Carolyn J. Braden • 4 Minute Read
Why You Should Visit Cabbage Key In Florida
Cabbage Key – An Island Inn and Restaurant You Boat To
After living on Sanibel Island in Florida for three years now (and surviving Hurricane Ian in 2022), we still haven’t explored the surrounding areas as much as we should. Hurricane Ian’s damages to our home have taken almost a year to settle (we had to hire a lawyer team to help us reach a settlement with our insurance company…make a note of that if you plan on ever living in a coastal area as many others had the same experience with insurance as us), and we still have damages to repair, but we feel we can breathe just a little bit once again.
To help our brains retire from hurricanes and life in general, we took a day trip to Cabbage Key after several of our neighbors went and loved it. Read on to learn about Cabbage Key and why we loved it.
The Lady Chadwick, Captiva Cruises largest boat
First of all, you must know that Cabbage Key is only reachable by boat. We do not currently own a boat, so we booked a Cabbage Key tour with Captiva Cruises. You can hire a private charter, but Captiva Cruises and their crew are wonderful and the cruise packages are very well priced. They also do offer private charters too as they have several USCG certified vessels.
See our 1 minute video tour of Cabbage Key below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Captiva Cruises are located on Captiva Island, which is connected to Sanibel Island, Florida via a bridge-like road. If you are staying on Sanibel, Captiva or anywhere in SWFL, you can drive to Captiva Cruises docks, park in their lot and go on one of their boating adventures to various local places. I’d book online prior to your visit.
Cabbage Key is an island that is believed to be the inspiration behind Jimmy Buffet’s song “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. It has an Inn and Restaurant which was built in 1938 by American Playwright Mary Roberts Rhinehart. As soon as the boat pulled up to the island, I could feel it’s “old Florida” vibe. It reminded me of what Rose Island in Indiana probably once felt like before flooding destroyed it. Luckily, flooding has not destroyed Cabbage Key!
The money on Cabbage Key’s restaurant ceiling
Cabbage Key actually held up quite well during Hurricane Ian. The restaurant sits on top of a Calusa Indian shell mound, which helped it stay out of Ian’s flooding. As we walked up the stairs (you could alternately walk up the hill in front of the restaurant if you can’t do stairs) to the restaurant, it was quiet, but you could feel the arrival of many people approaching. We arrived around 11:00 am and were seated immediately in the screened-in back porch-like area. Within the hour, the restaurant filled up. They do not have air conditioning (which is very “old Florida”) in the restaurant, but the rooms in their inn and cottages do have air conditioning.
Money is everywhere in the Cabbage Key restaurant
Even without air conditioning in the restaurant, it was comfortable. It was early September, but the temperature was still 90 degrees on the day we were there. If it weren’t for their ceiling fans, it would not have been bearable for me (as I just heat up easily). If you cannot take the heat (and aren’t staying in one of their air conditioned rooms), there is no air in any of the waiting areas or gift shop either, so I would visit the restaurant in the cooler months, which is normally November through March for Southwest Florida.
The paper placemat at Cabbage Key
The waitstaff of the restaurant were very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. I ordered a grilled cheese and my husband ordered a cheeseburger to see if Jimmy Buffet was right. Both of us agree that the food was good and the surroundings were very “paradise”, so I could see it maybe being the inspiration for his popular song.
It’s American-comfort food style and that’s exactly what I thought it would be. The atmosphere though, is what makes the restaurant truly great. While you eat, you can read all the dollar bills that people have written on. They hang from the ceiling and are plastered all over the walls.
Facts about Cabbage Key
I perused over all the décor while enjoying a Shirley Temple, just to make myself feel the old vibe even more. Live music started playing, and the musician of course played some Jimmy Buffet, as he passed away a mere days before our visit. I think he would have loved to hear the musical tribute, and probably did. If I were a spirit, I would definitely hang out on Cabbage Key!
Speedy the tortoise, a resident on Cabbage Key
As I sat at our table, I also read through the paper placemat, which gives you a big history of Cabbage Key. I loved the fact the once owners, the Rhineharts, once constructed an actual house for their daughters to play in. It’s now called the “Dollhouse Cottage” and guests of Cabbage Key can stay in it! There is such rich history on the island and you can read more about it on the Cabbage Key website. If you hear anyone referring to Palmetto Key, Gill’s Island, Rinehart’s Island, Turner Cay and Cabbage Key Hide-Away Resort, they are talking about Cabbage Key, as it has many nicknames.
A cottage rental on Cabbage Key
All of the food, water and anything that is on the island has to be boated in. If you think about it, it’s quite a feat to have a functional resort on an island that doesn’t have a road or bridge leading to it. I think it’s fascinating. The workers have to either live on the island (they have private houses for them to live in) or boat to work every day.
Cactus on Cabbage Key
After we ate, we decided to explore the island. They have a walking trail behind the restaurant. We took our bottles of water (you do have to pay for them in the restaurant because they do have a limited fresh water supply) with us as I always recommend drinking a lot of water if you visit Florida during the hot months. On our way to the trail, we met Speedy, one of their resident tortoises. He was smartly hanging out in a hole he dug in the shell mound.
Lots of snake plants and cacti align the nature trail on Cabbage Key
We walked the trail, reading through their educational signs that line the path. The signs will teach you about snakes, otters and more of the wildlife and the plant life that lives in the tropical environment. We walked through a couple of spinybacked orbweaver spider webs, so while it’s a well-kept trail it’s also a very natural trail.
You’ll see some of the cottages you can stay in on the property while walking the trail too. Our waitress said there were more trees in the back of the island towards Cayo Costa, but Hurricane Ian took them down. You could see some of them leaning from the strong winds. You’ll see some snake plants, pencil cacti, Princess of the Night cacti, Queen of the Night cacti and more. Be aware that alligators do hang out on Cabbage Key sometimes too. There aren’t any beaches on Cabbage Key, but you can kayak (you can rent them on island) to The Tunnel over on the island of Cayo Costa. Cayo Costa does have beaches that people often shell on.
When we travel to beaches, we take our travel-friendly Sunsail shade. See it in our short video below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
The fresh water tower at Cabbage Key
After walking the nature trail, we climbed the water tower which holds 6,000 gallons of water and serves as the potable water source on the island. When you are at the top, you can see all the surrounding islands and water ways. We chatted with some other Cabbage Key visitors while in the water tower, took in the view and relaxed in the shade of the tower for a bit.
A beautiful view from the Cabbage Key water tower
Next, we perused the gift shop, which has many tee shirts, some of the restaurant’s bottled sauces, magnets, jewelry and more. We then sat by all the boats, as many more people arrived during the 3-hour window we were on Cabbage Key. The atmosphere felt happy, inviting, fun and calm, all at the same time.
After three hours, we got back on the Captiva Cruises boat and did some more exploring. The crew took us through water channels in Pine Island sound that we had not yet seen. We also picked up some people that decided to go to Useppa Island that day, which were also a part of our boat party. They have a museum and a restaurant on Useppa, and the people that went there loved it too. We’ll definitely plan a visit there in the future. We’d also like to do their Out Island Beach and Shelling Cruise too.
Boat parking in front of Cabbage Key’s restaurant
We boated through some very cool pier houses that are remotely located in the middle of the water. There are several of these pier houses that the boat crew told us were used by people that fish as well as some families. Of course, we saw some dolphins in the area, as they always seem to love swimming in the wakes of their boats.
A pier home in Pine Island Sound
After our day, I would recommend a visit to Cabbage Key. Their rooms and cottages are a perfect little getaway, it has has been written about in numerous publications, including a wonderful article in Southern Living. If you choose to stay on the island overnight, they have a two-night minimum, they do have internet (it can be spotty though, as the signal is sent from Pine Island to Useppa, then to Cabbage Key) and they do not allow pets (which we understand, given the small island environment).
Dolphin’s swim along Captiva and it’s surrounding islands
I’d choose to stay in one of their cottages for even more of an “escape” type of a vacation. Cabbage Key could be a fun honeymoon or anniversary trip! I’d personally charter or rent a boat for a day or so while there (you can arrange this with the Cabbage Key Inn), so I could explore the surrounding water ways. You can fly into a local airport and then hire a charter or take an island water taxi to Cabbage Key if you don’t want to worry with renting a car. You can learn more about getting to Cabbage Key on their website’s Contact Us page. Call their booking offices at 1-239-360-9362.
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.