Beat the summer heat in SW Florida: 5 cool things to do

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

Summer in Southwest Florida can be hot, sticky and gross. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to chill out between now and September.

Here are some fun things you can do to cool down in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Bonita Springs.

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash

Cape Coral’s Sun Splash Family Waterpark has always been a great go-to spot for cooling off. And now they have something new for out-of-school kids and their families: The 160,000-gallon Paradise Coast Wave Pool.

The $4 million pool opened 4th of July weekend and can be found at the back section of the park near the drop slides Terror Tube, Thunder Bump and X-Cellerator.

The 12,000-square-foot wave pool can generate various patterns of waves. It also features a 16-foot by 9-foot movie screen (arriving later in July), cabanas, additional shade and seating areas, and lounge chairs for more than 300 people.

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

In addition to the new wave pool, the 14-acre Sun Splash offers water slides, swimming pools, flumes, a boardwalk, a volleyball court and more.

Sun Splash is open daily during the summer. Admission to the park starts at $23 for visitors under 48 inches tall or $33 for visitors over 48 inches tall. Various ticket deals are also available this summer.

Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

(L-R): Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2025 MARVEL.

What better way to beat the heat than with a giant soda, a bucket of popcorn and some of the biggest blockbusters of the year?

Some huge movies hit theaters this summer in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Bonita Springs. The lineup includes:

  •  The much-anticipated reboot “Superman” (July 11)
  •  The horror sequel “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (July 18)
  • The MCU’s latest entry, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (July 25)
  • The silly, Liam Neeson-starring comedy sequel “The Naked Gun” (Aug. 1)
  • And the body-swapping sequel “Freakier Friday” (Aug. 8).

For a closer-look at this summer’s top movies, check out USA Today’s guide to the Top 15 must-see new releases here: tinyurl.com/ys26ymvy

Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

Sofie Nesanelis stars in Broadway Palm's new musical "Annie." She's pictured here with Annie's dog Sandy (played by Gritty Mewhinney).

Superheroes and horror movies aren’t your thing? How about a classic, toe-tapping musical starring America’s favorite, red-headed orphan?

Broadway Palm’s musical “Annie” continues through Aug. 9. The Fort Myers show is packed with memorable songs, including “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” “Easy Street” and “Tomorrow.”

That’s not all happening onstage this summer in Southwest Florida theaters. Other big shows and musicals include the ever-popular rock musical “Grease” (Aug. 1-10 at Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers) and the acclaimed one-act comedy-drama ‘Escaped Alone' (July 18-26 at Broadway Palm, performed by Theatre Conspiracy).

Check with your favorite local theater to see what else they have onstage.

Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

Vincent Leo, visiting from New Jersey, plays in the golf simulator booth at the new ÒEatertainmentÓ chain 810 Billiards & Bowling Tuesday, July 16, 2024. The establishment is scheduled to officially open July 25 at Estero's Miromar Outlets with 16 lanes of bowling, five billiards tables, three Krazy Dart lanes, two sports simulators, four axe throwing lanes and an expansive arcade.

This new “eatertainment” spot opened last summer at Estero’s Miromar Outlets, and it gives you all sorts of fun things to do under one roof: bowling, billiards, ax throwing, arcade games and more.

Here are the many things you can do at the 28,000-square-foot venue:

  • 16 lanes of bowling,
  • Five pool tables,
  • Three Krazy Dart lanes (where you can throw darts at on-screen ducks, a tic-tac-toe board and more),
  • Two sport simulators (including golf, soccer and football),
  • Four ax-throwing lanes,
  • And a big arcade packed with 63 games — from old favorites like Skee-Ball to modern games like the virtual-reality Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR.
Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

Then, of course, there's the food. 810 calls it “upscale bar food”: Think burgers, wings, pizzas and more ― just better versions that you'd find at a typical "greasy spoon" bar or bowling alley.

And if you have a sweet tooth, Mean Mugs Milkshake Bar can satisfy that craving, too. Its unusual, “extreme” milkshakes are made from scratch, including The Optimist (strawberry ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream, strawberry glazed donut and a Green Rock candy stick) and The Silly Monkey (banana pudding ice cream, graham cracker crumbles, fresh bananas, banana nut muffin, Reese’s peanut butter cup, Hershey's chocolate rectangles, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle).

Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

Paradise Cove Wave Pool opens at Cape Coral’s Sun Splash, Chill out with Superman and The Fantastic Four at the movies, Leapin lizards!: ‘Annie’ and more fun plays and musicals onstage, Bowling, ax-throwing and tasty milkshakes: 810 Billiards & Bowling at Miromar Outlets, Hang out at the Sugarshack in Bonita Springs

Dozens of guests attend a soft opening at Sugarshack Downtown in Bonita Springs, Fla., on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. In addition to food and drinks, guests were also treated to a performance from Naples-based band West Wave.

Since 2014, music fans have been watching the Sugarshack Sessions’ laid-back concerts on YouTube. Now they can see some of those bands in real life, too, thanks to the web phenomenon’s new concert venue/restaurant in downtown Bonita Springs.

Most shows are free, but some of the bigger touring acts are ticketed events.

The venue boasts a high-end sound system and 263 seats — about three-quarters of which are under covered pavilions, including the large one in front of the concert stage.

Sugarshack Downtown is more than just a concert venue, though. It’s also a restaurant with a full menu that includes pizza, wraps, fresh burgers and more.

New this month: The Bonita venue’s first-ever singing competition: The Downtown Showdown at Sugarshack. Southwest Florida singers will compete in front of live audiences for a $2,500 grand prize and more.

The competition starts at 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Aug. 12. Two winners will advance each week, culminating in the Aug. 5 semi-finals and the Aug. 12 finals.

Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email [email protected]. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells)

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