Lakes Regional Park at 7330 Gladiolus Drive is going into its first fall since Hurricane Ian with its splash pads open. The Fall Festival opened on October 9. The Wednesday Farmers Market returned on October 7. And the water playgrounds the storm wrecked in September 2022 have been running again since August. If you live in Fiddlesticks, the drive is short. Head west on Six Mile Cypress Parkway, which turns into Gladiolus Drive after it crosses US-41, and the park entrance is on the right about half a mile later.
This October the festival, the market and the restored splash pads all run in the same weeks, with the train village's holiday lights to follow in December. For the past few falls, visiting Lakes Park meant working around a missing piece. This year, how much you get out of it depends mostly on which day you go.
What Took Four Years
The splash pads were the last big gap. The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation's September newsletter ties the closure to Ian and calls the outage four years. Here's how the recovery played out:
- September 2022. Hurricane Ian damaged and destroyed the old splash pads.
- August 20, 2025. Lee County set demolition of the damaged pads for this date, with construction aimed at summer 2026.
- August 5, 2026, 9 a.m. The new pads opened to the public, according to WINK, citing a Lee County Parks & Recreation release.
- August 26, 2026. The county held the official ribbon cutting.
WINK put the cost at $2.6 million. In the county's ribbon-cutting remarks, it was called a $2.5 million project. Either way, the money came from the Florida Division of Emergency Management Legislative Appropriations Program Fund. At the ceremony, the county said FEMA permitting was one reason it took so long. Gulfpoint Construction Company Inc. handled design and construction. The work included new concrete pads, plumbing, electrical systems, shade structures, water features, signage and fencing.
In the foundation's October newsletter, president Barbara Manzo wrote about the new water playgrounds: "Boy, are we glad they are back and better than ever."
The shade structures are the detail to remember for fall. Lee County lists regular splash pad hours as 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and shorter cold-weather hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. So the pads keep running into the cooler months, with a shorter window. Check the county's Lakes Park page before you load up the car, since schedules can change.
The Festival Now Sits Next to Everything Else
The annual Lakes Park Fall Festival runs through Saturday, October 31. The News-Press lists activity hours as 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The foundation names these highlights:
- Scarecrows in the Park. It's free to walk through. You can vote for the People's Choice Award from October 9 through October 25, and there's a separate VIP Choice Award. The foundation says the event got so popular this year that it had to cap the number of scarecrows.
- Hayrides and a pumpkin patch.
- The Halloween Express. The Railroad Museum of Southwest Florida runs this train ride through the decorated train village during the festival, weather permitting.
Since the splash pads, the Children's Garden and the festival grounds are all in the same park, one visit can cover a hayride and an hour at the water. Families with visiting grandchildren haven't been able to do that in October since 2021.
The Week, Sorted by Cost and Crowd
The festival changes how parking works, so the day you pick affects both what you pay and what's running. Regular Lakes Park parking is $1 an hour or $5 a day. During the festival, parking is a flat $3 per vehicle Thursday through Sunday, and regular rates apply Monday through Wednesday. Parking for the Wednesday Farmers Market is free, and Lee County annual parking passes are accepted.
| Day | Parking | What's running |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Tuesday | Regular rates | Festival 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., splash pads |
| Wednesday | Free for the Farmers Market | Market 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., festival daytime and evening hours, splash pads |
| Thursday, Friday | $3 festival rate | Festival hours, Halloween Express in the evening |
| Saturday, Sunday | $3 festival rate | Festival 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Halloween Express all day |
Wednesday is the easiest day of the week. The market's 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. hours overlap most of the festival's 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daytime window, and market parking costs nothing. The foundation's newsletter says the market adds craft sales on the first and third Wednesdays and plant sales on the second and fourth. That puts October 14 and October 28 on the plant-sale schedule, and October 21 on the craft schedule.
The train schedule depends on which source you read. The News-Press lists Halloween Express rides from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The foundation's newsletter lists Halloween Express "Dancing Lights & Displays" hours as 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. If a train ride is the reason for your trip, call the train line at 239-267-1905 first.
The Free Layer That Outlasts October 31
The festival ends with the month. The park's smaller additions stay, and most of them cost only the parking.
Two of them are new this season. The foundation added an interactive human sundial, where your own shadow tells the time on a sunny day. It also replaced the park's outdoor library with a new one, where you can browse the books and read in the park.
The regular programs are back too:
- Bird & Nature Walk. It's free and starts at 8 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month. Meet at Shelter A7 near the Train Station. To get there, enter from Gladiolus, turn right, and follow the road through the parking lot to the end. The foundation asks you to arrive a few minutes early because the walk starts on time, and to bring water, binoculars and sunscreen.
- StoryTime in the Children's Garden. It came back on October 1, and the newsletter lists the next session for October 15.
- The Fragrance, Succulent and Botanic Gardens. The foundation points visitors to heritage rose blooms and the lavender-purple flowers of Queen's Wreath in the Fragrance Garden.
Things are moving in the Community Garden as well. Gardeners are preparing beds for the season, and the foundation thanked We Care Denali for donating 20 yards of organic compost. The foundation is also raising money to replace the aging raised beds there and to add murals and educational features to the Children's Garden.
What the Calendar Holds After Halloween
When the festival ends, the market keeps going every Wednesday through May 2027. The first-Saturday walk schedule puts the next two Bird & Nature Walks on November 7 and December 5.
December brings the train village's holiday lights. The Railroad Museum of Southwest Florida says it decorates the village for nighttime rides every year from mid-December through December 30, with tens of thousands of lights and synchronized "Dancing Lights." Right now the museum's homepage promotes the Halloween Express through October 31 and lists no 2026 Holiday Express dates. The museum says special Halloween and holiday ticket prices are set two months ahead, so the regular fare on its tickets page won't tell you what the holiday rides will cost. Watch the Railroad Museum of Southwest Florida for the announcement if you're planning a visit while family is in town for the holidays.
By the time the lights come on, the splash pads will likely be on their 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. cold-weather hours. That still leaves room for a late-morning stop at the water and an evening on the train.
If you're weighing how Lakes Park and the other spots off Six Mile Cypress fit into life at Fiddlesticks, Adam DeArmond knows this corridor from the fairway out to Gladiolus Drive and is glad to talk it through. If your plans include a move this season, start with a clear number. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
