Alabama Jack’s doesn’t try to be anything other than exactly what it is, a ramshackle waterfront bar on Card Sound Road, tucked between the mangroves and the crocodiles, where you pay a dollar toll to get there and feel like you’ve traveled back in time. Named for Jack Stratham, a Georgia-born character who settled here in the 1940s, this place has been pouring cold drinks and frying conch fritters since 1947. The crowd is gloriously eclectic, bikers, boaters, locals, and first-timers who took the scenic route instead of US-1. Show up on a weekend for live country music and dancing. Order the conch fritters. Watch the fish in the canal below your feet. This is Old Florida in its purest, most stubborn form.
Thirsty for more? Dive into the Bum’s full guide to the best beach bars in Florida.
