Burroughs Home & Gardens

Visitors can take a tour of this 2.5-story home, one of the jewels of Millionaire’s Row on Fort Myers’ First Street. The main floor includes four rooms—a parlor, music room, dining room, and a library; there are four bedrooms on the second floor, and servants’ quarters on the third floor. Interestingly, Burroughs was one of the first homes that featured indoor plumbing and electricity, including an early “intercom”—effectively a system of electric bells that summon servants.

• You’ll need to make a reservation and pay for your guided tour at least a day in advance.

• You can also book a tour that includes lunch on the porch.

• Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled tour.

• With a grotto, fountain, and reflecting pool, the gardens are an equally splendid part of the property—allow enough time to explore outdoors.

The Burroughs Home is on First Street in downtown Fort Myers, Florida, right on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. You can easily access the home via I-75 and U.S. 41, the main Florida roadways that run east from Miami and north of Tampa. Parking is available at the Langford-Kingston Home, another historic site across the street.

Tours take place at 11am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from October through June; you’ll need to book a reservation in advance. Christmas is a particularly lovely time to visit the Burroughs Home—along with the Langford-Kingston Home, it’s transformed for the city’s annual Holiday House festivities.

Tours include personal stories from the Burroughs family, with information gathered from oral histories, first-hand accounts, newspapers, journals, and more. Visitors will learn about Nelson and Adeline Burroughs, the home’s original inhabitants; originally from the Midwest, they’re considered some of the earliest so-called “snowbirds” who fled to Florida in winter. They were also known for their spectacular garden parties.