Holiday Nights at Edison Ford Opens Nov. 27. Lee County Residents Should Go on a Monday.

The 51st Holiday Nights at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates opens Friday, Nov. 27. It runs nightly through Dec. 23, takes Christmas Eve and Christmas off, then picks up again Dec. 26 and goes through Jan. 3. This year's theme is "Peace on Earth," which means blue lights and decorations meant to suggest a quiet holiday season. The Estates also says the event has been "revamped with new light displays."

You can buy a ticket online in about thirty seconds. But all three of this year's discounts are sold only at the ticket counter at 2350 McGregor Blvd.: the resident discount, the day-visit add-on and the guided tour. And on Nov. 2, Fort Myers City Council approved a new building there that will give that counter a new home.

What a Family of Four Pays, Depending on How They Buy

Standard general admission is $23 for adults, $13 for teens and $3 for kids 6 to 12, according to the Estates' official ticket page. Kids 5 and under get in free with a paid adult. Edison Ford members get in free every night. Memberships at other museums and gardens don't count, because reciprocal benefits stop at regular daytime hours.

Here's how that works out for two adults, one teen and one 8-year-old:

Online tickets have one real advantage. They're good on any event night, you don't need a reservation, and you just show the e-ticket at the welcome booth. General admission isn't capped, so a given night won't sell out. If you want flexibility, buy online. If you want a lower price, buy at the counter.

The Five Mondays

Lee County residents get $5 off each adult ticket on Monday evenings all season. To get it, bring proof of residence, such as a driver license or utility bill, and buy your tickets in person. A resident ticket is good only on the day you buy it.

That gives you five chances this season:

1. Monday, Nov. 30, the first Monday after opening weekend
2. Monday, Dec. 7
3. Monday, Dec. 14
4. Monday, Dec. 21, two nights before the holiday break
5. Monday, Dec. 28, during the post-Christmas run that ends Jan. 3

Because resident tickets are only sold on the night itself, you can't buy them ahead of time. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the last ticket sells at 8:30 p.m. Parking is free, and the Estates' only advice is to arrive early for the best spots.

The discount is $5 per adult ticket, so the savings grow with the number of adults. For two adults that's $10. If you're bringing visiting grandparents, it adds up quickly.

Seeing the Lab and the Lights the Same Day

Holiday Nights admission covers the Edison and Ford gardens only. The museum and the laboratory close at 5:30 p.m., the same time the lights come on, and the evening ticket doesn't include them.

If your out-of-town guests want to see Edison's lab and the lights, the combo is the way to do it. Buy a daytime ticket, then add Holiday Nights for $15, which is $8 less than the standard adult price. The add-on is good only that same evening and is sold only at the ticket counter, not online. Either buy both together when you arrive in the afternoon, or keep your daytime receipt and upgrade later that day.

A late-afternoon arrival works best. Tour the museum and lab before they close at 5:30, then stay as the gardens light up. The Museum Store and Garden Shoppe stay open during Holiday Nights.

Opening Night Has a Tree Lighting but No Tours

The guided tours are also counter-only. The Estates runs a guided holiday tour every night of the season except opening night. Tours are first-come, first-served and can only be bought in person on the day of the tour. Prices are $35 for adults, $28 for teens, $20 for kids 6 to 12 and $15 for members.

On Nov. 27 itself, the tour is replaced by a tree-lighting ceremony with the American Sirens at 6 p.m., according to the Southwest Florida Travel event listing. The same listing mentions the Children's Holiday Tree Trail, decorated with student-made ornaments from local schools. On select nights there's also Santa, live musicians and carolers, and refreshments for sale.

That gives you a choice. Opening night has the ceremony. Any later night lets you add the guided tour, as long as you get to the counter before tours fill up.

The season runs one calendar day earlier than last year. The City of Fort Myers calendar lists Nov. 27, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Last season ran Nov. 28, 2025, through Jan. 4, 2026. If you've had the first Saturday penciled in since last year, check the date.

The Ticket Counter Is Getting a New Building

Every one of those counter-only deals depends on the ticket office, and the Estates now has approval to build a new box office.

On Nov. 2, Fort Myers City Council voted 5-1 to approve a $5.9 million welcome center, including $1.9 million in city funds, Gulfshore Business reported. The two-story building is planned near the museum. Its plans include a box office and reception area, galleries, curatorial and administrative rooms, gathering spaces, an information kiosk and a garden shop.

Estates CEO Michael Flanders told the council that construction is expected to start in early December, which is in the middle of the Holiday Nights run. The Estates plans to open the center in about a year. Flanders also told the council it will be the first new building on the 20-plus-acre property since the museum was built in the 1960s. Architecture Joyce Owens designed it, and Chris-Tel Construction is set to build it as part of the nonprofit's master plan.

Former Fort Myers mayor and Estates trustee Randy Henderson made the funding request to the council, according to Gulfshore Business:

"We pour our hearts and souls into it with you and for you. We're asking you to help us get to the finish line in this big, very big, event."

At the same meeting, as Gulfshore Business reported, Board of Trustees chair Cole Peacock called the Estates "the crown jewel in this community," and council member Darla Bonk called it "a great economic driver for our city." The same report says City Manager Marty Lawing told the council the city expects to pay its share in four $475,000 installments starting in February.

The Estates opened to the public in 1947, after Mina Edison deeded the property to the city, and it now draws more than 200,000 visitors a year. The city still owns the land, and the nonprofit leases it, including the riverfront homes across McGregor from the lab. If the timeline holds, this season's Holiday Nights tickets are being sold from a counter that's about a year from moving into a building of its own.

I'm already planning my own Monday visit with my resident discount. If you want company, or recommendations for dinner nearby before the 8:30 p.m. last entry, Alicia Lee is always happy to share what I know about local traditions like this one. Let's Connect.