Cheeseburger in Paradise

In 1978 Jimmy Buffett's Son of a Son of a sailor album featured a song called Cheeseburger in Paradise. He says it's about a place in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands... I've heard it's about a great place I've been on Cabbage Key, Florida. No matter. The point is this: all up and down the Florida coast there are still these little untouched, old, wooden-shack burger joints. You can drive your boat up to most of them and get some of the best fried fish sandwhiches or made-to-order burgers you've ever had. You may have to fight off the seagulls, but if you sing the song loudly enough between bites you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

My Mom and Dad, Stefan and I made an afternoon of it recently, lunching at the New Pass Grill... and then visiting the Mote Marine Aquarium. You know how cops always know the best local places to eat? A group in uniform pulled their boat up to the dock while we were there.



This guy hung around nearby for a while then got up the nerve to walk right through all the picnic tables to pick through the garbage can. He was gettin' himself a little Cheeseburger in Paradise,too!

Mote isn't fancy like Sea World -- it's the real thing. Adults - $15, Children 4 - 12 - $10 Stefan got beautiful photos:


The two dolphins were rescued after they'd beached themselves -- separately, not together. One was younger and wanting to play soooooooo badly. She finally gave up on getting him to play and swam across the pool and brought back right in front of all the visitors a hula hoop. Then she swam around knocking it up in the air and hitting it on every fin she had. She was having a grand time.

For a fine, cheap day in Sarasota spend the morning at Mote, lunch on Cheeseburgers in Paradise at the New Pass Grill then head back out onto the water or the beach!