Lakes Regional Park (often called Lakes Park) is a 279-acre public park located along Gladiolus Drive ( CR 865) just south of

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It opened on April 21, 1984, and is operated by the Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation. The park was named after its main feature: 158 acres of man-made freshwater lakes. The lakes were formed by a rock mine that operated on the property in the 1960s.Lakes Regional Park
/ref> The park is part of the

Great Florida Birding Trail Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (''GFBWT'') is a 2,000 mile (3200 km) long collection of more than 500 locations in the U.S. state of Florida where the state's bird habitats are protected. The trail promotes birdwatching, environmenta ...

as well as Lee County's Tour de Parks bicycle route along with the

John Yarbrough Linear Park The John Yarbrough Linear Park (originally the Ten Mile Canal Linear Park) is a 6-mile linear park trail located in Fort Myers, Florida. The trail parallels the Ten Mile Canal and the Seminole Gulf Railway, and is owned and operated by Lee County ...

and other locations.

Features

A variety of wildlife can be spotted throughout Lakes Park, especially birds. The park includes about 2.5 miles of walking and biking trails running along the lakes. A scenic boardwalk carries the trails over the lakes. Other features include playgrounds, a large field for recreational activities, as well as a fragrance garden with herb, butterfly, and cactus gardens.

Train Village

One notable feature at Lakes Park is the Lakes Park & Gulf Railroad, a gauge

miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petrol ...

, which takes riders on a 15-minute ride through the north end of the park. The railroad departs from the Railroad Museum of South Florida's Train Village in the center of the park. Besides the railway and the museum itself, the Train Village area also includes a children’s playground and a full size historic locomotive and caboose on display. The miniature railway has carried over 300,000 passengers since it opened in 1994. The Train Village pays homage to the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

’s former branch to Punta Rassa, which ran through the Lakes Park property just south of the Train Village and boardwalk from the 1920s until 1952.County to Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Lakes Park
/ref> A portion of these tracks were later used by the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

to service the rock mine that created the lakes in the park.

Gallery

Image:Lakes Park Boardwalk.JPG, The Boardwalk over the lakes Image:Lakes Park field.JPG, Recreational Field Image:Lakes Park Fragrance garden.JPG, Entrance to Fragrance Garden Image:Lakes Park Train Village 2021.jpg, Train Village and loading platform for the miniature railroad

References

{{Reflist

External links

Lakes Regional Park
7½ in gauge railways in the United States Parks in Florida Parks in Lee County, Florida Tourist attractions in Fort Myers, Florida Miniature railroads in the United States 1984 establishments in Florida