Edison Ford's Season Starts Saturday, and Its Festival Grounds Cost Nothing to Enter

How much does it cost a Fort Myers resident to spend a Saturday at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates this fall? On two of the season's festival weekends, the entry fee is zero.

The Estates' 2026–27 calendar puts five major events between Oct. 31 and Jan. 3 at 2350 McGregor Boulevard. For two of them, the Fall Festival and the Autumn Garden Festival, the grounds are free. A regular daytime ticket costs $28 per adult on the Estates' ticket portal, so that difference is worth knowing. The ticket buys the historic homes, the museum, the Edison Botanical Research Laboratory and the riverside. The banyan-shaded grounds where the festivals happen are open at no charge during these events.

Where the Paid Line Falls This Season

The two big daytime festivals bring vendors onto the open grounds and charge nothing to walk in, while the historic buildings keep their usual ticket. Holiday Nights is the season's one event where the grounds need a ticket, and even that has a cheaper path for Lee County residents.

Saturday's Fall Festival Sets the Template

The Fall Festival on Oct. 31 shows how this works. Visit Fort Myers lists it from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free festival grounds. Individual activities carry their own fees, and the museum, lab and riverside need a separate ticket.

According to FLGuide's preview, the day includes craft and food vendors, food trucks, live music, an obstacle course, a teddy bear shop, a pumpkin patch with pumpkin painting and a contest, face painting, inflatable axe throwing, a Banyan Tree climb, a scarecrow walk, and candy for children while supplies last. No per-activity prices have been published. A family can set its own budget by picking which activities to pay for once inside.

Two Plant Weekends, Two Different Shopping Trips

The Estates began as a working botanical site, and its two late-fall plant events are built for people who garden in this climate.

The Autumn Garden Festival on Nov. 21–22 is the bigger of the two. Admission and parking are both free, and it runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The Fort Myers-Lee County Garden Council's September/October 2026 newsletter expects more than 80 plant vendors. Sellers bring air plants, bromeliads, cacti, fruit trees, orchids, palms, succulents and native species, along with garden art, food trucks and live music.

Two weeks later, the Caloosahatchee Bromeliad Society hosts its sale on the grounds on Dec. 5–6. The society's September-October 2026 newsletter announces it as the 2026 CBS Bromeliad Sale and does not list an admission price. Its hours are below.

• Saturday, Dec. 5: opens at 9 a.m. The society lists a 4 p.m. close, while the Garden Council's calendar shows 5 p.m., so 4 p.m. is the safer plan.
• Sunday, Dec. 6: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in both listings.
• Before you go: the Estates notes that garden carts are limited at the Autumn Garden Festival. A wagon from home makes a palm or fruit tree easier to get to the car.

Thanksgiving Morning Belongs to McGregor Boulevard

The FMTC Turkey Trot 5K is the one event where the cost is a registration fee, and it changes the morning for anyone living near the Estates. The race page on RunSignup describes a new route that starts on McGregor Boulevard and finishes at the Estates. Here is how the morning runs:

1. McGregor Boulevard closes at 6 a.m.
2. The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m.
3. The Tot Trot follows at about 8:45 a.m.
4. Parking is at Fort Myers High School, whose lot is open 5:45 to 9:45 a.m., plus Publix, Bruno's, Pinchers, the Estates' Euclid Avenue lots and Covenant Presbyterian Church.

The race page's summary card shows $40, but its detailed fee schedule puts adult entry at $45 after the Oct. 1 increase, with youth entry at $25 and the Tot Trot at $10. There is no race-day registration. Proceeds go to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates Preservation Fund and Kimmie's Recovery Zone. Neighbors who aren't racing should plan on McGregor being closed early that morning.

Holiday Nights Is the Season's One Paid Ticket

The next evening, the 51st Holiday Nights opens with the theme "Peace on Earth" and grounds lit in blue. Visit Fort Myers lists an opening-night tree lighting with the American Sirens at 6 p.m. on Nov. 27, plus a Children's Holiday Tree Trail.

According to the Fort Myers Beach Chamber listing, tickets are $23 for adults, $13 for teens 13 to 19 and $3 for children 6 to 12. Children 5 and under get in free, and so do Estates members. Four ticket rules shape how a local can use the event.

• Sales open Sunday, Nov. 1. Tickets bought online are good for any open evening from Nov. 27 to Dec. 23 and from Dec. 26 to Jan. 3, so buying early doesn't lock in a date.
• Lee County residents get $5 off adult admission every Monday night. That brings the adult ticket to $18. The discount is sold only in person at the ticket counter, only for that same evening, and needs proof of residence such as a driver's license or utility bill.
• Daytime visitors can add Holiday Nights for $15 on the same evening, either as a combo or by keeping the daytime receipt and upgrading later that day.
• Holiday Tradition Tours run at 6 and 7 p.m. nightly. They cost $35 for adults, $28 for teens, $20 for children and $15 for members. They can't be bought in advance and go on sale at the ticket office after 4:30 p.m. on the day, first-come, first-served. Tour tickets include general admission, so guests can keep exploring afterward.

For a local, the Monday discount is the clearest saving on the calendar. It also means the residents' price is a walk-up purchase, not an online one.

When a Membership Covers the Season

With both big festivals free, a membership only pays off for people who come back to the paid parts. Current portal prices are $70 for Individual, $90 for Dual and $110 for Family. Here is how that compares for two adults at listed prices:

A single day-into-evening visit with the combo comes in just under the cost of a Dual membership. A second paid visit is where the numbers cross. Memberships also cut the Holiday Tradition Tour to $15.

The Front Door Is About to Change

Next season may start somewhere new. Business Observer reported on Oct. 8 that two Fort Myers firms will design and build a welcome center at the Estates. Architecture Joyce Owens designed the 7,764-square-foot building, and Chris-Tel Construction will build it. Plans include ticketing and reception, archives, administrative space, outdoor public restrooms, covered visitor areas and an extended roof canopy for sun and seasonal rain. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months and take about a year, and no cost has been announced.

It will be the first new building in a master plan that covers the next five years. Expanded and upgraded parking comes first, to keep up with a site that draws more than 200,000 visitors a year. No start date has been announced, so for now, the free festival weekends and the Monday Holiday Nights discount work the same way they always have.

For four generations, our family has marked the season by evenings like these on McGregor Boulevard. If you'd like local recommendations for your holiday guests or a quiet conversation about where you want to live in Fort Myers, Owens Jablonski | Gulf Coast Advisors is happy to help. Request a Concierge Consultation.