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Manatee Springs produces crystal clear water that is a beautiful emerald color. We are told that this is a popular swimming hole in the summer.

Bubba and Pearl, tucked away for a restful evening, at Manatee State Park. Unfortunately, we didn't see any manatees while we were there!

"Seminole Lodge" served as the winter home and laboratory of Thomas Edison until his death in 1931. It is located in Fort Myers, Florida, on the Caloosahatchie River. Beginning in 1884, he spent many working vacations here (the main house was actually completed in 1886), perfecting earlier inventions such as the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, the moving picture camera, and the storage battery. He also explored many new ideas here. Edison held 1,097 patents, the largest number held by any individual. He developed one of the most extensive botanical tropical gardens in the U.S. on this property, using many of the plants and trees in his experiments.

Edison loved Fort Myers so much that he convinced Henry Ford to purchase his next door neighbor's estate as a winter home. Henry had worked for Edison Electric Company at one time and Edison had encouraged him to pursue his creative dreams. Edison became Ford's mentor and they enjoyed a long and fruitful friendship.

Harvey Firestone gave this banyan tree to Edison in 1925. It has grown to be over 400 feet in diameter. Here, Edison is shown among the tree's hundreds of prop roots.

The undisturbed tranquility of Corkscrew Swamp serves as a safe haven and rookery for great egrets and endangered wood storks. Hundreds of other species find refuge here as well, inlcuding alligators, Florida black bears, otters, white-tailed deer, and red-bellied turtles. This guy sure looks happy - check out the smile on his face!

After leaving Fort Myers, we visited the 11,000 acre Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, one of the largest and most acclaimed sanctuaries of the National Audubon Society. This area preserves and protects the largest remaining stand of unlogged, mature bald cypress in North America.