Nine miles of undeveloped barrier island beach reachable only by boat, with some of the best shelling in North America, plus…Nine miles of undeveloped barrier island beach reachable only by boat, with some of the best shelling in North America, plus Cabbage Key next door, an island restaurant whose walls are papered with an estimated $70,000 in signed dollar bills, reputedly the inspiration for 'Cheeseburger in Paradise'. Cayo Costa was a Cuban fishing rancho, then a quarantine station for Tampa-bound ships. Cabbage Key's inn was built in 1938 on a Calusa shell mound by the family of novelist Mary Roberts Rinehart. The Calusa built these mounds over 1,500 years without agriculture, living entirely on the estuary. Anchorage: Pelican Bay behind Cayo Costa is one of the best-sheltered anchorages on Florida's Gulf coast, with state park moorings. Cabbage Key has a small dock. Hazards: Shoal-draught navigation in Pine Island Sound; the passes run hard. This coast was badly hit by Hurricane Ian in 2022, verify current facilities. More