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The Island City of Cedar Key
Cedar Key is not your average Florida destination - Cedar Key is "old Florida" or "original Florida" or better yet, "before Disney" Florida. Quaint streets lined with shops, friendly people, real food, funky art, and peaceful relaxation. Cedar Key is a clamming, fishing, and artist village with a tourist trade. The tourist trade is mostly seasonal and most visitors are looking for a low key sort of vacation. The pace is slower than the rest of the world and if you require the world to operate on a precise clock - you probably won't like Cedar Key. It's not uncommon to see a sign in the window of a shop that says "Gone Fishin'" during business hours and they really mean it. If you need a chain store, a mall, or traffic light fix to make the day ok for you - don't come to Cedar Key!Besides the kayaking, fishing, bird-watching, and relaxing, Cedar Key also has two festivals each year - the Cedar Key Fine Arts Festival (aka Annual Old Florida Celebration of the Arts) which is held in April and the Annual Cedar Key Seafood Festival which is held in mid-October. These festivals are extremely busy and it's hard to find lodging in Cedar Key. Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are also "full-house" times. If you're planning to visit during these times - be sure to locate lodging early!
Cedar Key Resource List and Links
- The City of Cedar Key
- Information about the town of Cedar Key.
- Cedar Key Marina
- The daily launch fee is $10 payable at the automated kiosk. If you plan on coming frequently, stop by City Hall on 2nd Street and pick up your annual launch pass for $130 (cash or check).
- CedarKey.net
- A personal homepage full of links related to Cedar Key. Excellent and interesting collection.
- Cedar Key Historical Museum
- The Cedar Key Historical Society was established in 1977 by a group of citizens dedicated to preserving the long and rich history of Cedar Key.
- Cedar Key's Online News - the most up to the minute info about Cedar Key. Print version produced every two weeks!
- See our article: Roseate Spoonbills online at Cedar Key News!
- See our article: The Misunderstood Vulture online at Cedar Key News!
- See our article: The Misunderstood Vulture online at Cedar Key News!
- Cedar Key Beacon
- This is Cedar Key's print newspaper - published each Thursday, both in print and online.
- (Can only read headlines without subscribing.)
- (Can only read headlines without subscribing.)
- George T Lewis Airport - Cedar Key Airport
- Longest Runway (23): 2355 x 100 ft. / 718 x 30 m.
- Latitude for Runway 23: 29-08.182333N
- Longitude for Runway 23: 083-02.863000W
- Latitude for Runway 23: 29-08.182333N
- Video: "In Cedar Key - Larry Whitler"
- Check out this famous video of Cedar Key - you will love the feel...
- Florida Memory Project: Historic Photos of Cedar Key
- Enter "Cedar Key" in the search box for a fascinating collection of old photos of Cedar Key. By entering "cedar key aerial", you can see what the town looked like prior to all the shops built downtown!
Cedar Key Travel Reviews and Articles
Here's a collection of online articles published about Cedar Key. There's nothing like some different perspectives to help you get a feel for a place!
- Relaxing with the birds is Cedar Key life...
- Great article about briding in Cedar Key in the Sunday HeraldTribune...
- Cedar Key, Still Old Florida Charm
- Triple AAA had a nice write up on Cedar Key when they visited the local B&B for a short visit.
- Taking it slow in Cedar Key, Fla.
- The Washington Post published an article about Cedar Key, Florida on 10/25/2009. The author clearly loves our Island City and tells our story well. Hope she considers staying with us on a future visit!
- American Senior Fitness Association
- has written an article recommending Cedar Key as a vacation destination for seniors interested in walking around town and keeping fit while vacationing. We granted permission to SFA to use some of our photos of Cedar Key to illustrate their article. We love the article - it celebrates much of what is best about Cedar Key - a wonderful island to enjoy for people of all ages.
- Florida as it was
- St. Petersburg Times, published March 19, 2000
- "...Chances are, if you were not headed to Cedar Key you would never get here....You have to depart a barren stretch of U.S. 19 at a blinking traffic light, head west across more than 20 miles of pine forests and salt marshes -- at night the trip is accompanied by frogs croaking loudly enough to drown out a Harley-Davidson -- until you can't go any further without falling into the Gulf of Mexico. And here you are." read more...
- "...Chances are, if you were not headed to Cedar Key you would never get here....You have to depart a barren stretch of U.S. 19 at a blinking traffic light, head west across more than 20 miles of pine forests and salt marshes -- at night the trip is accompanied by frogs croaking loudly enough to drown out a Harley-Davidson -- until you can't go any further without falling into the Gulf of Mexico. And here you are." read more...
- Head Down Past Gainesville, Turn Back 50 Years
- Published by the Sun-Sentinel
- "...by far the best fisherman today on the city dock of downtown Cedar Key is a great blue heron. It stalks among a few silver-crested retirees and ruddy-cheeked waterfront regulars like a stern professor of piscatology, and then pauses to ki-bitz over the shoulders of a father and his young son who are spin-casting bait into the fiery Gulf of Mexico sunset." read more...
- "...by far the best fisherman today on the city dock of downtown Cedar Key is a great blue heron. It stalks among a few silver-crested retirees and ruddy-cheeked waterfront regulars like a stern professor of piscatology, and then pauses to ki-bitz over the shoulders of a father and his young son who are spin-casting bait into the fiery Gulf of Mexico sunset." read more...
- Cedar Key, Florida
- Published by About.com - contains several pages of historical narrative and photos around town.
- "...The shops along the waterfront boardwalk are unique and varied. We found shells and things made from shells, jewelry, clothing, antiques and children’s toys. What caught my eye were the arts and crafts of the islands' artisans and tropical island-style decorations that made me want to go home and redecorate..." read more
- "...The shops along the waterfront boardwalk are unique and varied. We found shells and things made from shells, jewelry, clothing, antiques and children’s toys. What caught my eye were the arts and crafts of the islands' artisans and tropical island-style decorations that made me want to go home and redecorate..." read more
- Florida Unplugged
- Published by Travel and Leisure, February, 1997
- "...If you've ever wondered what Key West was like when Hemingway wrote The Snows of Kilimanjaro there, come to Cedar Key.
Before the sightseeing trams and the party crowd, Key West was a remote island of shopkeepers and fishermen and artists. Today, Cedar Key's 650 year-round residents are a similar mix, cherishing a similar isolation. It can take you a full day to adapt to its tranquil pace: the island is so laid-back that at first its pulse is barely discernible..." read more - "...If you've ever wondered what Key West was like when Hemingway wrote The Snows of Kilimanjaro there, come to Cedar Key.
- Cedar Key has old Florida feel, new farm-raised clams
- Published by Waterfront News, February 2003
- "...When the number of bird and animal species nearly rivals the human population, you know you've entered a unique coastal environment. All day long visitors stroll along Cedar Key's sugary white beaches and marshy shores, as ospreys build their nests and feed their young. Egrets, blue herons, white ibis and a myriad of other wanderers quietly harvest the water's glassy surface. With its tranquil old Florida feel, life in Cedar Key reflects the Gulf of Mexico's own tidal cycles. Days here aren't measured by clocks or the speed of a computer...."
- "...When the number of bird and animal species nearly rivals the human population, you know you've entered a unique coastal environment. All day long visitors stroll along Cedar Key's sugary white beaches and marshy shores, as ospreys build their nests and feed their young. Egrets, blue herons, white ibis and a myriad of other wanderers quietly harvest the water's glassy surface. With its tranquil old Florida feel, life in Cedar Key reflects the Gulf of Mexico's own tidal cycles. Days here aren't measured by clocks or the speed of a computer...."
- The Dark Side of Cedar Key
- Published by the Weekly Planet, 5/15/02
- "... The mills are history. But the village of 700 still possesses a commercial fishing fleet. Local restaurants serve fresh clams, crabs and oysters. That and a tiny arts community have turned Cedar Key into an unassuming, low-dough resort that is usually and blessedly overlooked by marauding tourists on their way to see the Mouse and other Florida irritations. ..."
- "... The mills are history. But the village of 700 still possesses a commercial fishing fleet. Local restaurants serve fresh clams, crabs and oysters. That and a tiny arts community have turned Cedar Key into an unassuming, low-dough resort that is usually and blessedly overlooked by marauding tourists on their way to see the Mouse and other Florida irritations. ..."
- Visiting the earliest Floridians
- Published by St. Petersburg Times,November 8, 1998
- "...In Cedar Key, on the gulf coast about 60 miles from Gainesville, remnants of Indian oyster-shell and sand burial mounds can be seen in the southwest part of town, between E and G streets from the waterfront to Seventh Street; on the south side of Second Street, west side of G Street and west end of Sixth Street...." read more...
- "...In Cedar Key, on the gulf coast about 60 miles from Gainesville, remnants of Indian oyster-shell and sand burial mounds can be seen in the southwest part of town, between E and G streets from the waterfront to Seventh Street; on the south side of Second Street, west side of G Street and west end of Sixth Street...." read more...
- My own review of Cedar Key Florida!
- Cindy's posts on Epinions.com
- "... For bird watchers and naturalists, the NWR is one of the "must sees" on a short list of Florida destinations. read more...
- "... For bird watchers and naturalists, the NWR is one of the "must sees" on a short list of Florida destinations. read more...
- GORP Review of Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
- A short history of the town of Cedar Key is included.
- "... The outermost 165 acre Seahorse Key with its sand dune height of 52 feet makes it the highest elevation on Florida's west coast. Seahorse is also a prime nesting area where boats must stay a distance of 300 foot or more from March 1 through June 30. The island contains some of the largest heron, egret, brown pelican, and ibis nesting colonies in the south..." read more...
- "... The outermost 165 acre Seahorse Key with its sand dune height of 52 feet makes it the highest elevation on Florida's west coast. Seahorse is also a prime nesting area where boats must stay a distance of 300 foot or more from March 1 through June 30. The island contains some of the largest heron, egret, brown pelican, and ibis nesting colonies in the south..." read more...
- Adventure: Outdoors on Florida's Big Bend: Cedar Keys National Wildlife Reserve
- Published by Onroute.com (more area articles at bottom of page!)
- "...Native peoples occupied the islands for more than a thousand years. Since the Spanish era, the islands have had a colorful history. Seahorse Key, the outermost island, has been used as a military hospital, and served as a detention camp for captured natives during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). A lighthouse was built on this island in 1851, and abandoned in 1952..." read more...
- "...Native peoples occupied the islands for more than a thousand years. Since the Spanish era, the islands have had a colorful history. Seahorse Key, the outermost island, has been used as a military hospital, and served as a detention camp for captured natives during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). A lighthouse was built on this island in 1851, and abandoned in 1952..." read more...
- John Muir's Travels to the Cedar Keys
- Published by the Sierra Club
- Did you know that John Muir visited the Cedar Keys? read more...
- Did you know that John Muir visited the Cedar Keys? read more...
- Island-Search.com
- Long for more island places? Check out this site...
Do you have some information that you think we should add? Tell us!
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