Brendan O’Connor Is Livin’ the Salt Life In Fort Myers

Posted on September 26, 2024
By Brendan O’Connor, Orlando Magazine
Cabbage Key, Dining, Fort Myers, Hurricane Ian

Post Hurricane Ian, Fort Myers hasn’t lost a bit of its allure.

I had heard of Fort Myers, but I don’t think I really understood what it was all about. Just another waterfront playground for the rich that I’d never see, I assumed. I’d been to Naples and streaked on a few golf courses before, how different could it be? Completely different, y’all.

I was extended an invitation by Visit Fort Myers to come and see firsthand what made them so special, and I have to say, at the end of the trip, I had drunk the Fort Myers Kool-Aid.

…

After I washed those dreams out of my hair the next morning, we all hopped on a private boat tour with our guide, Captain Brian on the Water. Brian took us out to the barrier islands, which were beat to hell by the hurricane. These places are only accessible by boat, haunted islands where whole trees had been stripped of foliage and jutted out of the sand like wizard wands or gnarled fingers poking skyward. We cruised by North Captiva Island, where only 36 permanent residents call it home and traverse the island in little golf carts. He knew all the critters that poked their noses out at our boat, from spotted eagle rays and ospreys to manatees, dolphins and permit fish. His enthusiasm was contagious.

he Gulf Stone Crab Claw appetizer at Cabbage Key

I knew lunch was going to be a treat when I saw the glint of mischief in Capt. Brian’s eye. He shuttled us over to Cabbage Key, the home of the historic Dollar Bill Bar and Restaurant, a beautiful collection of buildings that opened to the public in 1944. The place was packed to the railings with happy and hungry visitors. The walls and ceilings were covered with paper currency from around the world, with names and messages scrawled in Sharpies, and stuck in place with a prayer and a piece of gum.

The Dollar Bill Bar and Restaurant ©Brendan O’Connor

It was that afternoon with Capt. Brian that really drove home it was the water and the islands that made Fort Myers so special. The resorts and the restaurants were all top notch and we still had more to see on the mainland, but you could tell that both Capt. Brian and Capt. Dan (if that was his real name) had embraced the Salt Life and weren’t coming back.

This is an excerpt from an article by Brendan O’Connor that originally appeared on orlgnaomagazine.com on September 3, 2024

FORT MYERS: Classic cars and snappy songs highlight Florida destination

Posted on April 2, 2024
By Dave Pollard, Edmonton Journal
Cabbage Key, Fort Myers, Reviews

Night falls on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers. PHOTO BY DAVE POLLARD /Toronto Sun

Classic cars and snappy songs.

And, maybe, if you’re lucky, a cheeseburger in paradise.

Yes, Fort Myers and the surrounding area, including Captiva and Sanibel islands, has all that – it was the winter home of Henry Ford (and Thomas Edison, for that matter), hosts the annual Island Hopper Songwriters Fest, and nearby Cabbage Key was allegedly the inspiration for one of Jimmy Buffett’s more well-known songs – and more for Canadian snowbirds to discover … if your timing is right.

Dock & dine in style: Discover Fort Myers’ best waterfront restaurants

Posted on October 6, 2023
By Travelweek
Cabbage Key, Dining, Fort Myers, Recreation, Tarpon Lodge

Inhale those fresh Gulf breezes and feel the warmth of the sun on your face as the day unfolds before you.

All throughout Fort Myers’ islands, beaches, and neighborhoods, you can go straight from an exhilarating boat ride to an amazing meal while overlooking the water.

You’re invited to experience a local legend. Cabbage Key Inn sits on its own 100-acre island and has been feeding guests for decades. Hop aboard a charter or book your own private boat to reach this remote restaurant famed for its cheeseburgers, fresh seafood and frozen Key lime pie. Its defining feature is the thousands of dollar bills taped to the restaurant’s ceilings and walls, and you’ll likely spot tortoises and other wildlife roaming the walkways outside.

Feel the charm of an Old Florida landmark at the Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant in Bokeelia on Pine Island. This historical 1926 house overlooks Pine Island Sound and is surrounded by a restored boathouse, bungalow-style cottage and comfortable Island House. Enjoy a leisurely lunch or exquisite evening meal at Tarpon Lodge Restaurant, where you can dine on the catch of the day, prized Gulf pink shrimp or other locally sourced favourites.

This is an excerpt from an article originally published by Travelweek.

Cabbage Key among the 15 Best Things to Do in Lee County, FL

Posted on June 3, 2023
By Rice Ocampo of Travel Lens
Cabbage Key, Dining, Fort Myers, Lee County, Recreation

Lee County is your ultimate beachfront destination on the Gulf Coast within southwestern Florida.

Founded in 1887, this county is more famous for its sandy beaches, historic homes and estates, quirky galleries and museums, and islands. It got its name from Robert E. Lee, who was an American Civil War general who helped the country reunite.

Aside from its noteworthy attractions, the county also offers access to an impressive water channel, including the Imperial River and the Gulf of Mexico. It’s also home to a variety of collegiate opportunities, what with the Florida Gulf Coast University within the property. Keep your beachfront vacation simple and elegant by choosing to travel to its county seat, Fort Myers, or any of its cities, including Cape Coral and Bonita Springs.

Old Florida alive and well on Cabbage Key

Posted on January 4, 2023
By Barbara Linstrom, Special to Florida Weekly
Cabbage Key, Fort Myers, Hurricane Ian

Overlooking a hurricane damaged Cabbage Key towards Useppa from The Tower.

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.

This Chain of Islands in South Florida Is the Perfect Summer Getaway

Posted on May 31, 2022
By Olivia Young, Thrillist
Cabbage Key, Cayo Costa, Fort Myers, Pine Island, Sanibel

Island hop till you drop.

When you strip away the omnipresent Disney and admittedly-pretty-funny Florida Man stereotypes that plague the Sunshine State, you just might see America’s southeasternmost extremity for what it really is: a subtropical-to-tropical paradise. Here you’ll find 1,350 miles of convivial coastline, an effervescent ecosystem teeming with nature not found anywhere else in the States, and a melting pot of (not all gray-headed) thalassophiles blissed out on the salt life.

In Fort Myers area, Mother Nature is the best salesperson

Posted on March 25, 2019
By Holly V. Kapherr, Travel Weekly
Cabbage Key, Captiva, Fort Myers, Nature & Wildlife, Sanibel

A shell-strewn strand of beach on Captiva Island. Photo Credit: Holly V. Kapherr

Ever since my childhood best friend brought a sand dollar she found on the beach on Sanibel to show-and-tell, it has been my dream to find one myself. I recently visited the Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva Island area on a media tour with the Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau and triumphantly toted home three beautiful sand dollars. Mission accomplished.

On the trip, my group saw an incredible amount of wildlife: giant gopher tortoises named for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; blue crabs winding their way through the mangrove roots; a couple of adorable marsh hares with their signature tiny ears; an enormous great blue heron who dared us to come closer while he eyed a fisherman’s chum bucket; and some live “pink gold,” the large, pink gulf shrimp that originally brought riches to the region.

7 unforgettable moments you’ll have fishing The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, Florida

Posted on June 29, 2018
By Tom Keer, Matador Network
Cabbage Key, Fishing & Boating, Fort Myers, Pine Island, Sanibel, Tarpon Lodge

Photo: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

There are so many reasons to visit Florida’s lower Gulf Coast — all those beaches, the calm, warm water, the sailing, power boating, kayaking, diving, SUPing…. But hey, my linebacker legs don’t do well on SUPs. No, all those things are well and good, but I come here for one reason: to fish.

How to Do a Digital Detox Holiday Near Fort Myers

Posted on March 22, 2018
By Natasha Mekhail, WestJet Magazine
Cabbage Key, Captiva, Fort Myers, Local Attractions, Sanibel

Leave your devices at the door when you visit Florida’s Sanibel and Captiva islands.

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, photo by Susan Rydberg/Thinkstock

Close your eyes. You’re reclined in a beach chair on a long stretch of powdery white sand. Out in the water before you, a pod of wild dolphins turns somersaults in the waves. You rise, walk to the ocean’s edge and dip your fingers in, only to catch a sand dollar in your outstretched hand. Around you, thousands of seashells tinkle in the tide like a giant wind chime. Relaxed yet? This isn’t a guided meditation—it’s real life on Sanibel and Captiva islands, just across the bridge from Fort Myers. Explore these unspoiled isles tip-to-tip by bike, spot resident manatees from trailside lookouts and roam the shell-strewn beaches.

Here are the top things to do.
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Finding Florida’s best places to eat and drink

Posted on July 10, 2017
By Michael Fitzpatrick, Manchester Evening News
Cabbage Key, Captiva, Fort Myers, Reviews, Sanibel

The burger at Cabbage Key restaurant

A tour of the American state with your appetite in mind

On a food and drink tour of Florida you might think enjoying a burger isn’t very adventurous. There are countless joints here in Manchester to get your beef-fix – but this was no ordinary burger.

Before sinking my teeth into this American classic I’d enjoyed a boat trip across the south west Florida ocean, accompanied by family of dolphins for part of the hour-long cruise, before docking at an island that despite its unassuming name, can only be described as paradise.

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