Five Parks and Family Outings for Kids
Three ticketed family outings (a zoo, a children's museum and a botanical garden), plus Baker Park and the Gordon River Greenway, linked by a pedestrian bridge.
Picked and checked by hand; updated when hours, venues, menus, or source pages change.
Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens sits in historic botanical gardens, with animal habitats that include giraffes, lions, Florida panthers and lemurs. The daily Today at the Zoo schedule helps you plan your visit around programs.
- Currently open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with last entry at 2 p.m.; admission is ticketed, and hours can change for holidays or weather.
- Address: 1590 Goodlette-Frank Rd, Naples, FL 34102
CMON is a hands-on children's museum on Livingston Road. Kids can shop a pretend Publix supermarket, and the ABC Tot Lot is set aside for infants through age 3. Johnsonville Backyardville adds a hedge maze, a shaded amphitheater and water play.
- Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Wednesdays, when it closes at 1 p.m.; admission is ticketed.
- Address: 15080 Livingston Road, Naples, FL 34109
Naples Botanical Garden is a ticketed tropical garden on Bayshore Drive. Plantings range from rainforest species and succulents to flowering trees, with water lily pools and a boardwalk at the entry.
- Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday through Monday, through Sept. 30; starting Oct. 1, the garden is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with 8 a.m. entry for members only.
- Address: 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples, FL 34112
Baker Park sits on the Gordon River, with playgrounds, a splash pad and a climbing play area. There are also picnic shelters, bike paths, a kayak launch and a viewing terrace, plus the 1.3-mile Baker Park Loop, where leashed dogs are allowed. The Blair Foundation pedestrian bridge connects the park to the Gordon River Greenway.
- Park open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; check splash pad hours separately.
- Address: 50 Riverside Circle, Naples, FL 34102
The Gordon River Greenway has 2.5 miles of asphalt, mulch and boardwalk trails through six native plant communities. There's a playground with a treehouse, along with picnic pavilions, restrooms, water fountains and lookout piers. Walking, biking and leashed dogs are allowed. It's a separate park from Baker Park, linked to it by the Blair Foundation pedestrian bridge.
- Open daily, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Address: 1596 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples, FL 34105