Exploring Inventors' Estates in Fort Myers

Don’t just read books to your kids about our American inventors! Go meet them… in Florida. 👨‍🔬🔬🧪 When you think of American heroes, I bet you don’t think of Florida! At least I didn’t before our visit a couple of years ago. Thomas Edison built a home in Fort Myers and then his buddy Henry Ford moved in next door. They (along with Harvey Firestone) were searching for a way to produce rubber here in the US. Edison imported 10,000s of plants from around the world to study… which you can still explore at the Edison-Ford Estates. Firestone even gifted Edison a banyan tree 100 years ago. The first one is in Florida. It’s magnificent! (And now illegal to plant. Edison the trouble maker. 😁) If west coast Florida is near your travels, plan to make a stop in Fort Myers. Plan to wander the estate for a couple of hours, lust over their beautiful houses (check out that porch!), and explore Edison’s laboratory. Did you know there’s such a thing as a National Chemical Landmark? 🤓 ⭐️Did I mention it was free with my NARM reciprocity? Score!⭐️ 👉Tell me another southeastern US landmark I need to visit. I do love finding the lesser-known places and showing them to you! . . . . . @fortmyersbeachflorida @visitflorida @edisonfordfl @nationahistoriclandmarksnhs