COASTE | COMMUNITY
According to TripAdvisor.com, it’s the number one must-do attraction in Fort Myers. Each year, more than 225,000 guests from around the world descend on these 20-plus picturesque and peaceful acres along the Caloosahatchee River, making it among the top ten most popular historic home tours in America. Tours are conducted daily (guided or self- guided) 363 days a year (except Thanksgiving and Christmas), and are offered in English, Spanish, German and French. Edison & Ford Winter Estates (EFWE) is rich in the fabric of American lore, a unique setting where two of our nation’s most creative minds and iconic names who were friends ultimately became neighbors. It’s also a success story involving the City of Fort Myers, Lee County and the Edison & Ford Winter Estates Foundation and others that — since 1947 when the Edison property was deeded to the city by Mina Edison — have taken the estates from preservation, to progress, to prosperity.
Today, EFWE is embarking on new, more interactive exhibits; a litany of new and exciting programs and events, for kids and adults; and even new marketing strategies and cross-promotions to introduce the attraction to greater audiences. With this momentum, COASTE decided to get up close and personal with some of the people most responsible for the current success of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, as well as taking it to the next level: Mike Cosden, Chief Curator; Debbie Hughes, Senior Horticulturist; and Janet Wilson, Public Relations & Marketing Director. Perhaps the most striking impressions of the Estates are the beautiful homes and grounds, as well as the looming banyan tree with Edison’s statue, one of the largest banyans in the continental U.S. canopying almost an acre. But there’s much more to discover upon you visit — about the men, their visions and their passions.
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