More Than Just The Drink Hut
This weekend is a long holiday weekend and no doubt many folks will end up at some of Bonita Springs’ finest watering holes under a chickee. There’s more history to a chickee than a drink hut or a tourist attraction that they’ve become known for. The chickee above is located at Rookery Bay Estuary of Naples, Florida.
The word “chickee” is Seminole for house. Chickees like the one in the photo were used by Seminole Indians living in Florida in the 19th and 20th Centuries. They were constructed with shaved cypress posts and beams and thatched with palm fronds.
Chickees provided villagers with shade and shelter from heavy rains typical of the south Florida landscape. Many of these chickee structures had elevated floors that served as platforms fro sleeping and other activities, providing relief from insects and flooding.
In modern times the Seminoles have moved into concrete block homes, but they still construct chickees in their yards and on their tree island camps. 
Many hotels and condominium complexes in the Bonita Springs and Southwest Florida areas have chickee structures in their recreation areas. Chickees can be found at a few Bonita Springs condo complexes on Bonita Beach and near the swimming pools of many of the local resorts and hotels.
It is unknown at this time if they meet storm and wind codes. 
Tags: Beach, Bonita Springs, Chickee, condo, florida, Resort, Seminole, Seminole Indian, southwest florida
