In this June 23, 2009 photo, Jake Gendell, the manager of the Elbo Room, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. mixes drinks.
(J Pat Carter/AP Photo)
Where else but Florida could a place like Jimbo's exist?
It's a Miami bait shack — emphasis on "shack" — a few miles from downtown but with an isolated island feel and a diverse mix of customers. Beer is self-serve and the 82-year-old owner watches over the activity in a rickety boat captain's chair. It's been a location in films like "Wild Things" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and TV shows like "Flipper" and "Miami Vice," yet most folks don't know where it is.
And where else but Florida would you find places like the Flora-Bama, a beach bar known for live music and airborne fish; Square Grouper, named for the bales of marijuana that sometimes float ashore; The Last Resort, a biker bar where serial killer Aileen Wuornos drank her last beer, or a bar in Key West where Ernest Hemingway and Jimmy Buffett hung out (though not at the same time).
Florida has 23,398 licensed places to sit and drink a beer, wine or a cocktail. A long "research" trip around the state found many bars reflect the wild, eclectic, historic and often bizarre character of the state itself. Here are a few worth noting.
JIMBO'S, Duck Lake Road, Virginia Key: So hard to find, the Jimbosplace.com Web site has a video showing the way.
CHURCHILL'S, 5501 NE Second Ave., Little Haiti, Miami: Serves English ales and bills itself as "A sort of English pub." Marilyn Manson played his first gig here, and it appeared in the movie "There's Something About Mary" as a strip club.
TOBACCO ROAD, 626 S. Miami Ave., downtown Miami: Oldest licensed bar in the city. A long, dark narrow bar leads to an outdoor courtyard. Blues greats like John Lee Hooker, Koko Taylor and Buddy Guy have played the upstairs hall. Concert posters, most signed, line the clapboard walls downstairs.
ALABAMA JACK'S, 58000 Card Sound Road, Key Largo: Located on the water on a road lined with mangroves. Drink beer, watch pelicans and hang out far from civilization.
NO NAME PUB, North Watson Boulevard, Big Pine Key: A former general store, brothel and bait shop hidden in a house beneath the trees, popular with locals (probably because tourists have a hard time finding it). Walls and ceilings are covered in dollar bills that patrons have signed and stapled to the wood.
