 10560 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs, FL 34135

  • 921 S.W. 39th Terrace, Cape Coral, FL 33914

  • 11560 Chapin Lane, Captiva, FL 33924

  • 3095 Blount St., Fort Myers, FL 33916

  • 881 Gunnery Road N., Lehigh Acres, FL 33971

  • 2450 First St., Fort Myers, FL 33901

  • 1040 West 10th Street, Boca Grande, FL 33921

  • 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers, FL 33919

  • 2001 N. Tamiami Trail, North Fort Myers, FL 33903

  • 519 Chiquita Blvd. N., Cape Coral, FL 33993

  • 10701 Russell Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922

  • 2421 Buckingham Road, Fort Myers, FL 33905

  • 21100 Three Oaks Parkway, Estero, FL 33928

  • 1651 Lee Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901

For more information, visit leegov.com/library and collierlibrary.org.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Heat advisories plague Florida. Five activities to stay cool in SWFL