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Lakes Park to Reopen Seven Days a Week
Jan 26, 2005 Contact: Sandra Reynolds, Lee Parks & Recreation LAKES PARK TO REOPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 26, 2005) - Starting Saturday, January 29, Lakes Regional Park will be open seven days a week, although not all portions of the park will be open because of continuing recovery from Hurricane Charley. About half the park will be open and more sections are scheduled to be added weekly. The park has been open only on weekends since Thanksgiving. The front of the park is open (basically the beach area and its pavilions and water playground, including parking lots 1 and 2), as well as the playground by the train village (although parking lot 3 still is being used as a staging area; visitors will have to walk to the playground from the other lots). The board walk is open, but the loop trail and concession are not yet reopened. The Train should be running again by Easter. The large open field on the east side of the park and north of parking lot 3 is not yet open. Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset. Please be aware that cleanup and restoration work is continuing in closed sections of the park. The 280-acre Lakes Park, which opened in April 1984, is considered by many to have been the catalyst for transforming what was then the county's small Parks & Recreation Department into the nationally recognized system it is today with many regional parks and thousands of acres of managed preserves. Lakes Park attracts up to 500,000 visitors a year. It has 158 acres of fresh water lakes for fishing, canoeing and swimming (the swimming area opens Memorial Day and closes Labor Day). The park also has: a water playground; 2-1/2 miles of paved pathways for jogging, biking, rollerblading and walking; picnic pavilions, amphitheater, and lodge with complete kitchen; and playgrounds, miniature railroad, train village and fragrance garden. Paddle boats, canoes and bicycles are available for rent. |