{"id":55405,"date":"2026-10-18T07:32:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/55405\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T07:32:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:32:38","slug":"this-florida-keys-bar-that-jimmy-buffett-once-visited-is-for-sale-for-4-9-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/55405\/","title":{"rendered":"This Florida Keys bar that Jimmy Buffett once visited is for sale for $4.9 million"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alabama Jack’s \u2014 the open-air, bustling rustic shack in Key Largo that has welcomed boaters, bikers and tourists for generations \u2014 is back on the market for $4.9 million.<\/p>\n

The bar and restaurant is a signature Florida Keys stop, the kind of place Jimmy Buffett would sing about. Buffett stopped by Alabama Jack’s in the late 1970s, among other celebrity visitors through the years including singer Billy Joel and TV host Kathie Lee Gifford, who went often when she owned property in the ultra-exclusive Coral Reef Club just down the road.<\/p>\n

“This is a unique property out in the middle of the wilderness between South Dade and Coral Reef Club. There is nothing else like it,” said Curtis Skomp, the property’s listing agent with RE\/MAX All Keys Real Estate.<\/p>\n

Skomp, who said the landmark was previously listed and then taken off the market, has ready received “several serious bites” since being relisted.<\/p>\n

“You would be surprised at who is interested in a property like this,” Skomp said. Those interested have indicated they would likely keep Alabama Jack’s open, preserving the conch fritters and Sunday night clogging that helped make it a popular spot, he said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The buyer also gets the recipe for Alabama Jack\u2019s conch fritters, a house specialty.<\/p>\n

But there’s a catch: The buyer would not own the land but would acquire the restaurant business and its long-term lease, which is held by the federal government. The lease was last renewed for 20 years in 2021. Skomp said renewals have always been approved.<\/p>\n

Open since 1947, Alabama Jack’s is being marketed as an opportunity to “buy a piece of Keys history.”<\/p>\n

The asking price includes the restaurant business, the Alabama Jack’s name and brand, equipment, merchandise operation, conch fritter recipe and other recipes for food served at the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The property consists of two parcels at 58000 Card Sound Road, totaling 41,602 square feet, or a little less than an acre. The listing describes 7,026 square feet of space, including the restaurant and covered outdoor areas. It also includes more than 360 linear feet of docks, direct access to the water and a small apartment above the restaurant.<\/p>\n

\"For<\/p>\n

For sale flier for Alabama Jack\u2019s. The iconic waterfront watering hole on the Florida Keys.<\/p>\n

For generations, Alabama Jack’s has been part of the character of the quieter route into Key Largo. Card Sound Road follows the path of the original State Road 4A, part of the first Overseas Highway, which opened in 1927. Winding past mangroves and Card Sound, the road leads to the restaurant, tucked into a clearing in the mangroves<\/p>\n

The bar’s roots go back to Jack Stratham, a Georgia-born construction worker and avid fisherman who came to South Florida on vacation in 1924 and eventually settled in the area.<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/p>\n

Jack Stratham, owner of Alabama Jack\u2019s, in 1964.<\/p>\n

\"Alabama<\/p>\n

Alabama Jack\u2019s opened back in 1947. It\u2019s now for sale for $4.9 million<\/p>\n

Stratham acquired a lease on just under an acre along Card Sound. What began as a place to entertain fishing friends grew into a waterfront bar and restaurant after he acquired an abandoned railroad building, placed it on pilings partly over the water and added windows, doors, counters and docks. That became Alabama Jack’s.<\/p>\n

The restaurant survived hurricanes and continued to evolve. Hurricane Betsy in 1965 knocked the building off its pilings and destroyed two rooms, hundreds of feet of docks and other property. Alabama Jack’s rebuilt on a barge and reopened in March 1966.<\/p>\n

Since 1980, Phyllis Sague and her son, Mike, have owned and operated the establishment, which remains open for business.<\/p>\n

Alabama Jack’s retains much of the informal Keys atmosphere that has made it a destination for decades: open-air dining, waterfront views, casual seafood, bar and live music.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/p>\n

At Alabama Jack\u2019s everyone is welcome, from bikers and tourist to residents of nearby swanky Ocean Reef Club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alabama Jack’s \u2014 the open-air, bustling rustic shack in Key Largo that has welcomed boaters, bikers and tourists for generations \u2014 is back on the market for $4.9 million. The bar and restaurant is a signature Florida Keys stop, the kind of place Jimmy Buffett would sing about. Buffett stopped by Alabama Jack’s in the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[239,279],"class_list":["post-55405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-dining"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117460752362719581","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}