Cypress Lodge

I picked up a copy of the Fall 2025 Indian River Magazine the other day and read an article about Cypress Lodge, built in 1926 by Paul Hoenshel as both a home and a refined inn, right across the street from Lake Okeechobee in Port Mayaca, Florida. Back in its heyday, the lodge hosted a number of well-known visitors, including Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway's first wife Hadley, who wintered there in the late 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and more recently, Burt Reynolds, who used to frequent the inn's restaurant and bar. There are even rumors of a guest book featuring John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. Does that mean they were okay with leaving a record showing they were together there back in the early 1960s? Seriously? In any case, last year the Cypress Inn was purchased by Jim and Deborah Ann Stroscheim, who intend to return the inn to its former glory. They envision the place as a bed-and-breakfast featuring a restaurant called "Hadley's" and a bar called 1936, and they intend to host weddings, parties, and corporate events. There is also a salon in the basement that is "perfect for a bridal party, girls' weekend," or "getting red-carpet ready for an evening out."

I wish the Stroscheims all the best with their venture. I am sure the house and grounds will be first-rate. But I have to say, I am not a big fan of the Lake Okeechobee area. It seems to mainly consist of endless sugarcane fields and little else. Cypress Lodge was once much closer to Lake Okeechobee, and, I assume, had a view of it. However, thanks to flood mitigation, the lake is now surrounded by an earthen dam that hides it from view unless you climb up that berm. And there is not really much to do in the area except fish or hike, either along the lake or through desolate scrubland. As for using the salon to get ready for "an evening out," you would be hard-pressed to find a place to go to that wasn't a 30-mile drive back to civilization. But that's just my opinion. Perhaps nature lovers will be drawn to the place, and brides-to-be attracted by the lodge's charms. But I grew up in Illinois, and for me, flat and ugly gets very old very quickly.