TRAVEL COLUMN

The most impressive for me was the larger-than-life lion Solomon reportedly had a great sense of humour, and this is carried on through the tour guides. So, as well as being very informative, the tour is also very entertaining

However, one of the main selling features of this outing was the food. Surrounded by live oaks, the Boat in the Moat restaurant is a true gem! We ate prior to the 45-minute tour as we had just missed the last tour and had about an hour to wait. Hands down we’d go back just for lunch.

The tour cost $32

Spacing out our events we spent a few days enjoying the warm, sunny days in the park, poolside. Next up was a trip to Fort Myers

In Fort Myers a must see is the Edison Ford Winter Estates. Thomas Alvin Edison was born in Milan, Ohio in 1847 and passed in 1931, age 84.

As the tour guide explained, Edison only lasted about a month in formal education.

He was allegedly sent home with a note saying, “do not send him back He will never amount to anything!” His mother, Nancy, being a teacher homeschooled him from that point on and he never returned to formal education except for a chemistry course as an adult, at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

He lived for many years in Michigan and New York states Not enjoying the northern winters, Edison set out to find a warmer location during this time. He settled in Fort Myers, Florida

In 1885 Edison bought 13 acres of land here. There was only a cattle tract through the town so after purchasing the property, he had to build everything from the ground up The two homes were fabricated in New England and shipped to Fort Myers. To receive the building materials, constructing a 1,500-foot pier was among his first projects There are now three homes here Two were built by Edison and the third by Henry Ford Edison, Ford, and Harvey Firestone were good friends.

A surprising fact about Edison was that he was nearly completely deaf He had no hearing in one ear and barely heard in the other. His second wife Mina would tap out Morse Code on his hand during social events, often under the table if it was a dinner, to keep him in the conversation Mina was also very smart and is said to have learned Morse Code in just one day.

Edison had a whole research lab on the estate dedicated to finding a domestic source of rubber for the war. After his death, Mina sold the entire estate to the city of Fort Myers for $1. The stipulation was that everything be left as it was So, all the stations and work benches in the research lab are exactly as Edison left them. The grounds are beautiful with great views of the gulf.

Continued on page 26