Spark joy this Valentine’s Day with themed craft workshops, the grand Edison Festival of Light and festivals highlighting the animals, cuisine and art of the Gulf.
Feb. 3
Your First Mud Run at The Village School of Naples
If you’re not afraid to get dirty, bring your active littles ages 5 and up to the nearly 2-mile-long course, complete with more than a dozen obstacles, designed for kids and adults to have fun in the mud. Race around the school’s field and through the parking lot, navigating through trees. Five dollars from every ticket sold go toward supporting the school, with an additional $5 per ticket sold going toward the participant’s charity of choice. Don’t forget to bring some water and a change of clothes. Find Out More
Feb. 3-4
ArtFest Fort Myers
More than 200 artists line the streets of Downtown Fort Myers with their work while the Publix Art Yard hosts its own stations for littles to get their faces painted, compete in the hula hoop competition or flex their creative skills at the arts and crafts station. Finish off the weekend with the Run to the Arts 5K run/walk for all ages. Find Out More
Feb. 3-18
86th Annual Edison Festival of Light in Downtown Fort Myers
The annual festival returns with celebrations for little ones. The STEMtastic Day of Discovery on February 10 nods to the lightbulb inventor’s curious spirit—more than 100 booths full of science experiments and exhibitions are on display, plus food vendors and interactive activities. Kids and their families celebrate in the junior parade on the 11th with hundreds of floats, marching bands, performers and city leaders. The parade on the 17th highlights Southwest Florida’s history in a grand exhibit with more than 200,000 guests and performers lining the streets of the River District. Find Out More
Feb. 6 and 9
Valentine Party at Four Freedoms Park, Cape Coral
Bring your Valentines ages 18 months to 4 years old to the park for Parent and Tiny Tot Time with activities like themed arts and crafts, games, story time and snacks. The next day, parents can take the night off, while kids and preschool staff and teachers have three hours to engage in holiday-themed activities and a provided dinner.
Feb. 10
Valentine’s Family Workshop at AR Workshop, Naples
Let the creative juices flow at this arts and crafts workshop for the whole crew. Young ones get messy with paints and non-toxic stain colors for their DIY wood creations. Find Out More
Feb. 9-15
Peppa’s Cinema Party at Regal Naples and Regal Gulf Coast, Fort Myers
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular English kids cartoon, the titular character, Peppa Pig, invites everyone to a theater near them where 10 new episodes and characters—including ones voiced by Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom—await. Bop along to five new songs and 11 interactive entertainment shorts, where Peppa and pals play, sing and dance in the real world. Find Out More
Feb. 24
22nd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival Wildlife and Environmental Expo at Rotary Park, Cape Coral
Cape Coral has the largest population of these tiny owls in Florida, and this year’s festival, led by Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, celebrates the protected animals by offering arts and crafts for the kids, face painting, tours of the large butterfly house, educational information about burrowing owls and live animal interactions with reptiles from Adam’s Animal Encounter. Wildlife experts host half-hour wildlife tours around the Cape, pointing out the locally found species like manatees and gopher tortoises. Find Out More
Feb. 25
Family Day at the Zoo at Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
AVOW Kids hosts children members and their families at the zoo for a presentation on animals made especially for the group, followed by an arts and crafts session before the young tykes can explore the grounds. Find Out More
RECURRING
Feb. 3
Nature Explorers at Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, Fort Myers
Mini explorers ages 5 to 11 learn astronomy and biology, and about animals and plants for two hours at each drop-off session on the first Saturday of the month. Kids can explore the center’s trails, education center and planetarium. This month, children join the nature center crew to take a closer look at the juvenile wildlife in Southwest Florida. Find Out More
Feb. 7-11, 14-18, 21-25
W.O.N.D.E.R. Sessions at Naples Botanical Garden
This month’s activity invites families to learn about ‘super plants,’ like air plants or epiphytes, which don’t need soil to grow. Guests observe these plants up close and listen to a reading of children’s books, such as Orchids by Kim Bogren Owen and A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston. Every month, little gardeners plant a seed in a recycled cardboard tube with soil as a keepsake to start their own garden at home. Find Out More
Feb. 11
Mini Buddhas Kids Yoga at Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples
On second Saturdays, yogis ages 2 and up bring mats to a 30-minute session with Elaina Vasta, the founder of Mini Buddhas and Just Play by E.Co, which encourages kids and families to engage in mindful yoga practices. Music and toys are constant additions to promote play and movement. Find Out More
Feb. 17
Out of this World Family Day at Collier Museum at Government Center, Naples
February’s “out of this world” theme teaches about our galaxy and others, from our moon and stars to ones far, far away. Snack demonstrations, like Oreo cookies, are used to understand the phases of the moon while also learning about what astronauts eat in space. For preschool-aged explorers, the center hosts an exclusive activity on February 21, where young’uns engage in lessons about the solar system, complete with a galaxy-themed story time and STEM arts and crafts.
