Cedar Key FL – In Search of Old Florida!

Our commute was only about an hour on some lonely two lane Florida roads. Many scrubby palm trees and palmettos mingled in with the old twisted live oak trees fully draped with Spanish moss. And very few vehicles in this remote area. Very refreshing! Cedar Key FL – In Search of Old Florida!

Relocation Day

Honestly, it took twice as long to load everything and prepare the truck and coach than it did to make the drive. Then another hour or so on the set up end before we were ready for lunch. Still beats a day at the office!

Our RV resort was located on the mainland, seven miles from the island of Cedar Key. The drive into town is a straight shot on Florida 24, the only road in or out of town.

Cedar Key History

The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands near the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on Way Key since the end of the 19th century. The Eastern Red cedar trees that bestowed the town name supplied a large pencil factory. Florida’s first coast-to-coast railroad had its Gulf terminus at Cedar Keys, as the town was then called. After the Civil War, the place boomed for 30 years.

Here are a few other facts:

• The earliest residents were native Americans going back to 500BC.
• The current population is 819 on the small two square mile island.
• The island is at 10 feet above sea level.
• The Cedar Keys were blockaded during the Civil War and the trail depot burned.
• The Faber and Eagle pencil companies established cedar saw mills here to supply cedar slats for their pencil factories. The 1896 hurricane wiped them out to never return.
• The boom time was 1880 with a population of 1,887.

Current Day Cedar Key

From my observations, the small area has two industries: fishing and tourist. There is still much fishing underway with large clam farms, blue and stone crab fishing and oysters.

Everyday we see the long flat bottom boats being trailered through the town after a long morning fishing. They have large bags or nets full of product heading to a processing location.

And then there is the tourism. The town has two sections. The historical downtown with many small shops and a few restaurants. It is about four blocks long. All very original and Old Florida in appearance. No new and shiny buildings, but well weather worn. That is the attraction and what we like.

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The other area is Dockside. A short couple of block walk across a bridge to the old brick warehouses with metal roofs that have been converted into gulf side dining and shopping.

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The entire area is completely walkable. We just strolled back and forth a few times and also crossed over the walking bridge to go Dockside. The crowds were very light. Just a few people out on the sidewalks. Same with bars and restaurants. We could have our pick of a water front dining table. And we took advantage of it by going out more times in a week than we have for well over a year. It is great to be back!

Actually, there is a third area of private homes nestled within the massive live oak and cedar trees. Some are for vacation rentals I’m sure. There are just a handful of 2-3 story condos along the waterfront.

All of this Old Florida charm without any of the fast food or chain restaurants. Nor any high rise hotels or condos. The only motels were the cool looking ones from the 1950’s or 60’s. Yes, this place is Old Florida.

Wrap Up

I have many photos from our trips into town and some side trips. So, may have three parts to this Cedar Key blog post. Thanks for following along! Take care and God Bless.