He would spend winters there for the next 50 years at the estate he built called Seminole Lodge. His good friend, Henry Ford, built a home next door. The riverfront estates, combined with Edison's laboratory, botanical gardens and a museum of rare items, make a wonderful way to spend a day. It's mind-boggling to walk through what appears to be a very crude laboratory and realize that Edison was responsible for so many things we take for granted, including electric lights, the stock ticker and the movie camera. You can thank Thomas Edison for inventing the record player, which he considered his favorite invention even though he was almost completely deaf.
Walking tours led by professional guides offer the most insightful glance into the genius of Edison.
There's no better time of year to go to Ft. Myers and experience Edison's impact on the community than in the next few weeks when the city celebrates the Edison Festival of Lights. Plus, there was a marching band competition and a society ball, complete with a queen and a court. Today, the pageant is a two-week festival that starts with a car show on Jan. 20 and includes a sailing regatta, a science and inventors fair, a strolling flower show, a block party, an artists market, an antiques and collectible show, an orchestral performance, a band competition, an orchid show, two runs, a kid's ''Starfish Ball,'' and a craft show. It all culminates on Feb. 17 with fireworks and the big parade.