Summer Deal for Families at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

May 21, 2019

Summer Deal for Families at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 21, 2019) – This summer, Edison and Ford Winter Estates is offering a special deal for families. From June 1 through September 2, visitors may bring a child, 12 years old or younger, for free. One child will be admitted free per one paid adult self-guided audio tour ticket.

Everyone can be an inventor in the Smithsonian Spark!Lab at Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

The site includes the historic winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, caretaker’s homes of both inventors, Edison’s study, a 15,000-square-foot inventions museum and the botanic laboratory — a National Historic Chemical Landmark. There are also more than 20 acres of botanic gardens to explore, including the historic Moonlight Garden, Clara’s rose garden, a succulent garden, the almost century old Banyan and Mysore Fig trees and numerous other plants and trees from all around the world.

The air-conditioned museum is full of exhibits and artifacts that children and adults alike can enjoy. Antique car enthusiasts will find Edison’s personal car, a 1916 Model T; Ford’s “Chuck Wagon,” a 1918 Model T Roadster; and a 1908 Cadillac Motor Car. Visitors will also get to see and hear several examples of Edison’s favorite invention, the phonograph. Families will learn how many patents Edison had, what his most profitable invention was, how Edison and Ford met and many other interesting facts.

Families with children can create their own inventions in the Smithsonian Spark!Lab, a fun, hands-on activity center with six stations that rotate every few months. The activities allow for groups and families, so parents and grandparents can enjoy the activities along with their children and grandchildren. Edison Ford is one of only nine museums across the country to have a Smithsonian Spark!Lab.

Activities in the Spark!Lab include the High Wire Driver that incorporates a variety of building components and simple motors to invent devices that can roll along a cable suspended above a table or work surface; Snap Circuits offers children a chance to work with real circuits just like the ones found inside radios, televisions, computers and other electronic devices, but without wires or solder; in Sound Scapes, visitors build a pathway to roll a marble through various bells and chimes; Shaping Space is a new activity where participants use plastic tubes to build structures of varying heights and shapes; and Spin Art, another new activity that utilizes Snap Circuits to create artwork and helps kids learn the color wheel.

The site is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. There are several tour options, including self-guided audio tours, historian-led guided tours, specialty inside-the-homes, inside-the-lab, automotive and garden tours. Throughout the year, the site also offers public events and new exhibits. For tour times and additional information, visit the website at www.edisonford.org or call 239-334-7419.