NEW Farmers Market
Join us for a new Farmers Market!
There will be fresh produce and other products available for purchase. Guests can shop the vendor booths, listen to live music, and stroll through the Bromeliad and wildflower gardens! There will also be food trucks with food and beverages for sale.
Every Friday in June and July.
The event will take place under the shade of the Banyan tree. There is no charge to attend the Farmer’s Market.
Vintage Base Ball Game – at Terry Park
Edison and Ford Winter Estates will host a day of vintage “base ball” on March 17 at historic Terry Park. Join us to celebrate the early days of our national pastime with three teams playing consecutive games (the Fort Myers Vagabonds, Bradenton Shamrocks, and the Central Florida Awkwards).
The teams will play by 1860s rules. Players will wear vintage uniforms, no gloves, and use wood bats and lemon peel baseballs. Spectators will see the game played as it was when Thomas Edison was a teenager and he developed his life-long love of the game, inspiring him to proclaim: “Baseball is the greatest of American games.”
Game Location:
Terry Park
3410 Palm Beach Boulevard
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Admission: $5 for adults, children 18 and younger admitted free.
A Celebration of Baseball Legends
To celebrate spring training and Thomas Edison’s love of baseball, Edison and Ford Winter Estates is holding a special event to showcase a new exhibit that highlights some baseball legends who once played at Terry Park in Fort Myers.
Cornelius McGillicuddy, aka “Connie Mack,” was the manager and owner of the Philadelphia Athletics. He provided the plans for the construction of Terry Park, which opened for spring training in 1925. Thomas Edison was a frequent visitor at Terry Park and on at least one occasion, participated in batting practice with the Athletics team.
The Mack and Nolen families graciously loaned the Estates key artifacts to create a new baseball exhibit entitled “Fanatics: Edison, Mack, and Baseball in Fort Myers.” On March 1, the public is invited to come to the event and meet Connie Mack, III, see the new exhibit, listen to baseball presentations, and tour the museum and botanic research laboratory. There will also be kid’s activities and food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Admission to the event is FREE. The riverside of the property will not be open during the event.
Etiquette Class
Offered several times each season, Etiquette classes are for children ages 6-12. These classes are two-hour sessions in good manners and teach proper introduction, handshakes and dining etiquette during a three-course meal. Each student will receive a workbook and certificate of completion. All classes run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dates:
Friday, January 5, 2024 (Sold out)
Friday, March 22, 2024
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Cost: members $85; non-members $95
Space is limited; click here to register.
Decorate Christmas Cookies
Decorate cookies, drink cocoa and see the Holiday Nights lights! This event provides families with a night out to see the lights and still get the cookies made! Offered on December 22, from 6-8 p.m.
A hot cocoa bar and admission to Holiday Nights is included. The river pavilion will be festively decorated and holiday music will be played in the background.
Tickets must be purchased by December 18 at EdisonFord.org. Individual tickets are $40 per person for Edison Ford members; $50 per person for non-members. Ticket price includes Do-it-Yourself Cookie Bundle Kit with 6 cookies (3 different holiday shapes), 3 icings, 2 types of sprinkles, and an instruction card. Cookies are Un-frosted sugar cookies cut in various Christmas-themed shapes. A gluten free option is available.
Click here to purchase tickets.
48th Annual Holiday Nights Celebration
Don’t miss thousands of lights, hundreds of historic decorations, and one unique holiday experience! Returning for the 48th season, Holiday Nights has been revamped with new light displays and much more. Don’t miss the Children’s Holiday Tree Trail with handmade ornaments created by students from local schools, shopping in the Museum Store and Garden Shoppe for unique holiday gifts, refreshments available for purchase on select nights, Santa, and carolers on select nights, and nightly guided holiday tradition tours at 6 and 7 p.m. (sold at the ticket office on a first-come first-served basis daily).
• Closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.
CLICK HERE for full Holiday Nights calendar.
Admission
• Nightly guided tours are available on a first-come first-served basis in the museum ticket office and can only be purchased on the day of the tour. The guided tours are offered at $30 for adults, $25 for teens, and $18 for children ages 6-12.
• General admission is $20 for adults, $10 for teens, and $2 for children ages 6-12. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free with paid adult. General admission is sold on an unlimited basis nightly so there are no concerns about being turned away if tickets are not purchased in advance.
• Combo tickets are available for those visiting during the day and staying for Holiday Nights. Visitors with daytime admission can add on Holiday Nights admission for just $10 (good only on same evening as daytime tour). Purchase as a combo when you buy your daytime tickets, or hold onto your receipt in case you decide to upgrade later that day.
Tickets for the guided tour and general admission includes the Edison and Ford estates where visitors will see the outdoor light display as well as the homes decorated for the season, with decorations and gifts as would have been common in the early 20th century. The lab and museum are closed in the evening. Discounts or reciprocal benefits do not apply for Holiday Nights admissions, except for Edison Ford members who receive 50% off for general admission. Members please check your email for instructions for purchasing your Holiday Nights admission online; membership cards must be presented at time e-tickets are redeemed.
• Click here to purchase general admission tickets online! Holiday Nights admission tickets purchased online are good for any evening November 24-December 23 and December 26 through 31. Reservations are not necessary for general admission – just show your e-ticket at the welcome booth when you arrive. Admission may also be purchased at the ticket office. Nightly holiday tradition guided tours are first-come first-served and must be purchased in-person on the day of the tour.
Future Makers (for Children Ages 1-5)
Children will play, learn, and gain social skills as they explore science, technology, engineering and more in the museum. Offered the first Wednesday of each month, September through March.
This program is free for Edison Ford members and included with admission for non-members. Pre-registration is not required. Check in at our ticket office.
Homeschool STEM Series
Join us and explore the “living laboratory” of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Our Wild Wizards will challenge your mind and foster collaboration in this homeschool science and engineering series. Homeschool classes at Edison Ford are aligned with Next Generation Science and Florida State Standards. Classes are a combination of instruction and hands on activities that are designed to facilitate homeschool or virtual science education. Students will explore engineering, physics, mechanics, and more with Derby Cars, LEGO Mindstorm, robots, and rockets! This popular class is offered twice per month September through March:
- Grades 1-3: 2nd Wednesday or 3rd Thursday, 10am-12pm
- Grades 4-6: 2nd Thursday or 3rd Wednesday, 10am-12pm
Topics will include:
- September: Derby Car Physics
- Students explore the many factors that impact the performance of a Pinewood Derby Car. Concepts such as friction, aerodynamics, potential energy and more are explored in this hands-on class that makes use of an actual derby track.
- October: Derby Car Design and Racing
- Students apply physics and trial and error to test and develop the fastest Pinewood Car. This class makes use of modular Lego pieces to allow students to move quickly through the design process.
- November: Introduction to Lego mechanics
- Students are introduced to fundamental mechanical concepts beginning with simple machines and working towards developing motorized gear systems. Students will learn about mechanical advantage, gearing-up, and down, worm drives, gear trains and more!
- December: Introduction to Code
- Using the code platform “scratch” Edison Ford instructors guide students through the key concepts of computer code. Students will learn about loops, if/else statements, and how create and use variables.
- January: Introduction to Robotics
- Students learn the basic operation of a Lego Mindstorm robot. Basic mechanics of the robot is taught as well as the code used to make the robot go.
- February: Advanced Techniques
- Students are taught, and then challenged to apply, advanced techniques that are used to improve the consistency of a robotics system. Students learn how to design functions, collect and use data from sensors, and other techniques to improve the reliability of their system.
- March: Rocket Science!
- Learn it, build it, launch it. Students explore the science of flight as they learn about Newton’s Laws of Motion, the four forces of flight, and the coanda effect as they design and launch their own high flying water rocket.
Become a family member of Edison Ford and receive discounted registration!
Click here to register.
Electric Explorers Camp
Campers learn about the history of electricity with exciting demonstration and hands-on activities. The physics of circuits is explored as campers work on designing their own electrical system.
Join us as science and history come alive in our “living laboratory!” No experience is necessary to participate in these fun and fast-moving S.T.E.A.M. (science technology, engineering, art, and math) camps. For students currently in grades K-5, unless otherwise noted. Campers must bring lunches, and snacks if desired. Become a family member of Edison Ford and receive discounted registration!
Click here to register.