• FREE Admission to Veterans and their Families on Memorial Day – May 27
Edison Ford is offering FREE admission to United States Armed Services Veterans and their families on May 27. Free admission includes an audio tour of the historic homes, botanical gardens, museum and Edison Research Lab. Veterans must present a VA identification card or their DD214 papers to receive free admission.
● May 14, 9:30 a.m.
Volunteers and prospective volunteers will gather at the new Edison Ford Shoppe at Bell Tower Shops, Store #185 at the main Courtyard Fountain for the monthly gathering and lecture.
The program will be “Hands on Science and Kitchen Chemistry” provided by the Edison Ford Wild Wizards.
Participants will also meet Jen Nettles, the new General Manager of Bell Tower. Refreshments provided by the Courtyard Café and Bell Tower.
The Lee County Viva Florida 500 Time Capsule will be on display in the Edison Caretaker’s House throughout the month of May along with Discovering Southwest Florida with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, an exhibit featuring historic photographs and artifacts celebrating Southwest Florida’s history during the Edison Ford era.
The Lee County Library System in conjunction with the Florida Department of State has launched the SNAPSHOT Time Capsule project in honor of Viva Florida 500, a year-long commemoration of Florida’s 500th anniversary dating back to Ponce de Leon’s landing in Florida in 1513.
The items chosen reflect Lee County’s unique community and represent what future generations should know about Lee County. The SNAPSHOT Time Capsule will travel around Lee County until September 2013.
The Edison & Ford Winter Estates opened the Edison Ford Shoppe at Bell Tower Shops, in the Fountain Courtyard, late last
month. The Shoppe includes a little bit of the main historic site and features unique, handcrafted and local items to purchase, information on how to visit Edison Ford and be part of the activities, and also include an area for regular programs, author talks and book signings, artist demonstrations, food tastings and hands-on activities for children and families.
The Edison Ford Shoppe at bell Tower Shops is opened during mall hours (Monday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Sundays Noon – 5:00 p.m.). Information on Edison Ford is available for shoppers to check out how to be part of the main site as well.
Monthly activities are planned at Edison Ford Shoppe and include:
May 2, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Book signing with authors Tom Smoot, The Edisons of Fort Myers Discoveries of the Heart; and John W. Sheppard, One Man’s Family in Early Fort Myers, Little Things Can Mean A Lot: Pearls of Life of Great Value, and I Can See Clearly Now. Books available for purchase.
May 7, 4:30 p.m. – Ribbon Cutting with Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce.
May 9, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Ask the Plant People, Edison Ford horticulture staff available for questions, tips and general information on Southwest Florida Gardening and the Gardens at Edison Ford. Boutique garden items available for purchase in time for Mother’s Day.
May 10, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Yappy Hour. Dogs welcomed in Edison Ford Shoppe, Dog Basket Raffle from Little Paws Bakery valued at $75.
May 14, 9:30 a.m. – Edison Ford Volunteer Meeting and Program, with Jen Nettles and Edison Ford Wild Wizards.
May 16, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Gallery Talk and Paint Out Loud with artist Leoma Lovegrove.
May 23, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Edison Ford Celebrates Restaurant Week with a Tasting of Edison Ford. Calamondian, honey, jams, jellies, olives and a variety of items for purchase at Edison Ford Museum Store including fresh fruit grown in the Edison Ford gardens.
May 28, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – KIDding Around with Edison Ford Wild Wizards, Science of Sound, Investigate and experience the science of sound with phonograph demonstrations, designing a thunder clapper and more!
May 30, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Book signing with author Amy Bennett Williams, Along the Caloosahatchee River. Books available for purchase.
• FREE Admission for Mom’s on Mother’s Day
Mina Edison with children, Madeleine, Charles and Theodore.
• Half Price Admission for Behind-the-Scenes Tour at 2:00 p.m.
• Enjoy a picnic lunch on Ford Estate, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Celebrate Mother’s Day at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates with FREE admission for Mom’s or a Behind-the-Scenes Tour at 2:00 p.m. with half priced admission for Moms.
Enjoy a picnic lunch on the Ford Estate catered by Everglades BBQ (prices vary, see menu below). Saxophonist Craig Christman will provide entertainment while you enjoy breezes off the Caloosahatchee River.
Picnic Lunch Menu
• Picnic Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich with Slaw – $7.00
• Picnic Smoked Pulled Pork Nachos with Hot Melted Cheese Sauce, Sour Cream, Sliced Red Jalapenos and Chipotle Drizzle – $7.00
• Nachos with Hot Melted Cheese Sauce and Sliced Red Jalapenos – $5.00
• Picnic Smoked Half Chicken Platter with Corn Bread Muffin and Slaw – $9.00
Clara Ford with son Edsel.
• Strawberry Shortcake Cup – $5.00
• Bud, Bud Light, Magic Hat – $5.00
• Mimosas – $5.00
Daily Tours
Springtime is a great time of year to visit the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. The gardens are in full bloom, the weather is sunny and breezy and the historic buildings are dazzling. Every day of the week visitors have the option of an Historian Led Tour, Audio Tour in English, German, Spanish or French, or a Lab and Museum Tour.
Throughout the week, there are also specialty tours including:
Edison Ford Mucker/Young Inventor’s Tour
• Saturdays – 11:00 a.m.
Children of all ages will have fun while participating in hands-on science activities based on the inventions of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Activities include an assembly line, phonograph demonstrations and much more. Cost: Edison Ford Members FREE, non-members Adults $12, Children (ages 6-12) $5.
Invention Demonstrations
• Every day in the Edison Ford Museum, Every half hour 
Invention demonstrations on the phonograph with site historians and hands-on SMART CART with wax cylinders, record albums, light bulbs and more. Touch, feel, hear and see the inventions of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
Garden & Estates Tour
• Tuesdays – 10:30 a.m.
This tour is led by the Historic Garden Manager and includes the historic gardens as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of the greenhouse and propagating nursery. Tour includes history of the estates, admission into the lab and museum and audio tour. Cost: Edison Ford Members FREE, non-members $40.
Historian Led German Language Tour
• Wednesdays – 10:30 a.m.
Historian led tour of homes, gardens, lab and museum in German. Cost: Adults $25, Children (ages 6-12) $15.Tours in French and Spanish are available for groups with advance reservations.
Behind-the-Scenes Tour
• Thursdays – 11:00 a.m.
A Behind-the-Scenes Tour takes you inside and up close in the Edison and Ford homes led by curatorial staff, it includes the homes, gardens, lab and museum. Cost: Edison Ford Members FREE; non-members $40. Space is limited and reservations are suggested by calling 239-334-7419.
Groups can schedule specialty tours or customize their visit to fit the needs and interests of the group by calling 239-334-7419 for reservations and group rates.
Clara Bryant Ford, the wife of Henry Ford for 59 years, loved roses. Fair Lane, the Ford’s Michigan estate, had more than 350 varieties of roses and 10,000 rose plants in their five acre garden.
In honor of Clara’s birthday and Henry’s 150th coming up on July 30th, Edison Ford horticulture staff will be installing a small historic rose garden at The Mangoes, the Ford’s winter estate.
The unveiling of the garden will be held in July in honor of Henry Ford’s 150th birthday. Funding for the Clara Ford Rose Garden, provided by Peggy Campbell, great-niece of Clara Bryant Ford.
On July 30th Henry Ford will be 150 years old and Edison Ford is planning a month long celebration with programs and activities throughout the month of July, as well as a new exhibit in the Museum. The exhibit will feature Ford’s contribution to the automotive industry including several of his 161 patents; a collection of historic photographs of
Henry Ford and the Ford family; artifacts and Ford inventions; as well as interactive hands-on displays.
Edison Ford Shoppe
Preview Opening on April 26, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Shoppe Opens on April 27 regular mall hours
Bell Tower Shops #185, Fountain Courtyard
We’re getting ready for the Grand Opening and we would like to invite you to join us for a private opening of our new Edison Ford Shoppe at The Bell Tower Shops. Beginning on Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m., The Edison Ford Shoppe will open to the public on mall hours.
The Edison Ford Shoppe will be an offsite location for us and will feature unique, handcrafted and local items to purchase, information on how to visit Edison Ford and be part of the activities and also include an area for regular programs, author talks and book signings, artist demonstrations, food tastings, gardening demos and video programs.
Beginning April 27, call The Edison Ford Shoppe directly at 239-437-3778.
Please RSVP to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates at 239-334-7419.
Edison Ford Tree Planting
Thomas and Mina Edison are joined in tree planting by Edison Ford garden patron, Berne Davis, and a member of the Fort Myers-Lee County Garden Council.
● April 26 – 10:00 a.m.
In observance of National Arbor Day, the Edison & Ford Winter Estates will be planting a coconut palm tree on the Edison Estate to continue the restoration of this historic landscape of the two estates and historic McGregor Boulevard. The public is invited to join in the ceremony with students from the nearby Edison Park Creative and Expressive School for the Arts.
Edison Ford has planted new trees every Arbor Day for many years and also added other trees throughout the year to maintain the old fashioned plants and trees on the historical site. More than a hundred years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Edison planted dozens of coconut palms at their tropical winter estate, locating most of them in the coconut grove along the river and along the McGregor Boulevard fence. Eventually the line of coconut palms extended to the Ford estate next door and became an important and recognizable feature of the Edison and Ford tropical gardens.
Since 1872 Arbor Day has been a national holiday celebrated each year by planting a tree. The public can support the Edison
Coconut Palm Restoration Project by contributing funds to purchase a tree. Contributions are tax deductible and includes donation signage. For more information call 239-334-7419 or visit us on the Web.
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