Edison and Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers

We were trying to find something to do before we headed to the FT Myers airport for a late flight today and I found this historic site on Google Maps. The Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter home museum was the PERFECT last day for our trip to Florida! CHET WAS OUR GUIDE, he was super knowledgeable and very informative. The total tour took about 75 minutes but it was a beautiful day and we moved from place to place so he kept our attention! For a moment we dreamt away and realized we were standing in the same spots as some of the all time greatest inventors in the world and that was fantastic!! The fact that Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were best friends was the best of all the fun facts! As a BIG bonus the trees are absolutely breathtaking! Pack a lunch and just sit in the gardens and take it all in! Completely unforgettable and highly recommendable!!

Came here on the first day that they celebrated their holiday nights special event. Booked the guided tour and our tour guide did a fantastic job explaining all the information. It’s a very expansive estate at the same time the guide didn’t waste any time and we were able to finish the tour after an hour without issues. It is absolutely beautifully decorated and they aren’t normally open this late but it’s beautiful to see all the holiday lights being set up. It’s quite a unique experience. They also had some food vendors which we partook in a few treats since it was getting late and it was a replacement for dinner. Recommend buying guided tour tickets early as they do sell out pretty quickly.

Well maintained residency, location is near the water with great view. The parking is free. If you buy tickets online, you need to exchange them to waist bands at ticket office first. It is better to visit the museum first because it has so many first hand real things to see and read. Also the garden and the park adjacent to the ticket office are great, many nursery items for sale. Spent about 2.5 hrs today but could do more especially at the museum.

Fun experience with the family! Please note that if you are going on a reciprocal membership please be sure all reciprocal members names are on cards or you need to pay for those not named. Gardens were well maintained with really interesting specimens. I had no idea the extent that Edison and his assistants experimented with plants. Plan for the weather as most of the exhibits are outside. Gardens close in thunder alerts. You cannot walk through houses, but they have opened all the doorways to see in many of the rooms. Highlight of the gardens is the self guided audio tour. Short, entertaining, informational and well done! Museum is quite interesting and air conditioned :)

Marvelous museum. The grounds are a sight to behold, with many mature exotics. There is something flowering year round There is a large area where they can setup tents for events, as was happening while we were there. The museum is fabulous and alone worth the price Of admission. It leads to the rubber laboratory which is also interesting, but needs someone there to explain what you are looking at. The only disappointment was not being able to go IN the homes. You can stand outside and look in, but that is not the same. There were plenty of areas that could have had a path through the various rooms. If it wasn't for this, I would have given it a five. Kids, 6-12 will especially like the museum