Country Lakes
Ft. Myers
Thomas Edison discovered Ft. Myers in the 1880's. His 14-acre winter estate is nestled between McGregor Blvd., which is lined with 2,000 majestic Royal Palms, and the Caloosahatchee River. His home, laboratory, and experimental gardens are open to the public. If you visit the Edison home you will be able to view all of his wonderful inventions, along with some of the original automobiles built by Henry Ford, who was his close friend and winter neighbor.
Edison's tropical botanical gardens contain more than a thousand varieties of plants imported from all over the world which he used to discover various products and by-products. Harvey Firestone presented a gift to Edison in 1925: a four-foot Banyan tree. Today, it is the third largest in the world measuring 400 feet in circumference.
A tradition in Fort Myers is the annual Edison Pageant of Light. This two week long event consists of arts & crafts shows, parades, antique car rallies, and tournament of tennis, sailing, and running.
The seven-mile stretch along Ft. Myers Beach is filled wtih sunbathers, shell collectors, and numerous water sports, such as swimming, sailing, snorkeling, waterskiing, wind surfing, and fishing. The coastal area of Lee County is dotted with keys and is noted for being one of the best places for shell collecting; more varities of shells are found here than anywhere else in North America.
