VIP Tour – Downtown Saint Petersburg **SOLD OUT**
St. Petersburg is a very quaint and artsy town right on the Tampa Bay. There are many sites to see and we hope this provides you with suggestions for your next visit to the area. Many nearby locations have membership reciprocity with Edison and Ford. We will start with an early, private luncheon experience in the heart of the St. Petersburg downtown area.
Get ready to enjoy multiple venues and if you enjoy art, you will love this one. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, located in downtown St. Petersburg was founded by businessman Thomas James and opened in 2018. The museum has thousands of pieces from the James’ collection including traditional as well as contemporary pieces. The Special Exhibit on the 2nd floor is called Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories. This is a story about the federally-operated, off-reservation boarding schools aimed to eradicate Native American cultures through forced assimilation of children.
Next, we will visit the Chihuly Museum. The collection is a permanent and stunning collection of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s unique work. This museum was designed to create a visitor experience where the art and architecture work together. The entrance has a 20-foot sculpture. Chihuly’s work has transformed and influenced contemporary art beyond just glass. You will love this!
Our final stop is across the street to the glass blowing studio at the Morean Art Center. This is quite a treat and you will be fascinated by the glass-blowing demonstration process. This may inspire you to come back and take a class. Watch as artists perform their glass blowing skills in this one-of-a kind demonstration. Glass pieces are also for sale in the adjacent glass shop.
At 5 p.m., you will have an hour to visit the glass shop, other nearby shops and enjoy this great cultural district within walking distance.
TOUR COST: $135 FOR EDISON FORD MEMBERS; $150 FOR NON-MEMBERS
For questions or to make a reservation for this or any tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677 or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, reserve early.
Please note all tours include a lot of walking, bus stairs and sometimes maneuvering in tight spaces. Please plan accordingly.
Cancellation Policy – Cancellations must be 14 days prior the tour date to receive a full refund, unless the vacancy can be filled. Cancellations made by Edison and Ford due to unforeseen circumstances will warrant a full refund or credit for another tour in the same season.
46th Annual Holiday Nights Celebration
Thousands of lights, hundreds of historic decorations, and one unique holiday experience await you nightly from 5:30 – 9 p.m from November 26 through January 2 (closed on December 25). Enjoy exciting new lighting displays, visits with Santa, carolers and musicians, refreshments, family science shows, and more on select evenings. Plan on at least an hour to enjoy the display.
ADMISSION:
Visitors admire the decorated homes and gardens during Holiday Nights at Edison and Ford Winter Estates.
Adults $20
Teens (13-19) $10
Children (6-12) $2
Members FREE
Advance reservations or ticketing not required, general admission is not subject to capacity limits. General admission may be purchased online and are good for any night of the event. General admission tickets may be upgraded for a guided tour for an additional $10 on the day of the tour if space is available. Please note that the Museum and Laboratory are closed during Holiday Nights.
GUIDED TOURS (6 and 7 p.m. nightly):
Adults $30
Teens (13-19) $25
Children (6-12) $18
Members $10
Guided tours are not available for advance purchase, and must be purchased in the ticket office on a first-come first-served basis after 4:30pm on the day of the tour. Guided tour admission includes general admission to Holiday Nights to allow visitors to explore on their own at the conclusion of the tour.
DAYTIME AND EVENING COMBO
Visitors purchasing self-guided or guided tours for the daytime are eligible for a $10 discount on Holiday Nights admission when used the same day. Purchase the upgrade in the ticket office when you buy your daytime tickets, or show your receipt for your daytime admission at the ticket counter when you decide to upgrade. Upgrade option is only available for the same day as your daytime admission.
Lee County residents will receive $5 off adult admission on Monday nights. Resident discount admission must be purchased in person to show proof of residency, and is only good for Monday night visits. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge nightly.
Event made possible by the generous support of:
VIP Tour – Naples
NOVEMBER 13, 2021
NAPLES **SOLD OUT**
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
This is a great tour to learn about the history of the Everglades. Guests will learn about Florida’s first big-game hunters
and the sharks that once swam in the waters that covered Southwest Florida. Guests will also get to see the ancient
tools and ceremonial masks from the Calusa Indians and how they flourished in the swampy wilderness. Information
about the wars in South Florida and the journey of the Seminole people will also be covered, along with how early settlers
arrived on the frontier, plus cattlemen, clam diggers, trailblazers and crackers that wrote the history of Collier County.
A 90-minute private tour of the museum and walking tour of Everglades City will be presented by the Collier County
Museum of the Everglades’ Manager, Thomas Lockyear.
Lunch will be included at a local Everglades restaurant and favorite menu items will be chosen in advance. After lunch,
we will take a short bus trip to the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee. This small historic site was established in 1906, by
Ted Smallwood and was the original Trading Post that served this remote and isolated area. This small wooden building
was the Indian trading post, post office and general store to the community. The store is still owned and loved by the
descendants of the family that founded it. If you like antiques, you will enjoy this tiny piece of history.
Our final experience of the day will be an airboat and swamp buggy tour. The adventure will start out with a 30-minute
grassland airboat tour. After that, we will take a swamp buggy tour through the beautiful Cypress Forest. We will ride in
the safety of experienced captains who know the area and the history. We will get to experience mother nature in this
area of more than 259 acres of grasslands, including wild alligators, manatees, birds and many other animals that call the Everglades home. This will truly be a look back at what the pioneers encountered in this vast swampland. You will
not want to miss this tour!
All tours are subject to change and are based on availability. Spaces are limited. Pre-paid, advance registration is required.
Join the membership program and take advantage of the discounted price. Please note all tours include a lot of walking,
bus stairs and sometimes maneuvering in tight spaces. Please plan accordingly.
Tour Cost for members is $135, non-members $150.
For questions or to make a reservation for this or any tour, please contact Sherri Muske at 239-335-3677
or smuske@edisonford.org. Tours fill up quickly, so reserve your space early.
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: 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.
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.
