TRAVEL
THE GILDED AGE
AMERICA’S INDUSTRIALISTS AND THE GOOD LIFE By Jeff & Stephanie Sylva
id you know that some of America’s most well-known industrial giants were Florida snowbirds? Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were next-door neighbors in Fort Meyers, Florida. And just 75 miles north, circus magnate John Ringling made his winter home and his complete circus’ winter respite in the Gulf Coast city of Sarasota.
Edison Guest House
The estates and museums, gardens, and performing arts centers comprise lasting legacies for these Gilded Age entrepreneurs. And although they’re referred to as Winter Estates, they are open daily all year. MARCH/APRIL 2021 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 31