Cedar Key advance planning

April 30, 2011 5:43 PM

Have you been to Cedar Key, FL?

Is there anything to do in Cedar Key, that we absolutely shouldn't miss, that will require advance planning or a reservation? Our main intention is to wander and be relaxed. We do have a cottage reserved, so I'm thinking more of activities or restaurants.

Thanks!

posted by galadriel to Travel & Transportation around Cedar Key, FL (3 answers total)

I did a job in Cedar Key a couple of years back. All told I spent about a week there.

It may have changed since then, but as I remember it was a small but picturesque place with not a lot to do. A few galleries, a few shops, very laid back and kind of a working-class vibe. My job required that I wander the neighborhoods a little (I was doing survey work), and I suggest that you give that a shot if you run out of things to do. They're kind of nice neighborhoods, and there are some good views from on top of the hill.

Sorry I can't give you anything terribly specific to do there, but you'll probably find things to entertain yourselves with just by wandering around. As I've said, it's not a large place, but it is pretty and the people are nice.

Have fun.
posted by Pecinpah at 7:38 PM on April 30, 2011

Yes! Go canoeing out to the nearby keys. Most people launch from the main beach at Cedar Key and make the trek to Deer Island, but my favorite spot is Shell Mound, ten miles north of Cedar Key, which makes for a wonderful paddle and there's good fishing there, as well as lots of birds (keep your eyes open for bald eagle nests). Here's a short article on the launch site with directions and some information on the low-energy coastal ecosystem. The Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge is also a good place to hike around in, lots of cool scrub habitat. Most of the restaurants downtown have good clam chowders and other seafood. If you wanted to explore the larger area, you could look up books on cracker culture and cracker architecture, since the area has a pretty interesting past. The nearby town of Rosewoodisn't much more than a historical plaque, but the story offers a glimpse into the social tensions of the not-very-distant past.

Have a good time - the area has a really neat ecosystem and some weird history.
posted by ajarbaday at 8:28 PM on April 30, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks to you both!

Ajarbaday, is there something I need to do to make a reservation for canoing in advance of our trip, or is that something we can just show up and do? I don't know if I will be physically up for something like that, so it'd be easier to wait and see if one day we feel up to it--but if we need to plan ahead, I can try.
posted by galadriel at 9:16 AM on May 2, 2011