{"id":181881,"date":"2026-03-07T09:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T09:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181881\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T09:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T09:49:16","slug":"this-112-acre-island-might-be-floridas-best-kept-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/181881\/","title":{"rendered":"This 112-Acre Island Might Be Florida\u2019s Best-Kept Secret"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rumored to have inspired Jimmy Buffett\u2019s \u201cCheeseburger in Paradise,\u201d Cabbage Key<\/a> is a southwest Florida island that feels suspended in time. Though the Buffett lore cannot be fully verified, you can indeed get a cheeseburger and beer at the on-island restaurant and famed “dollar bill bar” at Cabbage Key Inn<\/a> while basking in an undeveloped island paradise.\n<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether you crave a cheeseburger or not (in fact, it\u2019s the house-smoked Fish Dip that you should order), Cabbage Key is worth a visit. Named after the Cabbage Palm, it\u2019s a place that still lives the unstuffy, barefoot Florida lifestyle. A boater\u2019s paradise, it\u2019s popular for lunch and sees a herd of boats float up at the first-come-first-serve dock slip midday. But if it’s a digital detox you crave, you can stay overnight on the island<\/a> at the historic 1930s home, or at one of its six island cottages.\n<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about visiting Cabbage Key.\n<\/p>\n

Historic Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant.
\nCredit: Cedric Angeles<\/p>\n

The History of Cabbage Key <\/p>\n

The key\u2019s first inhabitants were Calusa Indians. You can still see their shell mounds on the island today. The high-piled heaps of shells created height on the island to protect the Calusa peoples from the ocean and weather.\n<\/p>\n

The island has changed ownership many times over its history<\/a>. But one of its most notable owners and residents was murder-mystery writer, Mary Roberts Reinhart, who built the home (still standing, and today where overnight guests stay) on the island In the 1930s. The Reinhart family used the island as a private vacation residence.\n<\/p>\n

In 1976, the island was bought by the Wells family. Today Rob Wells, along with brother Ken Wells, own and operate the island\u2019s restaurant and inn. The island is on the National Register of Historic Places<\/a>. When asked about the Jimmy Buffet affiliation, Rob Wells says, \u201cJimmy buffet spent some time with us in the late 70s, early 80s\u2026That lifestyle in his songs, is very much what you feel still in Cabbage Key. And that\u2019s hard to find.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Credit: <\/p>\n

Courtesy Visit Fort Myers<\/p>\n

What To Do <\/p>\n

The main appeal of Cabbage Key is not the abundance of things to do, but rather the lack thereof. Rob Wells said Cabbage Key is a fit for those looking to disconnect, \u201cWe find anybody that\u2019s looking for a getaway from the normal everyday life experiences are a good fit for Cabbage Key.\u201d Some overnight guests bring Starlink, but Rob Wells says the island offers the unique and rare opportunity to get away from the constant communication we\u2019re used to.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Credit: <\/p>\n

Courtesy Visit Fort Myers<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re expecting an ultra-luxurious, amenity-rich stay at a high-end resort, look elsewhere. \u201cThis is a casual grab a drink, walk the trails, open-air environment.\u201d Wells said, referring to the island\u2019s trail system. Read a book, fish off the dock, sketch the tidal landscape, play on the bar\u2019s piano; make your overnight stay at the Cabbage Key home your own analog retreat. According to Wells, the island\u2019s overnight guests get access to the two most best times of day to enjoy Cabbage Key\u2014early morning light, and late afternoon light. He added, \u201cThis is when the best stories get told at the bar.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re visiting just for the day, you\u2019ll probably come in on a charter boat, such as with Captain Brian Holaway of \u201cCaptain Brian On the Water<\/a>\u201d Ecotours. On Holaway\u2019s custom charters, the the day begins early on nearby Cayo Costa State Park<\/a>, an uninhabited key that is a treasure trove of seashells. Then he takes guests for lunch on Cabbage Key, where he says everyone is always shocked at the quality of the food. \u201cThey don\u2019t have a fryer,\u201d Holaway boasts of the Cabbage Key kitchen, \u201cthe fish is fresh, served over black beans and rice.\u201d Between October and May, local stone crab is in season and fresh.<\/p>\n

Credit: <\/p>\n

Getty Images\/Jupiterimages<\/p>\n

When To Go and How To Get There <\/p>\n

The 100-acre island is only accessible by boat, seaplane, or helicopter. The easiest way to access it is by boat. Take a ferry or charter with operators like Island Girl Charters<\/a> or Captain Brian on the Water Ecotours<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Winter is the high season, but the island is open 365 days a year. Captain Holaway says many of his guests have returned again and again. Some people make visiting the island their personal family holiday tradition. Even Holaway and his family frequent the island on his days off.\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re visiting just during the day, lunch feels festive and communal, and is a high energy time to be on the island. The dock slip is first come first serve, and with a robust boating community in southwest Florida, it can fill up.\n<\/p>\n

Credit: <\/p>\n

Getty Images\/Driendl Group<\/p>\n

Why You Should Visit <\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it\u2019s a throwback to a time that in many ways has passed us by,\u201d says Rob Wells. \u201cI feel lucky to be a part of running that.\u201d The simple, relaxed pace of the island harkens back to a version of Florida that has been lost to development.\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re tired of crowded beach resorts full of spring-breakers and large loud families, then making the trip out to Cabbage Key could be for you. \u201cI find that people who have to work hard to get to a location, tend to be interesting.\u201d That interesting stream of people is part of what makes the island special and rich in stories, with notable visitors such as Ernest Hemingway, Katharine Hepburn, Ted Koppel, Julia Roberts, and Gwen Stefani rumored to have walked its shores.\n<\/p>\n

Captain Brian Holaway says the island is so much more than a line in a Jimmy Buffet lyric. It\u2019s nature, botany, homemade food, and a unique island feeling. \u201cIts so much more than a cheeseburger in paradise, it\u2019s history, it\u2019s natural.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rumored to have inspired Jimmy Buffett\u2019s \u201cCheeseburger in Paradise,\u201d Cabbage Key is a southwest Florida island that feels…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-181881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}