Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Fort Myers's premier attraction, pays homage to two of America's most ingenious inventors: Thomas A. Edison, who gave the world the stock ticker, the incandescent lamp, and the phonograph, among other inventions; and his friend and neighbor, automaker Henry Ford. Donated to the city by Edison's widow, his 12-acre estate, reopened in 2006 after a $9 million historic renovation, is a remarkable place with three homes, a laboratory, botanical gardens, and a museum. The laboratory is just as Edison left it when he died in 1931. Edison traveled south from New Jersey and devoted much of his time here to inventing things (there are 1,093 patents to his name), experimenting with rubber for friend and frequent visitor Harvey Firestone, and planting some 600 species of plants collected around the world. Next door to Edison's two identical homes is Ford's "Mangoes," the more modest seasonal home of Edison's fellow inventor. It's said that the V-8 engine in essence was designed on the back porch. The recent renovation opened for the first time the property's oldest building, the Caretaker's House, circa 1860. Research garden renovation is ongoing. Tours are guided or audio self-guided. One admission covers both homes; laboratory-museum-only tickets are also available.

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