THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The historic Cabbage Key Inn has long been surrounded by stories of ghostly activity. Guests have reported unexplained footsteps in empty rooms, doors opening by themselves, and apparitions believed to be former island residents. Staff also describe mysterious noises late at night after the inn has closed.
According to the locals, the inn’s restaurant specialty “Cheeseburger in Paradise” inspired the Jimmy Buffett hit. Another of its claims to fame is its ghost. The apparition of a woman with long brown hair has been known to visit guest rooms, and a busboy’s tub once flew across the kitchen. Folks speculate that the ghost is a New York woman who once came to the inn to recover from tuberculosis, but passed away.