Snook Haven

What is Snook Haven?

I can reliably report that Snook Haven is an isolated campground/restaurant on the Myakka River about 20 miles south of Sarasota, Florida.

We rented a canoe for a very small amount of money. Mrs. Phred was nervous at first that I would dump us although we have canoed together for nearly 50 years without tipping over.

I have learned to avoid abuse by sitting in front. That places the onus on steering squarely on her shoulders so that when we prong into the river bank, I am blameless.

After the canoe ride I have an excellent hot dog with chili and she has the fish and chips. They have mandolin players as the entertainment. On Thursdays about 30 banjo players gather to pick up a storm.

There are many legends about Snook Haven. It's hard to know what's true though the clouded lens of time.

I have my doubts about the reports of "killer turtles". On the other hand, the stories about Johnny Weissmuller filming Tarzan movies here are more plausible.

They say that this place was established by bootleggers during prohibition. The isolation and easy access to the Gulf of Mexico make that a possibility.

After prohibition it is said that a businessman from New England established a retreat here with the house and five cabins that still remain on site.  He had a female "quality control" staff that helped to make the stays of his guests as pleasant as possible.

Snook Haven is in the middle of a State forest. When weather conditions are right, you see a lot of large gators and turtles on the banks of the Myakka.

We didn't actually see any gators. The river was warm enough that they weren't sunning on the banks. So I added some gator pictures from a prior Myakka trip.