Rod and Gun Club

Steeped in history and outdoorsmanship, this circa-1864 lodge crowns a modest town that serves as Naples' gateway to the Everglades. The club's main building was built as luxury pioneer-era housing. The Old South-style mansion came under the ownership of the county's developer and namesake, Barron Collier, who turned it into a fishermen's and hunters' haven during the 1920s. A sportsman's lodge in the finest sense, its cypress walls still display mounted fish, animal heads, a gator hide and tools of the fishing trade. Seventeen rooms in tin-roofed cottages scatter around the clapboard lodge with its wraparound veranda and yellow-striped awnings. The rooms are furnished for function rather than pampering - TV, paddle fan, fridge and air-conditioning are the extent of luxury. The club's restaurant specializes in local delicacies and will cook your catch for a nominal fee. Rock waterfalls decorate the swimming pool deck off the dining room.