October 17, 2023
Holiday VIP Tour to Stetson Mansion and Harry P. Leu Gardens Offered Through Edison and Ford Winter Estates
FORT MYERS, Fla. (October 17, 2023) – Edison and Ford Winter Estates offers several private VIP Tours to other tourist destinations throughout the year. The tours are open to both Edison Ford members and the general public. Transportation is included in the ticket cost and offers visitors the opportunity to tour other museums and gardens with a group of often like-minded individuals and share unique behind-the-scenes experiences that they would not be able to participate in on their own.
The next scheduled VIP tour is going to the Stetson Mansion in Deland and the Harry P. Leu Gardens, Leu House Museum, and the Morse Museum
The Holiday VIP Tour takes guests to the Stetson Mansion in Deland (top photo) and Harry P. Leu Gardens and Museum in Orlando (bottom photo).
in Orlando on December 8 and 9. This two-day tour will leave Edison and Ford Winter Estates on Friday, December 8 at 7 a.m., and will return to the Estates at approximately 7 p.m. on December 9.
The weekend will begin with a bus trip to Orlando where guests will visit the Harry P. Leu Gardens. Upon arrival, guests will receive a boxed lunch (included) before the private, docent-led tour of the nearly 50-acre botanical gardens and historic Leu House Museum, originally built in 1888 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After leaving Leu Gardens, the tour will take guests to historic Downtown Deland where guests will stay at the Courtyard by Marriott. Once checked in, guests will have the remainder of the evening to explore the historic downtown district at their leisure and have dinner at one of the many restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
Saturday morning, guests may have breakfast on their own before boarding the bus to the Stetson Mansion for the private Holiday Home Tour. This tour includes all rooms on the ground floor and the three bedrooms on the second floor, including the owner’s bedroom, bathroom and closet. Co-owner JT Thompson, designs and installs the decorations in all 10 rooms. The Stetson Mansion had one of the first Christmas trees ever illuminated with electric lights because of Mr. Stetson’s friend, Thomas Edison. Guests will also visit the original schoolhouse which has been converted into a guest cottage and gift shop.
The Stetson Mansion, “The House that Hats Built,” is Florida’s most historic Gilded Age mansion, and the most innovative home built in Florida before 1900. Each year during the holidays, 10 rooms of the mansion are embellished with new designer decorations and 24 nativities from around the world to celebrate the birth of Christ.
The final stop of the tour will be in Winter Park. Upon arrival, guests may have lunch on their own at one of the many restaurants on Park Avenue, Winter Park’s epicenter. After lunch, guests will meet at Morse Museum for the private tour. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany. It includes the artist’s and designer’s jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded glass lamps and windows; art and architectural objects from his Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall; and the 1893 chapel interior from the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Guests will have time on their own to explore sections of the museum not included in the guided tour, as well as the gift shop.
The deadline to reserve a space is November 15 and is limited to 40 people. The cost of this tour is $250 for non-members and $225 for Edison Ford members. This includes transportation by coach bus, lunch at Leu Gardens, Leu Gardens tour, Stetson Mansion tour and Morse Museum tour. Additional costs not included are dinner Friday night, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Also not included is the cost for the one-night hotel stay (the group rate is $220 plus tax). For reservations, contact Sherri Muske at smuske@edisonford.org or 239-335-3677.
Back to Press Releases