Cedar Key, FL

Cedar Key is a city of fewer than 700 people on a cluster of small islands in Levy County, at the end of State Road 24 on the Gulf. People come for its quiet, Old Florida feel, fresh local clams, paddling among refuge islands and easy days with no schedule.

Where is Cedar Key?

Cedar Key is on the Gulf Coast of Florida’s Big Bend, about 60 miles southwest of Gainesville. SR 24 is the only main road in, crossing a string of bridges and marsh to reach town. Gainesville Regional Airport is about an hour and 15 minutes away by car, and Tampa International is roughly two and a half hours. Once you arrive, the town is small enough to explore on foot, by bike or by golf cart, though SR 24 itself is not a good road for cycling.

Things to do in Cedar Key

Dock Street is the waterfront strip, built on pilings over the water, and the large public fishing pier nearby is free. City Beach Park has a small sandy beach and a launch spot for kayaks. Paddlers can circle Atsena Otie Key, the site of the original town, now managed by the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge. President Herbert Hoover established the refuge in 1929 to protect nesting islands for colonial birds. A marked paddling trail runs from City Beach Park to Cemetery Point Park.

On land, Cedar Key Museum State Park covers the town’s 19th-century history, including the pencil mills and the Florida Railroad, which ended here in 1861. The Cedar Key Railroad Trestle Nature Trail is a short walk off SR 24. North of town, the Shell Mound area of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge has a prehistoric shell mound, trails and a fishing pier. Cedar Key grows most of Florida’s farm-raised clams, an industry that took off after a 1995 net-fishing ban.

When to visit Cedar Key

Spring and fall are best. The Old Florida Celebration of the Arts is held in April, and the Cedar Key Seafood Festival fills town in October, so book early for those weekends. Hurricanes Idalia (2023) and Helene (2024) brought record storm surges, and some sites have been rebuilding, so check ahead.

Cedar Key is part of the Nature Coast.