Facts:
The Immokalee region is considered the agricultural center of the Naples area in Florida. This place is also home to the Seminole Casino Hotel which is a hotel that’s staffed by the local Seminole people. The place is surrounded with swamp areas and a lake that provide lots of hiking and camping opportunities for many visitors. Apart from that Immokalee is where you can find one of the major tomato producing industries in the United States. Apart from the marsh trails and the airboat tours that you can do, there is also a museum that you can visit that tells the story of the pioneers that cultivated the area. And if you want some fresh produce there are farmers’ market that sell all the freshest fruits and vegetable that came straight from the farm. Nearby the market stalls is a community park where people from Immokalee get together every weekend. However, if you’re looking for the ultimate outdoor experience, you can visit The Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge which offers a breathtaking view of small innumerable islands that are by the sea.
History:
Present-day Immokalee was known to be occupied by the Calusa Indians as indicated by the journals of Spanish friars who frequented the lands around the Caribbean Sea as missionaries during the Exploration Era of the 16th century. Since then, information about Immokalee is sparse but reappeared in historical records around three hundred years later after, in the 1800’s. This time it was recorded by white pioneers that it was no longer the Calusa but the Seminole tribes and the Miccosukee tribes who seemed to have control on the area. And thus, it was from them who we got the name Immokalee from which literally means “my home”. During that time, pioneers started to pour in from the north as they sought land expansion while at the same time, criminals and other people who got at the bad side of the law, sought the swamps and the thick forests of the region as suitable hiding grounds and lived mainly through hunting and selling pelts. And so, by and by, the once quite area of Immokalee was slowly being populated. As of 2016, Immokalee is home to 24,000 people which composed mainly of immigrants who work the farms in the area.
Tips:
- The Seminole Casino and Hotel is an awesome place to stay in while in Immokalee.
- If you want to see the swamp areas and be amazed by the alligators, try the airboats for hire in Immokalee. These gargantuan machines with huge propellers at the back seem to glide effortlessly through the swamp waters that are covered with tall grasses.
- To know more about Immokalee’s deep history, visit the Immokalee Pioneer Museum
- When viewing the Ten Thousand Islands, it’s best to do it on the air, preferably in a seaplane. The views will be much more spectacular.
- Guided hikes are a must when visiting Immokalee. The marshes are one of a kind and visitors will be led by a well-informed tour guide.
