Things to Do
Taking Kids on the Water in Naples: A Parent's Field Guide
Two hours, one beach landing, before lunch. That's the formula — here's why it works.
6 min read
Things to Do
What to Do in Naples When It Rains
In summer it rains hard for 45 minutes and then stops. In winter, when it rains, it means it.
First, understand which kind of rain you have. From June to September, Naples gets an almost daily convective thunderstorm, usually between 2pm and 5pm, and usually over in under an hour. That is not a rainy day — that is a scheduled interruption, and the right response is lunch. From December to April, rain is rare but when a front comes through it can be grey and blustery for a full day.
The genuinely good indoor options
Artis—Naples and The Baker Museum
The city's arts complex on Pelican Bay Boulevard, combining a concert hall with a modern and contemporary art museum. The collection includes strong holdings in modernism and glass, and the rotating exhibitions are properly curated. Two hours easily.
The Baker Museum's neighbours
Waterside Shops is next door — an open-air but heavily covered luxury mall with enough overhang to stay mostly dry. Not exactly an intellectual afternoon, but it works.
Naples Depot and the Collier County Museums
Free, small and better than free-and-small suggests. The Naples Depot Museum in the 1927 railway station covers how southwest Florida was actually settled — swamp buggies, the railroad, the land boom. The main Collier Museum at the government complex on Tamiami Trail covers the same ground in more depth.
Golisano Children's Museum of Naples (C'mon)
The single best answer to a rainy day with children under ten in Collier County. Purpose-built, interactive, and large enough to absorb three hours.
Tin City
Covered waterfront shopping and casual seafood in a converted 1920s industrial building on Naples Bay. Browsing plus a plate of fried grouper is a legitimate way to spend a wet ninety minutes.
The summer storm strategy
If you are in Naples between June and September, plan the day around the storm rather than in fear of it:
- Do the outdoor thing early — beach, garden, boat — between 8am and 1pm, when the water is also calmest
- Be indoors and eating between 2pm and 4pm
- Come back out at 5pm for what is usually the most spectacular sky of the year
Also worth knowing
Naples has an unusual density of spas and a strong cinema — the Silverspot at Mercato is genuinely comfortable. And the Naples Zoo, while outdoors, has enough covered areas and indoor exhibits that a passing shower does not end the visit.
Common questions
- Does it rain a lot in Naples, Florida?
- Rain is heavily seasonal. June through September is the wet season, with brief but intense afternoon thunderstorms most days. November through April is dry, with occasional frontal rain.
- What is there to do in Naples in the rain?
- Artis—Naples and The Baker Museum, the Golisano Children's Museum, the Naples Depot and Collier County museums, Tin City, Waterside Shops and the Silverspot cinema at Mercato.
