Here at All Superstars we place great importance on educating children on their surroundings and local areas. This includes learning about insects, plants and famous landmarks in the Southwest Florida Region.
One particular famous landmark in the Fort Myers area is the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Located on the beautiful shores of the Caloosahatchee River off McGregor Blvd, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates serve as a stimulating tool to educate young minds.
Thomas Edison is the father of 2,332 patents and his inventions have impacted the lives of millions of people on a daily basis. Aside from the light bulb, Thomas Edison invented the motion picture camera, toaster, waffle iron, phonograph, Dictaphone and batteries. Henry Ford worked as an engineer for Thomas Edison for some time, but eventually took his own path to success and created The Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison remained great friends after Ford left Edison’s employment. Ford would visit Edison’s winter home frequently, and eventually purchased the house next door.
The management at the Winter Estates have kept the homes just as they were in the 1920s, and this includes Thomas Edison’s intricate laboratory where he worked on some of his most famous inventions.
Recently, the children were given a private tour of the homes of these two great and impactful men. They were able to step inside the famous lab and walk through acres and acres of gardens on the property. These gardens began as an experimental garden to assist in finding more economical ways to produce rubber during World War 1. The garden is still active to this day and is home to over 1,000 different plant species. It truly is a pristine area that can be enjoyed by anyone on an afternoon of superb Florida sunshine.
The Estates are also home to some of Henry Ford’s first automobiles. The children got a kick out of learning how the old cars used to start. The process wasn’t as simple as putting the key in the ignition and starting the engine – these lovely old vehicles needed to be cranked manually!
The biggest highlight of the tour for the children was hands-down the Spark Lab. The Spark Lab is an area designed to stretch the creative and imaginative minds of children. There are various activities that allow for children to create their very own inventions and designs. These range from battery powered cars, tracks to send marbles from one location to another, an area to create flying machines and much, much more!
The staff at The Edison and Ford Winter Estates are great with children and provide an incredibly warm and inviting environment for them. We would recommend a visit to these lovely homes for a family of any size!
You can view a video recap of the tour below:
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