Back to Raleigh's Home Page

Cedar Key, Florida

Cedar Key is a little island in the Gulf of Mexico connected by a bridge to the mainland of Florida. It's about 1 hour west of Gainesville, Florida. The reason I like this place so much is that it is quiet, and it's not very touristy. If you're looking for McDonalds or any other commercial establishments, you won't find them here! It is mainly a fishing village, so most people who live on the island fish for a living. Cedar Key also supports one of the largest clam industries in the country because of the warmer waters of the Gulf. Most restaurants on the island serve a variety of clam dishes. Yum!

Accommodations on the island are in the form of condos with kitchens or bed and breakfast inns. Most condos, and a few bed and breakfast places face the Gulf. Most have balconies where you can relax in the evening and enjoy the sunset. Park Place and Cedar Cove are places where I've stayed. Park Place rents units with a single double bed, a couch that pulls out into a double bed (for the kids) and a kitchenette. Cedar Cove has a variety of units. Each unit is tri-level with a double bed on each floor. They also have a large living room and full kitchen on the top floor. This would be ideal for a group of couples or friends wanting to share expenses. Both Park Place and Cedar Cove are reasonably priced.

So what do you do in Cedar Key? You chill out! The island is very conducive to walking and bike riding. You can walk the perimeter of the island in about an hour. What you'll see along the way are quaint little shops and houses. If walking and biking don't suit you, you can rent golf carts and tour the whole island; you can do that in about 10 minutes!

If you want a little night life, there are plenty of privately owned restaurants and a few bars along the wharf area. Everything is casual.

I've placed a few pictures on this page so you can get a sense of the atmosphere of Cedar Key. You can see more if you go to Cedar Key's Chamber of Commerce page.

Arial view of the wharf area of Cedar Key
The picture above is what I call the wharf area of Cedar Key. It is sort of like a bridge with restaurants and little shops along the way. What you don't see here is the rest of the island where there are quaint little houses and other buildings. This is only the east end or about 1/4 of the entire island. In the middle of the picture on the back side of the island you see a long building with a white roof; that is Park Place. On the right side of the picture, you see a cluster of large buildings that make up Cedar Cove.
Cedar Key is located about 1 hour from Gainesville, Florida. From Savannah, GA, it takes about 5 hours in good traffic. Map showing Cedar Key off the coast of Florida in the gulf

Map showing more detail

In the event you'd like to see Cedar Key...

Arriving at Cedar Key from the Savannah area, you would take I-95 south until you enter Florida. Once in Florida, start looking for the A1A (Yulee/Callahan) exit, and head for Callahan/Baldwin. Stay on A1A until you reach Baldwin, and start looking for Hwy 301. Follow Hwy 301 through Starke and Waldo. When you get close to Gainesville, look for Hwy 24. You will follow Hwy 24 through Gainesville and all the way to Cedar Key.
This is the entire island of Cedar Key. The road number you see, 24, is a straight shot to Gainesville, Florida. The red star marks the "downtown" or wharf area of the town. The pictures that follow were taken in this area of the island. Bird's eye view of the entire island of cedar key
Scene along the warf This is looking toward the wharf from a pier that juts out in front of the wharf.
The is a shot of the wharf showing little shops on either side of the street. another scene along the warf
A small hotel on the warf - 2 rooms! The top story of this building is a two-room motel right in the middle of the wharf. The shop below has ceramics, jewelry, paintings, and other curios.
This shot was taken standing on the west end of the island looking east toward the wharf, which you can see sitting out over the water. This is looking from one end of the island toward the warf
A bed and breakfast Same shot, but you now see the house on stilts. This is one of the many bed and breakfast inns in Cedar Key.
This lone piece of a now dilapidated pier has become sort of an icon of Cedar Key. You will see this image in paintings, photographs, and other things that are "Cedar Key." The reminents of a pier
A small beach area on the west end of the island One thing that Cedar Key doesn't have is a lot of beach area. There are at least two small beaches that I know of. This one is on the west end of the island.
Here we are sitting at the Captain's Table restaurant on the wharf. We are looking toward the island. The three buildings you see there are condos for rent. I've never stayed there, but I think they only have one bedroom per unit. Good location, though. You can rent town houses near the water
The only grocery store on the island This is the only grocery store on the island other than a couple of convenience stores. This little grocery store is quite nice! They carry items that you wouldn't expect to find in a privately-owned store. It's about a 10-minute walk from the wharf area. If you look closely on the left side of the building, you will see a mural (wall painting).
The building you see here is a small restaurant named Cook's Café that serves breakfast and lunch. It's frequented mostly by the locals, but by tourists, too. The menu is nothing special, but you can eat outdoors on the front porch. They have pretty good omelettes. Cook's Cafe - A good place for breakfast
The Captain Table's restaurant This is the Captain's Table; it's a restaurant and bar. The restaurant is upstairs, and the bar with outdoor seating is downstairs. You can also order sandwiches and appetizers in the bar. Great place to stop for a minute when you are shopping on the wharf.
Here we are sitting in the outdoor area of the Captain's Table restaurant looking back toward the restaurant. Those are sea gulls flying above the restaurant. Outside dining area at the Captain's Restraurant
Local fisherman's pier with crabtraps You see scenes like this one all over Cedar Key. What you are seeing here is a private fisherman's crab traps stacked on his dock.
This is the pier that juts out from the wharf. In the distance, you can see two more key islands. Dock near the warf
gulls, gulls and more gulls There are gulls and albatrosses everywhere!
This is an old ice house that was used to store fish. It was probably built in the early 1920s. It's sort of a landmark also. Fish icehouse from around 1930s

Pictures of Main Street

Following are some pictures of Cedar Key's main street, which consists of little "artsy" shops, antique stores, a museum, some restaurants and other businesses. The image banner you see at the top of this page is a mural that is painted on the side of the grocery store. The mural depicts life of the Indians on Cedar Key before Europeans arrived. In the pictures that follow, you will also see a close up of the mural.

See Cedar Key's Main Street.