Get a bed, breakfast and fishing tips

A couple's new B&B in Yankeetown comes with a bonus for anglers: The owners are fishing guides.

[Times photos: Ron Thompson] The sitting and dining room of the Whipporwill House is small, yet comfortable and homey. The refurbished schoolhouse has restored wood flooring and is decorated with antiques and pictures from Yankeetown's past.

By JIM ROSS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 14, 2001

YANKEETOWN -- Diners travel from far and wide to eat at the Izaak Walton Lodge. Matt and Gail Fleming hope some of those people -- or anyone else interested in exploring this small fishing village -- will stroll down the street from Izaak's and check out their new business: a bed-and-breakfast called the Whipporwill House.

The Flemings have renovated the town's original schoolhouse, circa 1924, and created what they believe is Yankeetown's only B&B.

The Whipporwill House was a chore for its new owners, Matt and Gail Fleming, to restore. They say the house is Yankeetown's only bed-and-breakfast.

They restored the old wood flooring and decorated with antiques and pictures from Yankeetown's past. Two downstairs bedrooms, both with private baths, are available for rent, as is a larger upstairs suite.

All guests are welcome, but the Whipporwill House especially caters to traveling anglers. The Flemings are fishing guides and will work out package deals, including a sack lunch to take on board. (Check out Gail's pride and joy, a 75-pound catch hanging from the wall in the aptly named Tarpon Room.)

The Flemings, who live north of Crystal River, knew they wanted to operate a B&B. But they didn't have a place in mind until Gail Fleming came across the old schoolhouse, which was serving as a private residence at the time.

They bought the house in May 2000 and commenced work soon after. "The more we dug into it, the more project it became," Matt Fleming said. "But we're still married!"

In other tourism news:

PLAN DELAYED: At the last minute, the Tourist Development Council earlier this week delayed a $40,000 partnership plan with the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce.

In exchange for the money, the chamber would keep some offices open Saturdays, thus giving weekend visitors a place to get tourist information.

The chamber also would handle mailings and telephone inquiries -- chores it already had been doing to some extent, since many out-of-town residents call the chamber of commerce instead of the county tourism office -- and integrate its Web site with the tourism Web site.

Council Chairman Gary Bartell noted that the council had negotiated solely with the Chamber of Commerce. After receiving some legal advice, the council decided to pull back and open the contract to other bidders.

REDEFINING THE MISSION: The council approved some slight word changes in the county tourism plan. Most notably, it agreed to the following addition under the "statement of purpose."

"Inherent in the Tourist Development Council's programs is the promotion of an attitude of stewardship within the tourism industry that insures the sustainability of Citrus County's natural and historic resources."

Council member Sam Lyons suggested the language. It takes on more significance now that the council has recommended dissolution of its eco-tourism committee. The committee, which local activist Chris Lloyd called the "environmental protection arm" of Citrus County tourism, always prodded the tourism community to protect, not just promote, the county's natural beauty.

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