FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If turn-of-the-century industrial
geniuses
Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were alive today they probably would be
amazed in
seeing how their winter hometown has evolved over the years.
What was once a sleepy little seaside town at the turn of
the
century has become a major tourist city, complete with everything from
major
league baseball teams to
megamalls and museums.
But some of the things that attracted Edison (inventor of
the
light bulb and hundreds of other things and the father of General
Electric Co.)
and Ford (founder of the giant Ford Motor Co.) to move to this
southwest
Florida community in the 1800s still exist: A terrific climate,
fabulous beaches
(including the best shelling areas in the world) and great
boating-fishing
still draw hundreds of thousands here each year.
And, perhaps rightly so, Edison and Ford themselves are
the
biggest individual attractions.
These men -- who affected the lives of millions of
Americans --
became friends during their fabulous careers and decided to move to
Fort
Myers and become next door neighbors on the beautiful Royal Palm-lined
McGregor
Boulevard. Another early American industrial magnate, Henry Firestone

(founder of Firestone Tires), also often visited the pair.
Edison met Ford at a convention and they quickly became
friends,
with Ford often visiting Edison at his Fort Myers home, When property

adjacent to the Edison home became available, Ford bought it and built
a house
right next door to Edison.
Now, the Edison and Ford homes are open to tourists year-round
and have proven fascinating places to visit for hundreds of thousands of Americans
each
year. Their homes are fully furnished with period pieces and provide
visitors a
glimpse of what multimillionaire life was like for these two icons.
Also,
Edison's laboratory, where he and his aides worked for several years
developing new ideas to improve people's lives, was left intact and is
available to
tourists. Edison holds the record for the most U. S. patents with more
than
1,000.
Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1931. Ford was born in
1863
and died in 1947.
The 14-acre Edison-Ford complex includes subtropical trees
and
plants from around the world as Edison experimented in using fibers to
develop
rubber and other products. A huge banyan tree (about 400 feet in
circumference, a gift from Firestone, the largest in
the continental U. S.) is there, complete with its odd-looking series of rooted
tree
limb supports.
About 500 people a day visit the Edison-Ford estates. The
Edison
complex is now undergoing a $9 million restoration project, with
completion
expected by the spring of 2005.
The homes and grounds are available for guided tours that run from 9
a.m. to
4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
The Edison home is where the inventor spent working
vacations
from 1886 until his death in 1931. This is where he perfected the
incandescent
light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the storage

battery. He also cultivated a tropical garden that's included in the
daily tours.
Edison's second wife, Mina, donated the estate to the city
of Fort
Myers in March 1947 and public tours of the estate began that
November.
Admission to the estates at 2350 McGregor Boulevard is $16 for adults 13 and over, $8.50 for children 6 - 12.There is a museum on the Edison grounds, displaying many of his
gadgets he
invented, such as the microphone, a perpetually burning lightbulb and
the
phonograph. You can see the teeth marks on the deaf genius's own
record player
where he bit into the wooden base to "hear" the sound waves through
his jaw.
The city has an annual festival, the Edison Festival of
Light,
each February to honor their most famous citizen. The event began in
1938,
just seven years after Edison died, and is a three-week celebration,
with a
coronation ball, parade, band concert and memorial service. The event,
tied to
Edison's birthday of Feb. 11, attracts about 400,000 people each
year.
Located about 10 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico on
the wide
Caloosahatchee River, downtown Fort Myers and surrounding Lee County
used to
grow most of the gladioli for the national flower market.
The city has fewer than 100,000 year-round residents but
millions
more visit to take in the major league spring baseball training camp
games
of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, visit the Edison-Ford
homes, make
ecological or fishing tours, stroll the shell-lined beaches or shop in
the
hundreds of stores.
Thomas Alva Edison himself saw Fort Myers as a future
tourist
mecca, saying in 1914: "There's only one Fort Myers and 90 million
people
are going to find it out."
The interesting visitor locations in the Fort Myers area
are
almost too numerous to detail.
There are such things as The Imaginarium Hands-On
Children's
Museum, the Shell Museum, the re-created Seminole Indian village at
Calusa Nature
Center and Planetarium, Seminole Gulf Scenic Railroad, dozens of
barrier
islands to visit and explore (including Cabbage Key, where Jimmy
Buffett was
inspired to write the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise").
Two of the biggest barrier islands, Sanibel and Captiva,
suffered
some heavy hurricane damage in 2004 but are rapidly recovering. These
two
eclectic communities, along with sprawling Cape Coral (now home to
about
150,000 people) are linked to the mainland by a breezy stretch of
bridges and
causeways where the locals like to windsurf.
The Fort Myers Beach Pier has several family restaurants and
beach
souvenir shops and is a great place to laze in the sun and watch the
beautiful
people stroll by. If you would like to watch manatees instead go to
the nearby Manatee Park where the odd-looking endangered "sea cows" -
some
weighing up to 400 pounds - like to bask in the Florida Power and Light plant's heated water discharge.
Water taxi services on the mainland and at swank South
Seas
Resort on Captiva Island take visitors to the remote
barrier
islands. Shell-hunters will find conches and sand dollars galore along
the nine
miles of wild, dune-backed beaches at Cayo Costa State Park. On boat
excursions, such as Captiva Cruises to Cabbage Key, you often will get
to see
bottlenose dolpins leaping and spiraling along as they surf the wake
of the boat,
only 8-10 feet or less from the bow.
About 10 miles north of Fort Myers is the 90,000-acre
Babcock
Wilderness area, where you can take a swamp buggy (converted school
bus)
tour of hundreds of acres of swampland, providing glimpses of unusual
birds,
wild pigs, alligators and rare Florida panthers (enclosed in a natural
habitat
area). Visitors also get some insights into the workings of an active
cattle
ranch. You can also arrange for a nine-mile off-road bike tour of the
area.
Many nature-lovers regard J. N. (Ding) Darling National
Wildlife Refuge Area on Sanibel Island as a "must-see." Visitors can
drive or bike a
four-mile paved trail through a series of wetlands, viewing numerous
birds,
alligators and other wildlife. Cost is $5 per car or $1 for
hikers/bikers.
Lee County is also less than a 15-minute drive to
Florida's
famous Everglades Swamp area.
Many people may not realize it, but the Fort Myers-Naples
area has
become one of Florida's golf capitals, with 95 public courses in Lee
County
alone (including the beautiful Raptor Bay Golf Course, Eastwood Golf
Course
and Coral Oaks Golf Course -- all rated among the best in the state).

The Fort Myers-Naples area has hundreds of hotels-motels
and
condo rental facilities. One of the more interesting upscale hotels is
the
Trianon Hotel, located alongside a beautiful small lake in Bonita Springs
just
off Highway 41. The four-story hotel is reminiscent of the
Petit
Trianon on the grounds of Versailles near Paris. The Promenade, a
series of
more than 100 upscale shops and 25 restaurants, is located on the
property.
Interstate 75 runs right through the area and a large
metropolitan airport, Southwest Florida International Airport, is
undergoing a
multimillion dollar renovation (work is expected to be completed by
the spring of
2005) and is served by most major airlines,

For more information on the Lee County, Fort Myers-Naples
area
contact these sites:
Lee Island Coast Visitors Center (800) 237-6444; Log on:
_www.leeislandcoast.com_ (http://www.leeislandcoast.com/) . .
_www.fortmyers-sanibel.com_
(http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/)
or call 800-237-6444 and order a free visitors' guide.
_www.edison-ford-estate,com_
(http://www.edison-ford-estate,com/) .
Trianon Hotel: 800-859-3939 or _www.trianon.cpm_
(http://www.trianon.cpm/)
Babcock Wilderness Adventures 800-500-5583 or
_www.babcockwilderness.com_ (http://www.babcockwilderness.com/)
Darling Wildlife Refuge _www.dingdarling.fws.gov_
(http://www.dingdarling.fws.gov/)
Captiva Cruises _www.captivacruises.com_
(http://www.captivacruises.com/)
Cabbage Key _www.cabbagekey.com_
(http://www.cabbagekey.com/)













FORT MYERS
Edison-Ford Homes, Eco Tours,
Shell Paradise, Golf, And More...


By Ken Paul Mink

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If turn-of-the-century industrial genusies Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were alive today they probably would be amazed in seeing how their winter hometown has evolved over the years.
What was once a sleepy little seaside town at the turn of the century has become a major tourist city, complete with everything from major league baseball teams to
megamalls and museums.
But some of the things that attracted Edison (inventer of the light bulb and hundreds of other things and the father of General Electric Co.) and Ford (founder of the giant Ford Motor Co.) to move to this southwest Florida community in the 1800s still exist: A terrific climate, fabulous beaches (including the best shelling areas in the world) and great boating-fishing still draw hundreds of thousands here each year.
And, perhaps rightly so, Edison and Ford themselves are the biggest individual attractions.
These men -- who affected the lives of millions of Americans -- became friends during their fabulous careers and decided to move to Fort Myers and become next door neighbors on the beautiful Royal Palm-lined McGregor Boulevard. Another early American industrial magnate, Henry Firestone (founder of Firestone Tires), soon joined them.
Edison met Ford at a convention and they quickly became friends, with Ford often visiting Edison at his Fort Myers home, When property adjacent to the Edison home became available, Ford bought it and built a house right next door to Edison.
Now, the Edison and Ford homes are open to tourists year around and have proven fascinating places to visit for millions of Americans each year. Their homes are fully furnished with period pieces and provide visitors a glipse of what multi-millionaire life was like for these two icons. Also, Edison's laboratory, where he and his aides worked for several years developing new ideas to improve people's lives, was left intact and is available to tourists. Edison holds the record for the most U. S. patents with more than 1,000.
Edison was born in 1847 and died in 1931. Ford was born in 1863 and died in 1947.
The 14-acre Edison-Ford complex includes subtropical trees and plants from around the world as Edison experimented in using fibers to develop rubber and other products. A huge banyan tree (about 400 feet in circumferance, a gift from Firestone, is believed to be the largest or second largest in the world) is there, complete with its odd-looking series of rooted tree limb supports.
About 500 people a day visit the Edison-Ford estates. The Edison complex is now undergoing a $9 million restoration project, with completion expected by the spring of 2005.
The homes and grounds are available for guided tours that run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
The Edison home is where the inventor spent working vacations from 1886 until his death in 1931. This is where he perfected the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the storage battery. He also cultivated a tropical garden that's included in the daily tours.
Edison's second wife, Mina, donated the estate to the city of Fort Myers in March 1947 and public tours of the estate began that November.
Admission to the estates at 2350 McGregor Blvd. is $7, those older than 55 pay $6.50, ages 3-12 pay $4.
There is a museum on the Edison grounds, displaying many of his gadgets he invented, such as the microphone, a perpetually burning lightbulb and the phonograph. You can see the teeth marks on the deaf genius's own record player where he bit into the wooden base to "hear" the sound waves through his jaw.
The city has an annual festival, the Edison Festival of Light, each February to honor their most famous citizen. The event began in 1938, just seven years after Edison died, and is a three-day celebration, with a coronation ball, parade, band concert and memorial service. The event, tied to Edison's birthday of Feb. 11, attracts about 400,000 people each year.
Located about 10 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico on the wide Caloosahatchee River, downtown Fort Myers and surrounding Lee County used to grow most of the gladioli for the national flower market.
The city has fewer than 100,000 year-round residents but millions more visit to take in the major league spring baseball training camp games of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, visit the Edison-Ford homes, make ecological or fishing tours, stroll the shell-lined beaches or shop in the hundreds of stores.
Thomas Alva Edison himself saw Fort Myers as a future tourist mecca, saying in 1914: "There's only one Fort Myers and 90 million people are going to find it out."
The interesting visitor locations in the Fort Myers area are almost too numerous to detail.
There are such things as The Imaginarium Hands-On Children's Museum, the Shell Museum, the re-created Seminole Indian village at Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, Seminole Gulf Scenic Railroad, dozens of barrier islands to visit and explore (including Cabbage Cay, where Jimmy Buffett was inspired to write the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise").
Two of the biggest barrier islands, Sanibel and Captiva, suffered some heavy hurricane damage in 2004 but are rapidly recovering. These two eclectic communities, along with sprawling Cape Coral (now home to about 150,000 people) are linked to the mainland by a breezy stretch of bridges and causeways where the locals like to windsurf.
The Fort Myers City Pier has several family restaurants and beach souvenir shops and is a great place to laze in the sun and watch the beautiful people stroll by. If you would like to watch manatees instead go to the nearby Fort Myers Power Plant where the odd-looking endangered "sea cows" - some weighing up to 400 pounds - like to bask in the heated plant discharge water.
Water taxi services on the mainland and at swank South Seas Plantation Resort on Captiva Island take visitors to the remote barrier islands. Shell-hunters will find conches and sand dollars galore along the nine miles of wild, dune-backed beaches at Cayo Costa State Park. On boat excursions, such as Captiva Cruises to Cabbage Key, you often will get to see bottlenosed dolpins leaping and spiraling along as they surf the wake of the boat, only 8-10 feet or less from the bow.
About 10 miles north of Fort Myers is the 90,000-acre Babcock Wilderness area, where you can take a swamp buggy (converted school bus) tour of hundreds of acres of swampland, providing glimpses of unusual birds, wild pigs, alligators and rare Florida panthers (enclosed in a natural habitat area). Visitors also get some insights into the workings of an active cattle ranch. You can also arrange for a nine-mile off-road bike tour of the area.
Many nature-lovers regard J. N. (Ding) Darling National Wildlife Refuge Area on Sanibel Island as a "must-see." Visitors can drive or bike a four-mile paved trail through a series of wetlands, viewing numerous birds, alligators and other wildlife. Cost is $5 per car or $1 for hikers/bikers.
Lee County is also less than a 15-minute drive to Florida's famous Everglades Swamp area.
Many people may not realize it, but the Fort Myers-Naples area has become one of Florida's golf capitals, with 95 public courses in Lee County alone (including the beautiful Raptor Bay Golf Course, Eastwood Golf Course and Coral Oaks Golf Course -- all rated among the best in the state).
The Fort Myers-Naples area has hundreds of hotels-motels and condo rental facilities. One of the more interesting upscale hotels is the Trianon Hotel, located alongside a beautiful small lake in the Bonita Bay area just off Highway 41 at Naples. The four-story hotel is reminiscent of the Petit Trianon on the grounds of Versailles near Paris. The Promenade, a series of more than 100 upscale shops and 25 restaurants, is located on the property.
Interstate 75 runs right through the area and a large metropolitan airport, Southwest Florida International Airport, is undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation (work is expected to be completed by the spring of 2005) and is served by most major airlines,

For more information on the Fort Myers and Sanibel Island area, contact
these sites: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (800)237-6444; log
on:
www.FortMyersSanibel.com
For specific information on some mentioned attractions contact:
Edison-Ford estates: www.edison-ford-estate,com.
Trianon Hotel: 800-859-3939 or www.trianon.com
Babcock Wilderness Adventures 800-500-5583 or www.babcockwilderness.com
Darling Wildlife Refuge www.dingdarling.fws.gov
Captiva Cruises www.captivacruises.com
Cabbage Key www.cabbagekey.com

This story was published on 30 Dec 2004.