The Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Ft. Myers

Description

Thomas Alva Edison purchased 14 acres of land on the south side of the Caloosahatchee River in tropical Fort Myers, Florida and built a beautiful home, a laboratory along with botanical research gardens. In 1896, Edison became friends with legendary automobile maker Henry Ford and in 1916 purchased a two story home next to Edison. The Edison & Ford Winter Estates offers guided tours through the historic homes and gardens as well as audio tours in English and German.

The museum is filled with artifacts, inventions and special exhibits. Edison’s tropical botanical gardens contain many varieties of exotic plants imported from all over the world including the world’s second largest Banyan tree. The Edison Botanic Research Lab is one of the most important buildings on the site. During WWI, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone became aware that the supply of rubber in the US could be cut off and there would be major costs to their industries and to the American Economy.

The Museum and Museum Store, Historic Cottage Shoppe and Garden Shoppe and Banyan Café are open daily. The Edison & Ford Winter Estates is a National Register Historic Site, a Florida Historic Landmark and is among the top 10 visited historic homes in America.

• One-Day General Admission Tickets for (4) Visitors to The Complete Estates Tour.
• This tour offers a complete orientation and a self-guided audio tour of the historic homes, gardens and laboratory of the Edison and Ford families as well as the Museum.
• The museum contains an impressive collection of inventions, artifacts and special exhibits. Tour lasts approximately 2 1/2 hours. (Children ages 5 and under are free).
• Open Daily 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Voucher is valid for 6 months from the date of issue and is not valid during holiday periods or special events. Additional blackout dates may apply.  Offers are subject to availability, within the redemption period, determined only by the designated contact person(s) listed on the winning voucher. Purchase is non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Reservation requests must be made a minimum of 72 hours in advance of desired visit date. Cannot be combined with any other offers or special events. Attraction rules and regulations will apply.