This article is not complete I discovered Cabbage Key quite by accident. My wife and I were planning a trip to Florida over the Christmas holidays last year and I was…Read More

This article is not complete I discovered Cabbage Key quite by accident. My wife and I were planning a trip to Florida over the Christmas holidays last year and I was looking for something a little different than just a trip to a theme park.

It was while surfing the web that I came across a story about Cabbage Key.

As I read the account of this person's visit, I knew this was a place we had to visit.

Finding out about Cabbage Key is easy today because they have a brand new web site - www.cabbage-key.com but last year I had to search the web and look through guidebooks seeking more information.

It was not easy to find out about Cabbage Key although I later found out much has been written about it and there is even a very popular song that refers to the island.

It is said that Jimmy Buffett was so impressed by the cheeseburger he had in the island’s restaurant that he composed Cheeseburger in Paradise to share his experience with all of his Parrothead friends.

After a trip to my local Books a Million where I found a reference to Cabbage Key and a phone number, I called to find out more.

The friendly voice on the other end of the phone said they had a room for the nights we wanted to visit but she wanted to warn me that Cabbage Key is not for everyone.

If your idea of paradise is drinks by the pool, dancing to midnight, or riding a jet ski, then Cabbage Key is not for you.

But if you are looking for a place you can come to and forget all your cares while reading a good book then Cabbage Key is the place for you.

The only way to reach the island is by boat , sea plane or helicopter. The resort does offer a pickup service with their boat daily at or you can make your own arrangements with one of the many charter boats captains in the area.

We made plans to ride over with one captain but when we arrived at the marina we found that he had gone without us, although we were only ten minutes late.

However, Captain Tom of Reliable Towing and Salvage, came to our rescue and said he would not only carry us over but would return us for when our stay was over. To contact Capt. Tom call 941-283-6060 or 941-282-FISH.

Arriving at the island, we were met by one of the staff, who helped us to carry our luggage up the hill to the inn.

The resort is located on one of the highest spots in Florida, a 38 foot high hill composed of oyster shells.

Upon checking in we found we were to be the only guests in the inn that night, although there were some others staying in one of the cottages.

The inn has ?? rooms all with private baths. The rooms are decorated in the manner they would have been back in the 1930’s when the inn was the home of ?????, the son of ?????, a famous mystery writer of that period.

While there is some speculation as to whether Mrs. Rinehart had a hand in designing the house, it is known she did visit since her own house was located on another island nearby.

The inn was turned into a resort when the present owner, who had been a teacher, visited the island and fell in love with it and bought it.

During our visit I learned the resort does not do any advertising, although it does now have a web site.

The resort has been written about numerous times with articles appearing in newspapers and magazines. Many of the national food magazines have done articles on the resort’s restaurant and after you eat there you will know why.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

After checking in we were shown to one room, which was really nice, but after exploring the inn, and finding we were the only guests, I inquired about changing to a room that featured its own private screened in porch.

700

No problem at all I was told.

There are no televisions, radios or telephones in the rooms. The only televisions are in the bar and the only public telephone is located on the boat dock, next to the gift shop.

Having arrived in mid-afternoon and with a couple of hours to go before dinner, and not having eaten since breakfast, we were rather hungry.

We soon found ourselves digging into a plate of freshly boiled shrimp, which was just enough to tide us over until dinner time.

The resort offers a wide variety of entrees for dinner with the main emphasis, as one would expect, on seafood.

But if you have your heart set on your seafood delicacy being fried, forget it. No fried items are offered due to the fire hazards that might occur while cooking.

Being on an island, there is very limited fire fighting equipment so every precaution is taken to avoid a fire.

After eating, we carried our coffee outside and enjoyed the peacefulness of a beautiful night sky.

Before going to bed, one of the staff showed my wife how to make coffee the next morning if she happened to awake before any of the staff arrived.