Holiday Nights Tree Lighting Ceremony

On Friday, November 27, Edison and Ford Winter Estates will kick off the 45th Holiday Nights celebration with the annual tree lighting ceremony. The event will offer visitors an impressive light show with several new displays. This year’s theme is “Sounds of the Season” and will incorporate musical elements. The American Sirens will perform a jazzy 1920s medley. The event is sponsored by FPL, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, and Sunbelt Rentals.

The annual tree lighting will take place at the base of the historic Mysore Fig, on the Henry Ford property. The tree will be lit with thousands of animated lights choreographed to holiday music. The lights will reach high up into the branches of the tree and extend onto the ground around it. The Ford property offers ample room for visitors to spread out and social distance.

Holiday Nights tickets for adults are $20, teens (13-19) $10, children (6-12) are $2 and Edison Ford members get in free. Guided Holiday Tradition Tours are $30 for adults, teens are $25, children $18 and $10 for Edison Ford members. Inside-the-Homes Holiday Tours are $50. Lee County residents with identification will receive $5 off Holiday Nights admission on Monday nights.

Holiday Nights

Celebrate the season with thousands of lights, hundreds of historic decorations, and one unique holiday experience!

This year’s event, themed Sounds of the Season, runs from November 27 through January 3 from 5:30-9p.m nightly (closed Christmas night). We are now open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. For information on health and safety protocols in place, click here.

Don’t miss all-new decorations, including a new one-of-a-kind coordinated music and light show at the historic Mysore Fig tree, animated towering trees, as well as returning favorites, like the Children’s Tree Trail (sponsored by WGCU), featuring decorations from dozens of local schools.

Holiday Nights Admission: Adults $20, Teens $10, Children age 6-12 $2
Guided tours (offered at 6pm and 7pm nightly, first-come, first-served): Adults $30, Teens $25, Children age 6-12 $18
Inside the Homes Holiday Tours: Available on 12/2, 12/9 and 12/16 at 6:30 p.m. (additional cost, call to reserve)
Upgrade: Purchase any daytime admission and combine Holiday Nights (valid only on same evening as daytime admission/tour):
- Add the Holiday Nights guided tour to your daytime admission: Adults $20, Teen $15, Child $10
- Add Holiday Nights general admission to your daytime tour: Adults $10, Teen $5, Child $1
  - Note: Combo Upgrades can be purchased the day of your visit in-person only. They are not sold in advance.

Children age five and under always admitted free of charge. Reciprocal museum or garden memberships are not valid for Holiday Nights admission. Lee County residents with proof of residency receive a $5 discount off adult admission on Mondays.

The museum and laboratory will not be open during Holiday Nights. The rest of the grounds, including the historic homes and gardens, will be open until 9 p.m. nightly.

Click here to view a calendar of Holiday Nights events, including refreshment vendors, family science shows, and musical performances, all free with admission, including:

November 27, 5 – 6pm: American Sirens “vintage concert experience;” piano performance in Edison Guest House
November 28, December 4 and 5, 6 – 8pm: Piano performance in Edison Guest House
December 11, 6 – 8pm: Piano performance in Edison Guest House; strolling carolers
December 12, 6 – 8pm: Strolling carolers
December 17, 6:30 – 8pm: Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers
December 18, 6pm: Oak Hammock Student Dancers; piano performance in Edison Guest House
December 19, 6 – 8pm: Piano performance in Edison Guest House

General admission tickets may be purchased online or in the museum ticket office; guided tours are first come, first served, and must be purchased in the museum ticket office on the day of the tour. General admission tickets purchased online are not for a specific date but are valid for one-time use on any night of the event through 1/3/2021. Online tickets need not be printed, just show your tickets on your mobile device upon arrival. Advance purchase is not required. Please note that pets are not permitted on the estates, although trained service animals are welcome.

Masks are required during Holiday Nights. Purchase tickets here!

Veterans Day: Discounted Admission for Veterans

November 11

We’ll be open regular hours, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Veteran’s Day. Come stroll the gardens and see what’s blooming!
Veterans with ID (VA identification card or DD214 papers) will receive $5 off admission. Discount good for veterans only.

Garden Festival

Join us for the biggest plant sale of the year! Sponsored by Best Value and Humana, the festival will also feature food trucks and live music. More than 40 garden vendors from around the state of Florida will have many types of plants and trees, including palms, fruit trees, bromeliads, hibiscus, butterfly plants, African violets, orchids, air plants, herbs, succulents, cacti and many hard-to-find species. Vendors will also offer garden supplies, such as mulch and special fertilizers. The Edison Garden Shoppe will be open and have unusual tropical and Florida native plants that thrive in Southwest Florida. Ceramic flower pots, vegetable and flower seeds, garden art, and gardening gift items will also be available for purchase. A limited number of carts will be available, so guests are encouraged to bring a cart or wagon
for transporting plants. A designated plant holding tent and loading spot will be offered for anyone needing assistance.

Parking and admission to the festival is free (tours of the homes, museum and lab are not included).

CANCELLED — Vintage Base Ball at Terry Park – Hosted by Edison Ford

Please note: This event has been cancelled.

Edison Ford presents a living history exhibition of vintage base ball in a small tournament format with four teams playing four consecutive games by 1860s rules. Players will wear vintage uniforms, no gloves,

Thomas Edison, at bat, with Philadelphia Athletics’ owner and manager Connie Mack, in Fort Myers, 1927

and use wood bats and lemon peel baseballs. Games will be played at historic Terry Park in Fort Myers – a site with more than 100 years of baseball history. Spectators can complete their spring training journey by experiencing the origins of an American pastime, featuring the Fort Myers Vagabonds, the Central Florida Awkwards, Akron Black Sox, and the Chicago Salmon with commentary from the Boss Lady.

Purchase tickets online or the ticket counter at Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Adults: $5; Kids 18 and under get in free; and FGCU students with ID get in free. Gates open at 9:30, first pitch is at 10:00.

Thomas Edison’s 173rd Birthday Celebration

Join us for a celebration in Thomas Edison’s honor on February 11. Students from the Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School will sing, dance and play stringed instruments as part of the celebration, and birthday cake will be served. The famous inventor is honored each year for his contributions to society, including one of this most notable inventions, the incandescent light bulb.

The event is sponsored in part by the Edison Pageant of Light, an organization that was founded in 1938 to memorialize Thomas Edison. The birthday party is a free public event with limited seating and does not include admission to the site.

Holiday Hours: December 31-January 1

Holiday Schedule:

Tuesday, December 31 – Wednesday January 1 – Open 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 2 – Friday January 3 – Open 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. (final nights of our annual Holiday Nights event)

We will resume our regular schedule from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week on Saturday, January 4. We wish you a very happy and prosperous 2020.

Climb the Historic Banyan Tree

Don’t miss a truly one-of-a-kind experience for ages 6 and up!

This fun and challenging adventure is designed to help climbers learn about themselves, others and the environment. Training and equipment provided by Pathfinder Outdoor Education. Climbers will register for a 45 minute session.

Advance registration is required. Members: $35, non-members: $45 (Does not include a tour or admission to the historic property).

Takes place during Edison Ford Kids’ Garden Adventure, a free event featuring unique botanical art, kid-friendly garden vendors, green science interactives, wellness activities, activities with bees, local animals, food and beverages, and more!

Kids’ Garden Adventure (Free Event)

Explore the gardens of Edison Ford during this one-of-a-kind, one-day family event!

• Win prizes in a garden scavenger hunt

• Create unique botanical art

• Explore kid-friendly garden vendors

• Jump into environmental education activities

• Stretch your imagination with wellness activities

• Get buzzing with bees, local animals, and more!

• Food and beverages will be available

Admission is FREE (does not include a tour or admission to the historic property). Sponsored by:

And while you’re here, don’t miss a chance to climb the historic Banyan tree (additional cost, ages 6 and up)!