VIP Tour – Naples
NOVEMBER 13, 2021
NAPLES
Naples Botanical Gardens, lunch and shopping at Tin City with a 2-hour narrated sightseeing and Eco Boat Tour from Tin City marina and Pure Florida. More details to follow. 
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid, advanced registration is required. Join the membership program and take advantage of the discounted price.
Tour cost: members $135, non-members $150.
UPCOMING TOURS:
DECEMBER 11, 2021
LARGO
Historic Heritage Village, early dinner on the waterfront and tour of the Florida Botanical Gardens holiday lights.
JANUARY 15, 2022
EVERGLADES CITY
Historic Everglades Museum and walking tour, lunch at a local establishment, Smallwood Museum and airboat ride through the Everglades.
FEBRUARY 19, 2022
SARASOTA
Private tour of the Ringling Art Museum, Ca’ d’ Zan, lunch at the Ringling Grillroom and tour the circus museum.
MARCH 12, 2022
SAINT PETERSBURG
Dali Museum, lunch, glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Art Center and Chihuly Museum tour.
For questions or to make a reservation for a VIP tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677 or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space early.
VIP Tour – Everglades City
EVERGLADES CITY
Historic Everglades Museum and walking tour, lunch at a local establishment, Smallwood Museum and airboat ride through the Everglades. More details to follow
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid, advanced registration is required. Join the membership program and take advantage of the discounted price.
Tour cost: members $135, non-members $150.
UPCOMING TOURS:
FEBRUARY 19, 2022
SARASOTA
Private tour of the Ringling Art Museum, Ca’ d’ Zan, lunch at the Ringling Grillroom and tour the circus museum.
MARCH 12, 2022
SAINT PETERSBURG
Dali Museum, lunch, glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Art Center and Chihuly Museum tour.
For questions or to make a reservation for a VIP tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677 or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space early.
VIP Tour – St Petersburg
SAINT PETERSBURG
Dali Museum, lunch, glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Art Center and Chihuly Museum tour. More details to follow.
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid, advanced registration is required. Join the membership program and take advantage of the discounted price.
Tour cost: members $135, non-members $150.
For questions or to make a reservation for a VIP tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677 or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space early.
VIP tour: Fruit & Spice Park, Cauley Square Historic Village and Coral Castle
Welcome VIPs! If you have travelled with us before, you know how great our VIP tours are. If you haven’t experienced a VIP tour yet, consider joining us this year. Touring with us is fun, educational, and a great way to meet new people. We are excited to offer new destinations this year and we hope you will join us for another fun-filled season. We will be offering the Everglades Tour again because it sold out last time and many of you asked us to bring it back. Other tours will include historical homes, museums, botanical gardens, and a holiday-themed tour at the Florida Botanical Gardens for the evening light display – get out those ugly Christmas sweaters!
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid, advanced registration is required. Join the membership program and take advantage of the discounted price.
Tour cost: members $135, non-members $150.
– – –
Our first tour of the season is to the Redlands in Homestead, known as the agricultural area of South Florida. The first destination is the Fruit & Spice Park. This 37-acre subtropical paradise, with more than 500 hundred varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, nuts and other plants is nestled in the heart of the historic Redlands area. It is the jewel of the
agricultural community, and was started by a woman with a vision named Mary Calkins Heinlein. It is the only public garden of its kind in the U.S. A knowledgeable docent will lead us on a private tram tour of the property. Next, we will visit Cauley Square Historic Village. Refreshments will be provided as we stroll through the shaded garden paths to learn about the history of the Flagler Railroad and the agricultural community of the early 1900s. We will have a private lunch (included) at the Chalet. Our final stop will be to the famous Coral Castle. This oolite limestone structure was created by the Latvian-American eccentric
Edward Leedskalnin or “Ed.” We will learn how Ed, who barely weighed 100 pounds, single-handedly and secretly carved 3 million pounds of coral rock into his castle! Join us and learn more about the mystery. This tour is limited to 40 participants.
UPCOMING TOURS:
NOVEMBER 13, 2021
NAPLES
Naples Botanical Gardens, lunch and shopping at Tin City with a 2-hour narrated sightseeing and Eco Boat Tour from Tin City marina and Pure Florida.
DECEMBER 11, 2021
LARGO
Historic Heritage Village, early dinner on the waterfront and tour of the Florida Botanical Gardens holiday lights.
JANUARY 15, 2022
EVERGLADES CITY
Historic Everglades Museum and walking tour, lunch at a local establishment, Smallwood Museum and airboat ride through the Everglades.
FEBRUARY 19, 2022
SARASOTA
Private tour of the Ringling Art Museum, Ca’ d’ Zan, lunch at the Ringling Grillroom and tour the circus museum.
MARCH 12, 2022
SAINT PETERSBURG
Dali Museum, lunch, glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Art Center and Chihuly Museum tour.
For questions or to make a reservation for a VIP tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677 or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space early.
VIP Tour – Largo Historic Heritage Village
LARGO
Historic Heritage Village, early dinner on the waterfront and tour of the Florida Botanical Gardens holiday lights. More details to follow.
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid, advanced registration is required. Join the membership program and take advantage of the discounted price.
Tour cost: members $135, non-members $150.
UPCOMING TOURS:
JANUARY 15, 2022
EVERGLADES CITY
Historic Everglades Museum and walking tour, lunch at a local establishment, Smallwood Museum and airboat ride through the Everglades.
FEBRUARY 19, 2022
SARASOTA
Private tour of the Ringling Art Museum, Ca’ d’ Zan, lunch at the Ringling Grillroom and tour the circus museum.
MARCH 12, 2022
SAINT PETERSBURG
Dali Museum, lunch, glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Art Center and Chihuly Museum tour.
For questions or to make a reservation for a VIP tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677 or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space early.
Orchid Sale and Symposium
Don’t miss our annual Orchid Sale and Symposium! Horticulturists, orchid growers and representatives from the Southwest Florida Orchid Society will give presentations on growing and caring for orchids. Several orchid growers will have orchids available for sale, including rare and native species. The presentations will take place outdoors, under the oak trees:
Saturday, October 9
• 9:30-10:30 a.m. — Little Known Orchids and Why You Should be Growing Them; Debbie Hughes, Horticulture Director at Edison Ford
• 11 a.m.-12 p.m. — My Favorite Orchids for Southwest Florida; John Hampton, Past President of the Southwest Florida Orchid Society
• 12-1 p.m. — Lunch break
• 1-2 p.m. — Orchid Mounting Demonstration; Gary Murza, President of the Southwest Florida Orchid Society
• 2-3:30 p.m. — Orchid Pests & Diseases and What to Scout for During the Year; Gary Murza, President of the Southwest Florida Orchid Society
Sunday, October 10
• 11 a.m.-12 p.m. — Intro to Orchids; Mickey Carnell, Owner of Blue Pagoda Orchids
• 12-1 p.m. — Lunch break
• 1-2 p.m. — Putting Orchids in the Trees; Debbie Hughes, Horticulture Director at Edison Ford
• 2:15-3:15 p.m. — How to Grow and Re-flower the Orchid I Just Bought; John Hampton, Past President of the Southwest Florida Orchid Society
Daily admission for the presentations is $15 for non-members or $10 for Edison Ford members (does not include tours or admission to the museum, lab or riverside of the property). Click here to register. Guests should redeem their e-ticket for a wristband at the welcome booth on the day of the event. There is no charge to enter the Garden Shoppe.
The authors of the book, Compendium of Orchid Genera (available for sale in the Museum Store) will be on site and signing books (Wesley Higgins will be signing on Saturday and Peggy Alrich on Sunday). Representatives from the Southwest Florida Orchid Society will be available to answer orchid-related questions.
Additional vendors, including Blue Pagoda Orchids, Jim & I Orchids, OFE Orchid Supplies, OrchidsAmore, Orchid Jewels, Red Hawk Nursery, RF Orchids, So Orchids, Sunland Orchids and Tropiflora will be selling orchids and orchid supplies. A limited number of garden carts will be available; guests are encouraged to bring their own. Food and beverage vendors will have refreshments available for purchase, and live music will be provided.
The Garden Shoppe will also be open and offers a unique place for gardeners to shop for quality plants. A large selection of ornamental plants and orchids will be available, along with fruit trees, butterfly plants, herbs, succulents, rare exotics and Florida natives. Many of the flowering trees and shrubs in the botanical gardens are available for purchase. Wind chimes, fountains, ceramic flower pots and garden art are also available.
Orchids have a long history with the Estates. They were Mina Edison’s favorite plants and she displayed many of them in her garden, attached to trees so they could grow as she saw them in the Everglades. Today, visitors can view many orchid species throughout the 20 acres of botanical gardens. Following in Mina’s footsteps, horticulturists continue to attach orchids to trees all around the site.
Fort Myers Film Festival at Edison Ford
Join us for an evening of films under the stars! In partnership with the Fort Myers Film Festival, several films will be shown on the Henry Ford estate lawn along the Caloosahatchee River. Refreshments will be available for purchase.
The selection of films will include:
- An original silent film, with pianist Stephen Brittain performing the score
- “Preservation Forever,” a tribute to the success of Sam Galloway, Jr. and his long history with the Estates
- “Stay Wild,” a short story about a young woman and her quest to conserve wild places
- “A Greenlander,” a documentary about a French painter in Greenland who teaches art therapy to neglected children
TICKETS: Edison Ford Members: $10 and Non-members: $15. Masks are required where social distancing is not possible during this special event. Click here to purchase tickets.
Generously sponsored by Strayhorn & Persons, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law.
Digital Discussion: Buckingham Army Airfield during WWII
Did you know that Mina Edison visited Buckingham Field in 1945 and invited 25 GIs to Seminole Lodge for lunch and a swim?
Join Program Manager Holly Shaffer for a discussion of Buckingham Army Airfield, a training base in Lee County, Florida, established in 1942. At the time, it was the largest airfield in the State of Florida. Its primary mission during World War II was to train the aerial gunners who would defend bombers.
VIP Tour – Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Garden/Nature and Ecological Boat Tour
Join us for a tour of the Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Garden. This 30-acre wonder and preserved native habitat can be seen on expansive boardwalks surrounded with rare plants and inserted with world class sculptures.
Next, we will travel to nearby Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda for lunch and shopping on your own.
Then, beginning at 3:00 we will embark on a 3.5 hour boat eco-tour with interpretation by naturalists from the well-know Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center. We will experience the flora and fauna of the four different ecosystems as we journey up the winding Peace River. Relaxation and cameras or binoculars are definitely in order on this trip!
We will accept reservations for 30 guests on a 55 – passenger bus so guests are adequately spaced apart.
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid registration is required. Masks are required when not social distancing.
Please register by calling Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677. Cost for each tour is $125 Members and $135 for Non-Members.
*This tour is sold out, we are currently accepting names for the waitlist.
