Cedar Key, Florida is like no place else we have visited. It is a rustic, laid back, picturesque island community with a relaxed atmosphere that can be contagious. Over the years we have visited Cedar Key many times and have never been disappointed by its old Florida charm and slow paced way of life. In and around Cedar Key you will find many opportunities for excellent fishing, bird watching, shopping and just plain relaxing.

Where is Cedar Key, Florida?

Cedar Key is located 60 miles southwest of Gainesville and 60 miles west of Ocala, where we recently enjoyed and wrote about our fun day of ziplining. Travel to the end of State Road 24, about three miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, and you will find a quaint little fishing village where time seems to have stood still; a peaceful haven for those fortunate enough to travel there. You will find no traffic lights on this two-square mile community of approximately 800 full time residents. But what you will find is award winning New England chowder according to the Great Chowder Cook-Off. Tony’s Restaurant is a 3x World Champion of the Great Chowder Cook-Off in Newport, R.I. Tony’s Seafood Restaurant is located at 597 2nd St. Check it out and see what you think of this award winning chowder.

Dock Street is a quaint waterfront street lined with shops, restaurants and art galleries. Budget Travel named Cedar Key one of the 10 Coolest Small Towns in America in 2011. Noting that the last time outside developers set their sights on the key was in the late 1880s. At that time, pencil makers established cedar saw mills there and carted off the islands namesake cedar. The cedar slats were shipped out by rail to their northern pencil factories to become the cedar pencils we are all familiar with.

About Us

Hi! We are Lou and Barbara, a world traveling, nature loving couple searching out new and interesting places to explore, photograph and share with you our readers.CONTINUE READING

The shops along Dock Street are colorful and inviting. We enjoyed leisurely browsing through each one. Despite its prime location on the Gulf of Mexico, the key has escaped modern day development. Today, the island still retains its old laid back fishing village charm and slow island pace.

More Fun Things to See & Do In Florida!

Times & Distances are from Cedar Key

Zipline The Canyons Ocala – 1 hr 12 min – 62 miles
Disney Springs Explore the Magic – 2 hr 27 min – 142 miles
St Augustine Holiday Nights of Lights – 2 hr 40 min – 133 miles
Historic Town of St Augustine – 2 hrs 40 min – 133 miles

This is the view of the Pier and Island across the way from Dock Street. With its location, just off Florida’s northern Gulf Coast, anglers in search of redfish and trout couldn’t be happier. We have spent many exciting hours catching one redfish after another as well as several other varieties of fish from the offshore waters. You can rent a boat for the day, trailer your own boat or fish from the new pier pictured above; all are perfect for enjoying your time in Cedar Key.

Where We Stayed in Cedar Key

There are several hotels in Cedar Key to choose from. We chose Harbour Master Suites located on Dock Street for our 2 night stay. Our suite, the Corrigan’s Reef, is located on the second level, over looking the water.

Harbour Master Suites Corrigan’s Reef was an excellent choice for our stay. The room, surrounded on two sides by windows, offers an excellent view of the water. It has a fully equipped kitchen, dining area and private balcony.

Harbour Master Suites provided everything we desired for our two day relaxing getaway. We prepared some of our own meals and enjoyed them on our private balcony. In the evenings it was mesmerizing to sit on the balcony, sip a glass of wine and watch the day come slowly to an end. Romantic, relaxing and just what you’d expect from this peaceful little fishing village.

Pelicans enjoying a rest during low tide. Cedar Key is a birdwatchers paradise and you will notice pelicans and other shore birds always close by. We watched from our balcony each day as pelicans dove for their catch in the nearby waters. Other birds came near by looking for a hand out, which of course we were happy to provide.

Shops and restaurants can be seen from the fishing pier. Harbour Master Suites, where we stayed is the last building on the right side of the image. Notice how the buildings are all on stilts jutting out into the water, very cool.

Fishing boats headed out at sunrise. Each morning we leisurely enjoyed our coffee and breakfast on our balcony. We watched several fishing boats headed out for a days work and couldn’t help but think how blessed we all were to witness such a glorious beginning to a new day.

Historic 2nd Street in Cedar Key, FL

Historic 2nd Street in Cedar Key, FL is located just a block or two inland. This is where we started our early morning walk. I noticed that we seemed to be some of the first people out and about that morning. Well, that’s exactly what I mean about being a slow paced, laid back island town! No ones rushing, no ones in a hurry, slow down, it will all get done in due time. Some of the buildings along 2nd Street were built between 1859 and 1860 and they were built to last. The Island Hotel located at 373 2nd Street is one of those buildings. It was built out of cypress and “tabby”, a mix of lime, sand, water and crushed oyster shells. The Island Hotel still looks good today.

We spotted this mosaic fisherman on our walk along 2nd Street. I had to admire his colorful hat and Island shirt, he’s sure to attract a “boatload” of fish!

The Chamber of Commerce of Cedar Key, located at 618 2nd Street, is waiting to assist you with your visit. Each year thousands of visitors come to enjoy the Old Florida Celebration of the Arts in April, the Fourth of July Celebration and the October Seafood Festival. Check out the Chamber of Commerce’s site for a complete calendar of upcoming events and enjoy your visit to a place like no other. As mentioned, once you visit Cedar Key, you’ll always have a desire to return. For deals on lodging options in any season at Cedar Key check on Booking.com. We hope you enjoy your stay!

Have you been to Cedar Key, FL? What about Tony’s Seafood Restaurant?
Have you tried their Chowder?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We’d like to hear from you too!

Related Vacation & Travel Ideas

Disney Springs Florida • Explore the Magic!

Zipline The Canyons in Ocala Florida

12 Comments

Sandy on March 25, 2017 at 4:36 pm

We too loved Cedar Key. EVERY one there was so nice, from the two guys who own The Daily 1842 Grind coffee shop, to the couple who own/run the gift shop/bar 2 doors down, to….well, everyone. Tony’s is not over-hyped…it is truly the best clam chowder in the world! We brought home several cans, and will probably order a case…my husband doesn’t even like chowder and ate 1/2 my bowl!
- Barbara on March 29, 2017 at 9:30 am
  
  Great account of your visit to Cedar Key! I too loved the clam chowder and can’t wait to go back for more 🙂
sanibelme on July 3, 2014 at 2:42 pm

Cedar Key is a great place to visit if you like peace and quiet and wildlife. There’s not much else to do, no white sandy beaches, not much in the way of food and lodging. And you are far away from everything, very cut off and isolated. I’d hate to be stuck there during a bad storm. I wouldn’t want to live there, because locals tell me those old houses take years to fix up and are overpriced, but it is a nice for a day or two.
Becky Padmore on July 30, 2013 at 4:23 pm

I went to Florida when I was young and I remember it being so much fun, I need to go again one day!
- Barbara on July 30, 2013 at 10:13 pm
  
  Florida does have a lot of fun places to visit and make happy memories. I hope you have the opportunity to visit again. Let me know if you have any questions about visiting Florida, I will be happy to help!
  - Magli on May 13, 2017 at 11:39 pm
    
    Hi, Could you please tell me if there are beautiful beaches to go ?
    - Barbara on May 14, 2017 at 8:34 pm
      
      Hi Magli, Cedar Key does have beaches to enjoy. I wouldn’t call them “beautiful beaches” but they certainly are great for relaxation and an awesome view of the water! Anytime you have water, sand and sun together you have a great time 🙂
    - Carolyn Sims on July 31, 2020 at 8:18 pm
      
      Just stayed 2 nights at Harbor Master Suites 2 weeks ago. We stayed in Tropical Tranquility on the second floor (this is our favorite suite), a corner room with windows on 2 sides. Sipped wine on the balcony with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Even beautiful when a lightning storm rolled in. Also fished right off the balcony. Perfect getaway.
Val @ThisWayToParadise on May 22, 2013 at 11:29 am

This looks like such a fun place to unwind for a bit!
- Barbara on May 22, 2013 at 12:04 pm
  
  Cedar Key really is a fun place to unwind, Val, and we love to do just that when we visit!
Deborah on May 15, 2013 at 3:56 pm

Cedar Key looks like a lovely place to visit. I can’t wait to plan a long weekend to visit!
- Barbara on May 15, 2013 at 5:29 pm
  
  I think you would really enjoy Cedar Key and a long weekend would be perfect!