Towards Useppa from Water Tower

If you want some reassurance that Old Florida survived Hurricane Ian, take a trip to Cabbage Key. There you’ll find warm hospitality and a very welcoming vibe among the islanders. After all, the locals on Cabbage Key are the staff and family that run the historic inn.

At 112 acres, the island is accessible only by boat and is one of the smallest inhabited ones in Pine Island Sound. Cabbage Key lies to the west of the undeveloped barrier island of Cayo Costa. That’s where Ian finally touched shore with sustained winds of 150 mph on Sept. 28, 2022.

“Landfall was about a mile and a half from us,” says Cabbage Key manager Scott Lepson. “We were in the eye for at least an hour.” At 33-foot elevation, atop a Calusa shell midden, the 1926 structure was built to endure and accommodate the Southwest Florida climate. In fact, the inn resumed its long tradition of welcoming boaters by serving food and drinks within 18 days after the storm.

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