Admission is free and the museum includes an indoor exhibit with artifacts and information about…read morethe history of the area. The Roberts family was one of the first four families to start the First Baptist congregation in the area in 1916. They originally met on Sundays in a schoolhouse located on the property until a church was built in 1928. Outside, the property includes several preserved historic buildings that visitors can walk around and look into. Each structure has informational descriptions explaining its original use, including a horse barn, cane boiler, bunkhouse, maid's house, smokehouse, and more. Overall, the museum is well maintained and somewhat informative. Since it's free, it's hard to complain, and the ladies working inside were incredibly friendly and enthusiastic about sharing the history of the property. Bottom line: I wouldn't detour 20+ minutes to come here but it's a nice free option and come on there are not a lot of free options these days.

The Immokalee Pioneer Museum on Roberts Avenue and Main St. is one of five free museums you can…read morevisit in Collier County. This area was first occupied by the Calusa Indians and centuries later by the Seminoles. In 1872 it was settled by an assortment of hunters, trappers, cowmen, missionaries, and traders. The swamps were drained and the land was used for agriculture. In 1897 the pioneers named the area Immaokalee from the Seminole word meaning my home. The Immokalee Pioneer Museum is located on the ranch of Robert Roberts, the longest running ranch in South Florida. Roberts came to the area from Wauchula in 1914 with his wife, seven children, and 300 cattle. It would be a two hour drive today but back then it took them three days to make the trip. When they arrived in Immaokalee there were only a few other families living there. Mr. Roberts purchased the land with a $50 deposit and a handshake. The first home of the Roberts family was a log cabin built by Charles Hendry, for who Hendry County is named. Roberts started the Red Cattle Company and he would go on to own or lease more than 1,000 acres of land. He became a multimillionaire when oil was discovered on land he owned. Roberts eventually got involved in politics and became a county commissioner from 1925-1931. The 160,000 ranch has now shrunk down 15 acres and the farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are 20 buildings to tour on the museum property. The main building that contains historical displays on what 19th century ranch life was like, is a former church built in 1928 for $616. Other structures include a sugar cane boiler which turned cane sugar into syrup which the family sold, an outdoor kitchen, smokehouse, the horse barn rebuilt in 1943, the bunk house from the 1930's, and the Roberts family home that was donated to the county and restored to how it looked in 1926. The house still contains the boots Roberts wore on cattle drives. If you are interested in pioneer history this museum is worth the 44 mile drive from Naples. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9-4 and they offer different history programs throughout the year. On the day I visited I ran into Santa who was at the museum to take pictures with the children. I couldn't resist stopping by to let him know I had been good this year and could really use an iPhone upgrade. He said he would see what he could do.