Probably more than anyone needs to know . . . .
Before RCI.com, when we had to rely on RCI Guides, in other words, prior to 1996 (
1996 RCI.com is launched), we would trade into LRC for at least two weeks in January, because that's the only thing the Guides ever said was available. At that time, it was situated behind, but not as a part of, a 1950's era vintage-Holiday-Inn-style golf resort named the Admiral Lehigh Golf Resort and Spa. Check-in for LRC was at the office for the Admiral Lehigh.
We were tickled to get it, to be able to use our timeshares near a location where we did business . . . we did a show at the Lee Civic Center, so would go to Lehigh after the previous show, and stay two weeks.
This was located m/l across from the main office for the Lehigh Sales Corporation, a 1970's land sales scheme where people had the option of buying one of 152,000 residential lots platted out in the area, or, later on, a week at the Lehigh Resort Club (1982, I believe).
Originally LRC owned the building adjacent to the little lake, and it was the activities center. I would put down my drivers licensed and take a small boat, or paddleboat, whatever was available out on the lake, and catch HUGE bass, sometimes turning the hems and haws of guys on the tee box into "Holy ---t! Did you see that bass!!!???", I suspect because OMG had not been discovered yet.
See the lake?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/L...x5b70824dd3aa2c4a!8m2!3d26.60944!4d-81.605702
There was an English bloke named Brian there, who served as Activities Director, and there were beaucoup planned activities. . . golf, swimming, the 30-minute ride/outing to the beach, cook-out, games, etc. I went with the group to play golf at Mirror Lakes, and we normally had a half-dozen foursomes, and prizes like RCI bonus weeks. Brian also handled sales and resales. He kept it busy and fun.
Then, in 1992, Lehigh Acres was declared to be blighted.
When we returned one year, the only thing out front along the road was a car wash. The Admiral Lehigh Golf Resort and Spa had been bulldozed, LRC no longer owned the activities center building, so the lake was off limits, and the golf course had gone under. The last year we stayed there, we had a studio on the ground level, and in the middle of the night our bedroom window
exploded, showering us with glass while we slept.
Lee County had bought the golf course, and was starting to develop it as a County park, but the remnants of the golf was still there, thus the tee marker getting thrown through our window.
Then it got worse. In the boom days leading up to the bust of 2009, Lehigh Acres became the last affordable housing in SW Florida, low(er) priced housing started to fill in the 152,000 vacant lots, and Lehigh Acres became at the same time more economically developed (more businesses), and economically depressed. During the foreclosure bust, Lehigh Acres was ground zero.
Today it is even more economically depressed and crime-ridden, and Lee County is trying to do something about it.
Relating to timeshares, and RCI, as I said, when we began it was the only thing we could get in SW FL in Snowbird Season. Then, at the peak, through RCI.com, I would have the choice of as many as 18 resorts in Snowbird Season. Now, if there is ever anything available through RCI, it's LRC. There is so little available any more in Snowbird Season in SW Florida that a few years back RCI dropped moved LRC from "Inland" to Southern Gulf Coast, so it would look like they have something on the coast there.
there are others here, on TUG, who know this history.
Friends who used to stay with us in the 90s still come down to visit us in the Winter, and a few years back we detoured over to Lehigh and drive through. That will probably be the last time for us.