Cedar Key-the Island Town

February 2024                                                          Most Recent Posts:
Cedar Key RV Resort                                         A New Plan in Florida                    
Sumner, Florida                                 Winding Up Two Weeks at Silver Springs

Cedar Key is an island community nestled among many tiny keys in of the Gulf of Mexico.  They say it is what Key West used to be before it became all the rage. 

There are free parking lots, easy on street parking   The map shows the one road in and out and the downtown commercial  area which is 3 blocks deep and 5 blocks long.  The rest of the area is primarily residential.  The town had a population of 736 in 2023.   SMALL, quaint and friendly.  A perfect place to go walking.

The town has done an amazing job of recovering from the August 2023 hurricane Idalia. 

I picked  up a copy of this Historic Walking tour brochure, from which I got the above map,  at the Cedar Key Historic Society on the corner of the main street coming into town.  Its building is on the cover.  You can click the map to enlarge it. 

It’s fun to just walk up and down the streets of town and see what the buildings used to be and how old the houses really are.   You can walk the entire town in less than an hour if you are in it for exercise.  But don’t be, take your time.  I was out and about in Cedar Key on several occasions and this post is a composite of what I saw.

First just a sampling of the commercial buildings.  No restaurants this time.

This cute corner entry shop has 1892 in glass on its stone entry way.  Over the years it was used as many store fronts including a barbershop, pool room, and grocery store.  The upstairs is now 2 apartments but was once the Masonic Lodge as the step stone says.

The store fronts are really unique.  This is now a real estate office with an interesting entry way.

Art is all over this little town.

This was once Wadley’s Grocery in 1884.  Just imagine the pickle barrel inside the double entry doors.

I can easily tell this is a town of artists.  Sculptures, mosaics and murals are numerous.

A major form of transportation is the golf cart.  Some parking spaces are just their size.  Others are for normal cars.

The Island Hotel is the oldest commercial building in Cedar Key built sometime between 1859 and 1860 for the Parsons and Hale General Store.  The main building rests on foundations of brick and wood  piers.  Most interesting is the exterior walls which are stucco over 11 inch tabby.  Tabby is a construction material composed of the lime from burned oyster shells mixed with sand, water, ash, and other shells.   

The wraparound porches were added in 1915 when it was converted to a hotel.  The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November of 1984.

There are several “tabby” buildings in town.  This one has a cut out so you can see the construction beneath the exterior.

Dock Street (see map) is just what it says.  It goes past the little city park with sandy beach where you can swim or launch your kayak, swings out into the gulf and past the fishing charter boats, on to a series of dock side shops and restaurants on one side and the marina on the other.

                       From the Dock Street Side

From the water side compliments of the Cedar Key Historic Museum

Much of the dock area is weathered board but some is painted in lively colors as this shop shows.

You can stand for a long time on the dock overlooking the water and watch the pelicans who also call Cedar Key home.

The other end of dock Street swings around beyond the fishing pier.

On the “back side” of the island is 3rd street known as “back street”  on Back Bay (see map).  It is where many local fishermen have their piers.

Getting around town on a chilly February day.

The residential side of Cedar Key is no less interesting and only a few blocks at most away from the commercial section.   The variety of age, style and paint colors is wonderful.  These are some of my favorites.

I think this must be Laurel Vukovic’s house for those of you who know her.  What fun to live in a lavender colored house with the proverbial white picket fence.
 

The Hale Johnson House was built during the early Florida Railroad era in the 1870s.

The Old African American School in the early 1900’s became a private home.

Not all the homes are ornate or historically documented.

As this is an island town, nearly every street ends at the water.  I love that the town has given pride of place to this beautiful old live oak making it clear that vehicles should be aware.

The house behind the tree is an eye catcher too.

Many of the streets dead end into what are known as “pocket parks” where anyone can come for a picnic or to watch the sun set.  I love this idea.  Apparently thanks to Dorothy Tyson who left this great legacy.

This waterfront home complies with new hurricane building codes and enables everyone going by to have a gulf view.

Facing the house above overlooking the gulf, this house sustained ground floor flood damage.

I was very sorry that the occupant of this house was not on the front porch.  I would have liked to sit and chat for a while if they would have been interested.

This Prehistoric Indian Burial Mound on 6th street near Back Bayou on the very eastern side of town (see map)  is now walled for protection.  It is all that remains of a shell midden which contained not only shells, stone tools and pottery but also human remains.

This shot is taken from the back side looking up the mound.

This last home is one of only two historic homes located out of the side streets and on the main road, Rt 24, into Cedar Key.  The back of the house is on Back Bay (see map).

It was built by Edward Champlain at the time of his marriage in 1878 and has been little changed.

I have not yet tired of taking walks through Cedar Key and see something new each time I do.  I apologize for so many pictures.  It was hard to choose.