Edison and Ford Winter Estates

Edison and Ford Winter Estates

Edison and Ford Winter Estates
4.5
Historic SitesGardensHistory Museums
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Visitors to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers will enjoy seeing the winter residences of famous inventors Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. There are historical buildings, award-winning gardens, the Edison Botanic Research Lab and the Inventions Museum. The museum has hundreds of inventions, artifacts and special exhibits. Edison Ford offers many tour options, including special "Inside-the-Homes" and "Inside-the-Lab" Tours on select days. The audio tour is available in English, Spanish, German and French. Historian led tours are also offered in German on select days. Group tours can be arranged in advance.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • melissajv
    Maryville, Illinois157 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Windows into the Past
    Beautiful area. Great information about Mr. Edison and Mr. Ford. The grounds are well maintained and the information about the houses and museum is easily accessible. The window into the past was fun and educational. The banyan tree alone is worth the ticket. Read the signs, listen to the audio tour. It makes the tour even more enjoyable!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 29, 2023
  • David A
    West Allis, Wisconsin8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great guest support!
    Our alumni group will be coming to the Edison/Ford Winter Estates on Jan. 13. I misplaced (lost) the yearly pass that we were mailed ahead of our arrival. Natalie was able to replace our pass and mail it to us!!! Natalie, what a sweetheart. What service! We are so thankful!
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 11, 2023
  • Jenna Zorn
    Naples, Florida81 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Outdoor Walking Tour
    Beautiful day to tour the grounds. It's all walking, so wear comfy shoes! A little busy trying to see into the houses from just the door. Lovely walk along the riverside. Worth the money and worth going to at least once! Go on a cool day!
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 12, 2024
  • Karen L
    17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth the visit
    Beautiful historic homes, gardens and grounds. The guide app was well done. We enjoyed ourselves a great deal. We thought the technique of looking through openings into the homes worked well and protected the interiors. We charged our EV as we toured.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 14, 2024
  • Kappy9857
    54 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Place to Visit!
    Took the se)f guided tour through the app. Beautiful water views, grounds, and buildings. So much history and stories about two amazing inventors. Loved the interior of the houses, antique cars, and other antiques. Se)f guided tour would be improved with better signage to get from one number to another.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 21, 2024
  • Bunk347
    115 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very Interesting and Informative
    A great experience. We took the guided tour, $30 per person, which takes about an hour. The guide gave us a very thorough explanation of the Edison and Ford houses, family history and interesting facts about the area. There is a museum to visit after your tour, the largest Banyan tree in the US to see and gardens. It was a great experience and enjoyed by each of us.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 25, 2024
  • BAR845
    Englewood, Florida471 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent.
    Well worth a visit. Beautiful grounds are well maintained. Banyan Tree and Mysore Fig were amazing. The self-guided tour is good. You can download their app and listen on your phone. Just the right amount of information. They have guided tours as well that are a bit pricey. We felt like the amount of people on the tour was too large for the price. The information on the app is plenty good enough. Much to see outside and the landscape has plenty of shade with benches along the way to sit. The museum was large with a lot to go through. They had a demonstration of one of the early, (1900), record players. The sound was about as good as a cell phone. Very good for the times. Amazing. Cars were interesting. One of them is kept in running condition. Go early to avoid the heat and crowds. We went at 9:30 and when we left at 12:30 it was starting to get crowded. They do have a food truck for a light lunch but we didn't sample. A couple of stores for souvenirs. Very handicapped accessible and good locations for the restrooms. Prices at the plant store were very good. Plan for at least 3 hours. Ok for the kiddos but young ones may be board.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written March 16, 2024
  • Peter
    Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nicely restored winter homes of two famous snow-birds
    Great location for a stroll along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River and taking a trip back in time to see how two great American inventors/engineers spent their winters. Good information options from guided tour to informative signage. Well worth a visit!
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 22, 2024
  • Patrick M
    Newark, Delaware1,332 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good historical visit
    This is basically a museum of Edison estate in Fort Myers. There are some nice displays of his works over the years as well as those of Henry Ford's. The grounds are kept well as are the winter homes of the two. You can view the insides of their houses and learn the history behind how they met and became neighbors, etc... This place is good for a day outing. Would recommend.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 28, 2024
  • Deb C
    Wausau, Wisconsin93 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Enjoyable -even for young teenagers
    This was a very informative tour. Our guide made it enjoyable and interactive. Everyone learned so much about this amazing family (ies). Even our early teen grandsons enjoyed it. We opted for the live tour verses the headset self guided. It was nice to be able to ask questions.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 20, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles5,758 reviews
Excellent
3,905
Very good
1,458
Average
310
Poor
59
Terrible
26

JRDURANTE
5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
We love the museum and have been there at least 4 times and we give it a 5 star review. However, on the last visit with 2 other couples in April 2020, we all purchased a yearly pass which also gave us entry rights to numerous museums across the country. Thanks to the Covid, as seniors we have not left our homes except to obtain essential supplies. I called the museum and asked about an extension for when the virus is finally shut down. They said the only thing they "could do" was to apply a 2 month extension to our existing pass. - Quite unfair! Do not purchase a yearly pass until the virus is over - their compassion for the situation does not merit it.
Written November 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nari K
Gainesville, VA444 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
We landed around Noon in Fort Myers on a Saturday and the hotel room wasn't ready. This was a nice two to three hour visit that we are glad we made. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Firestone seemed to have become friends due to common interests in Automobiles, Electricity and Tires/Rubber. This Winter Estate is where they spent their time away from New Jersey while engaging in interesting experiments in Science and nature Exploration. They were interested in seeing whether the Florida weather is good for growing trees in the US that could supply Rubber for tires and Edison was experimenting with innovations at the same time. All of their activities are displayed here in a musuem setting and their houses and gardens can also be seen during this visit. If you cannot wait for the next guided tour (about an hour apart), you can just grab a map and follow the numbered spots on the map while reading short explanations about what you are seeing. Top it off with a visit to the Ford Shoppe where you can get gifts and Ice Cream! We visited the Edison and Ford Shoppe in the Bell Tower mall in Fort Myers. Lots of interesting Gift Ideas there also. Visit the gift shoppe first if you want to get a $1 each admission ticket. It is a bit pricey but we enjoyed the trip so much that it was worth it. Nice views of the bay from everywhere on the estates. Will visit again!
Written January 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

podrozniczka60
New Jersey16,593 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
We spent amazing few hours exploring The Estates and the accompanied complex of gardens. We bought 11AM guided tour costing $30 per person and worth the expense. We had some time before the guided tour began and visited the museum, garden shoppe, historic research garden. We admired the legendary banyan tree and took photos with hero-size of Mr and Mrs Ford. For those interested there are many interesting plants for sale available.
The tour was run by a very knowledgeable and entertaining docent Maxine. After crossing McGregor Blvd we migrated from Ford’s to Edison’s Estate. Maxine provided extensive information and answered a lot of questions in a very interactive style.
After the tour was officially over we were able to spend some time in lovely gardens and park as well as walk the River Walk along the wide Caloosahatchee River before we slowly migrated for a late lunch to Pinchers at the Marina.
This guided tour is a must for all history buffs interested in our famous inventors.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kevin H
Minneapolis, MN34 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Family
Visited with our 3 kids, 18, 13 and 8. Our tour guide was fantastic, informative, engaging and clear. The tour was just over and hour and everyone in our group enjoyed it the grounds are fun to walk, the houses, lab and museum are sure worth the time and money. Our youngest kids were front and center to hear everything!
Written March 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

195508Anonymous
259 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
We visited the Edison and Ford Winter Estates on a cool, slightly windy day in March. We decided to do the guided tour and had a wonderful retired teacher named David. He provided many anecdotes about Edison and Ford and knew quite a bit about the history of the homes and both Edison and Henry Ford. The Museum alone is fantastic and has many interesting exhibits about Edison's life, inventions, career and family. The movie about the 10 years of camping trips taken by Edison, Ford and others throughout the US were great. Overall this is well worth the price of admission for any American history buff.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Samson17
Sheldon, IA61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2021
Definitely stop here and spend part of your day learning about Ford and Edison! You get to see inside their homes and learn SO much information, from what their personalities were like to how they spent their time at these homes to what they were like as businessmen. I am not what you would call a history buff- my husband is so I initially went for him; but I found myself fascinated by the entire experience! We would definitely recommend taking the guided tour around the grounds; you will learn SO much more than if you just do a self-guided tour. Our guide was a former teacher and he was super knowledgeable and held your interest throughout the entire one hour spent with him!
Written March 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hannah G
London, UK58 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Couples
We visited on a hot June day, managed to get the last tickets on the 11.00 tour and it was well worth the extra money. Our guide explained the history of the area as well as the history of both the Edison and Ford families in Fort Myers. You move around the estate and our guide worked hard to ensure we always stopped in the shade rather than the blazing sun. We learned a lot of really interesting information and got to see the grounds and that both families lived on and into the houses (you aren’t allowed inside to protect them). There is also a huge museum on the site as well as an adjoining restaurant (which gave us free Key Lime because of our entrance wrist bands - it was delicious!). I would definitely recommend a visit here to see a bit of history and to see the beautiful houses, gardens and water front.
Written June 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dale F
Peoria, AZ45 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Beautiful place. We took the homes tour for $50. We thought it was worth the price, but it is hard to know what the $30 guided tour is like. Those people get to look into the bottom floor of the homes but not see all of the details. However, I assume they got all of the same stories. The home tour included going to the upstairs of one of the homes, but there really wasn't anything up there. We also did the self-guided tour with the app, and I would say to definitely pay the extra $5 for the guided tour even if you don't do the full homes tour.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

austindsw
Austin, TX29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2021 • Couples
The only difficulty we had was finding parking when we got there but if you look for the giant sign over the street it will point you to the parking. There is a guided tour for $30 and self-guided for $25 which you use your phone for. The exhibits Chronicle the life of Edison and Ford with a plethora of their inventions overtime and exhibits. The guided tour takes you across the street to the residences and discussion of the grounds and plants. All in all this was very educational and fun experience if you’re in this part of Florida.

Written January 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dave P
Appleton, WI2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
Spending time in the museum was very interesting, the actual grounds of the two estates has a lot of history. We enjoyed the tour guide and despite only being on the job 7 months was pretty fluent the key elements to share. This tour was worth the price, recommend the guided tour for an additional $5.
Make sure you leave yourself enough time to explore the grounds and museum after the guided tour. We arrived late afternoon and were time limited after the tour.
Written March 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Edison and Ford Winter Estates - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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