Henry Ford's Winter Estate
Editor Houlahan recently visited this great historical site, read his blog about the trip below...
Just a few hours drive from where we live is Ft. Meyers, FL, on the west coast of the state. If you come to Florida for business or pleasure and find yourself on the west coast (Tampa, Bradenton, etc.) and can get away for an extra day you should really visit the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. The facility is richly restored, and includes Edison's labratory, both houses, the grounds, one of the first cement swimming pools in the state, and of course the museum and gift shop.
The facility is a self guided tour with an audio device, so you can go at your own pace and visit the locales in any order you wish. You'll find early Ford iron in the garage, plenty of interesting items to take photos of, a cutaway flathead in the museum and more. The tour also describes the great relationship Henry Ford had with Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone (who also came to visit in the winter months), which is why Ford used Firestone tires for decades. Many of Edison's inventions are on display as well.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the estates and museum and you can easily keep the family happy with nearby stays in Ft. Meyers (beaches and more) or your spouse with a weekend getaway to Sanibel Island. For more on the estate and the tour check out their website at www.efwefla.org/.
Oh, and bonus points to anyone that can tell me why the clock on the mantle in the Ford home is set to 11:40 (and yes I know)...