The Esates of America’s Greatest Inventors: Thomas Edison and Henry Ford
There is a lot of history here, and there is a lot to do and see, but before you leave town, you must visit the historical Edison/Ford winter homes. Don’t spend all of your time on the beach, you have to take the time to visit where Thomas Alva Edison spent a lot of his time, and invented a lot of his inventions. His best friend, Henry Ford and his family came and visited him often, Mr. Ford liked it so much he bought the property next to Edison and they became neighbors.
Of course we all know that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but did you know that he is the only person in our country to have one of his inventions granted a patent every year for sixty-five consecutive years? The man was busy, to say the least. Of course his best friend, Henry Ford, built that invention called the automobile. No small feat there.
Edison suffered from poor health, so he spent the winter months in Fort Myers, Florida and in 1885, he bought 14 acres of land right on the beautiful Caloosahatchee River. The Edison/Ford museums offer year around guided tours and not only will you learn a part of history, you will also see some of the most interesting and exotic plants ever. Edison loved horticulture so planted a botanical garden and importing plants from all over the world, when you enter the gardens, it feels like your in the jungle. Have you ever seen or heard of a Sausage Tree? Well there is such a thing and it’s a native of South Africa, but you don’t have to visit Africa to see a Sausage Tree, because Edison has one in his gardens, along with a thousand other varieties of trees and plants.
You will see where Edison lived with his wife Mina; the Edison’s had no children, I guess when you spend all of your time inventing you don’t have much time for children. For safety reason’s actually entering the Edison home itself is off limits. The people at this museum have worked hard at keeping everything as original as possible within the house, keeping the whicker furniture and treasures inside just as they were when Mr. and Mrs. Edison live there. An open book lies on an end table, left by Mina. In the living room is a portrait of Edison and Mina above the fireplace. There is a 7ft deep concrete swimming pool, built with his own concrete (of course), so his friends and their children could enjoy swimming. Edison himself actually never used it claiming that “mental exercise was all he needed; it is not even known if Edison actually knew how to swim.
You are allowed to enter a part of his laboratory and witness some of his most important inventions. Actual glass vials and tools are still present and sitting on the work benches, making it look as though Edison stepped away for a moment but would return shortly. All in all, pretty cool stuff. There’s even a type of conveyer belt contraption that him and Ford were working on together, I think to mass produce tires, but I’m not 100% sure so don’t hold me to that. The museum also displays an impressive collection of Edison phonographs, over 200 in all, and of course you can see the original Model T, a gift from his friend Ford. A tour of Fords home and grounds are included with the tour, and can be rented out for weddings and corporate functions.
Also, to make it a complete experience, you can take a river cruise down the beautiful Caloosahatchee River where, if you’re really lucky, you may make the acquaintance of our lovely but endangered Manatees as they float up to the surface for air. I also would like to mention that a drive down McGregor Blvd., if possible, would be nice because it’s a nice two lane stretch of road and on either side are very tall Royal Palm Trees that Thomas Edison planted, so they have been there for over 100 years. I recommend the middle of the day, or better yet a weekend morning drive as it can get traffic-jammed during the workweek.
The Edison/Ford winter homes are open all year round to tourist and residents alike. If going in the summer, I suggest you take the morning tour because when Edison lived here there was no air conditioning and be sure to wear sunscreen since you will be outside and Edison lived next to the river, the reflection off the water will scorch your skin and ruin your vacation. The admission is $16 for adults, $8.50 for children 6 and under. The hours are 9:00am to
4: 30pm seven days a week, except holidays. It is well worth going to see what our Father of Invention was all about, especially since the museum boasts that many of Edison’s latest inventions took place in the laboratory there.
