We’ve had tons of questions about Cedar Key – from where to stay and what to do.
We’re by no means experts, and generally we don’t like writing travel guides – but now that we’ve been here for 3 extended stays over the past 3 years, we’ll do our best to share.
First of all, to clear up the most common misperception – Cedar Key is not in THE KEYs. It is about 2.5 hours north of Tampa.
If you’re looking for a shiny, well-kept resort or touristy town with built in activities waiting the entertain you – Cedar Key probably isn’t going to be appealing. We’ve heard from a few who came through Cedar Key for a day or two to check out what all the buzz was about, and left disappointed.
The hurried stop-by visitor will likely miss the appeal.
It’s a laid back ‘island time’ sort of place. Restaurants and shops tend to keep their own hours and close up shop early and sometimes randomly. It’s just the kind of pace we love.
It’s a little town with a permanent population under 1000, and the primary industry is clamming. The town is actively resisting growth, and some describe it as being like what the Keys used to be like. It’s old-school Florida.
There’s no stop lights, no big chain stores, no doctors, no pharmacies, no Starbucks and no Taco Bell.
There is however one fuel station, one small and over-priced market, a produce stand, a convenience store, a liquor store, an air strip, a mechanic, four places to get a pizza, a couple banks, a post office, several bars, several churches, some tour boat charters and a handful of small local artist shops & restaurants.
The nearest ‘big town’ is Chiefland that sports a Wal*Mart and a Winn Dixie grocery store – and it’s 35-45 minutes away.
If you’re looking for a place to kick back, relax, get-away from city living and discover a local charm – Cedar Key might just be the ticket.
Just don’t mind the noseeums, they will munch on your ankles.
Where to Stay
There are 4 RV Parks in the area that put you in the Cedar Key vicinity. We’ve only stayed at two of them but can hopefully point you in a direction that will best suit your needs.
Low-Key Hideaway
Low-Key Hideaway is an adult’s only resort, formerly run by the ever fabulous Pat & Cindy Bonish of Every Mile’s a Memory. These two were full time RVers who ended up falling in love with Cedar Key, and they created a magical place with the Hideaway. It has 3 waterfront full hook-up RV spots and 5 hotel suites.
It also has an onsite Tiki Bar, and a lot of quirky charm. Even if you don’t stay onsite, be sure to grab a drink at the Tiki Bar for a sunset. You might just get hooked and keep coming back.
We have stayed here for a few days, and enjoyed it. But the exposed nature of being sandwiched between Highway 24, the waterfront and the Tiki Bar doesn’t appeal to our more private nature. It’s the closest RV Park to downtown Cedar Key, being just around 1.5 miles to Dock Street.
And at $60/night – it’s the most expensive option in the area. But, definitely a unique experience!
2016 Update: Low Key Hideaway has changed hands, and still offers all of the above. Just no Pat & Cindy.
Sunset Isles RV & Motel
Just a couple ‘blocks’ from Low-Key is our favorite place to stay – Sunset Isle. They have about 60 or so sites, most with full hook-ups. Many of them with waterfront sunset views, some even with docks access and/or kayak launch spots.
Sounds fancy, eh?
Be forewarned, this park is not a resort and the uptight RVer is not going to be happy here. If you can go with the flow however, you might just have one of your best RVing experiences.
Let’s start with the downsides:
- The sites are small. Some are very small… like, can’t fully extend your awning small.
This is kinda spacious for this park, actually. Although some spots can accommodate a 40′ rig, many spots are more ideal for 20-35′ rigs. Be patient getting into your spot – the turns can be awfully tight.
- The shoreline is completely communal and if you have a waterfront spot people will be walking through your (did we mention small?) site to get to the docks and launches. Especially at sunset time. If that will be a problem, don’t book a waterfront spot.
- They get booked up in the winter months, so be sure to have a reservation. They do require full payment upfront at reservation time, and we highly recommend reconfirming your reservation – they seem to have a high rate of inaccuracy. (They just upgraded to a computer system this month, and will soon have online booking too.. progress!)
Despite the negatives, it’s one of the only parks we’ve been to that we don’t mind the small spots so much, because this park is all about community.
With a clubhouse with activities going on (movie nights, pot lucks, bluegrass jam sessions, etc.), an onsite BBQ cafe with fudge & soft serve ice cream, a super friendly staff and just the general location – the tightness grows on you.
And this is one of those rare parks where you’ll likely make friends with your neighbors.
We love that this park is only 1.5 mile from downtown Cedar Key, stumbling distance from the Tiki Bar and offers easy access to the water. We love the charm here, the quirkiness, the community, the blue grass musicians, the brightly painted buildings and the amazing sunset views.
Rates vary from $43-50/night with attractive weekly & monthly rates.
2016 Update: Sunset Isle changed ownership in April, and they’ve done a fabulous job post-hurricane cleaning it up. The hurricane unfortunately took all the docks away. The RV check-in office and restaurant are now separated (sadly, no soft serve ice cream anymore) and the place just generally cleaned up. And their new reservation systems to be working like a charm!
Cedar Key RV Resort
This RV Park is actually about 8 miles from downtown Cedar Key, and technically in ‘Sumner’ according to the town sign. But, Cedar Key RV Resort is your next closet option to stay in the area.
We stopped by this park recently and were quite impressed with it. The sites are unusually large with lots of room and shade, the RV spots paved and there’s a pool. The entire park seems very well kept and maintained. We had a few friends stay here during our 2014 winter, and they all reported they liked the park just fine. It just lacked the quirkiness and charm of Sunset Isle, the closeness to Cedar Key itself and of course, the sunset views.
So if the other options are full up, or if the smaller sites at Sunset Isle are a problem for you – this is your best bet. Sites seems to be $38/night here.
Angler’s RV
Angler’s RV is right next door to Cedar Key RV Resort, and is the most affordable location to stay in the area at rates of $25/night or $310/month. We drove by this location, and it looked clean enough. The sites were smaller than over at the resort next door. And we’ve heard this is where some of the locals working in the area stay at.
What to Do in Cedar Key
We’re not really touristy. And after spending nearly 4 months collectively in Cedar Key – I have to admit, we’ve not hit most of the typical places the tourists go.
We just love the laid back authentic pace of life in Cedar Key in a beautiful backdrop. And of course, the RVing community that tends to join us here.
But here are some of the things we’ve enjoyed in our time here:
Kayaking & Canoeing – With a kayak launch right at our site, we had a Sea Eagle 370 inflatable kayak delivered via Amazon Prime to our site in 2013. We’ve loved exploring Cedar Key by water, and even paddling over to Atsena Otie, one of the nearby islands that used to be the town center. Kayaking and canoeing are both popular activities here. If you don’t own one, you can rent one downtown and you can even rent one to have delivered to your site. If you’re not comfortable on your own, there are a couple kayaking tour guides as well (you’ll find flyers for them all over town.)
- Kayak tips: Be in tune with the tidal patterns of Cedar Key – the fluctuate by as much as 4′ a day. The bay channels (which Sunset Isle sits on) can go from a mud pit to kayakable in mere hours. Plan accordingly. Also, the oyster beds are dangerous – we popped our inflatable kayak (easy fix) on one, and have seen deep gashes in hardsided boats too. Study the area well and use a satellite map with GPS or charts to know where the channels are.
- Biking & Walking – Cedar Key is a very bikeable and walkable town. From Low-Key and Sunset Isle, you’re only a 1.5 mile from town – which is a great diversion. The only downside is, there’s a short bit between the RV Parks and bridge 3 where there are no sidewalks.
Tour by Air – Go on out to the air strip, and some days you’ll find pilot Marvin sitting in a lawn chair waiting to take passengers up for a ride. He loves to fly and he loves people – his theory is, if he can cover his fuel costs and end up the day with enough to buy a beer – he’s happy. For $25 pp, this is a great experience.- Tour by Boat – There are a couple of boat tour companies downtown where you can charter a tour or rent a boat for the day. There are lots of keys to go explore, including Seahorse Key which is home to the Cedar Key Light Station (only open a few times a year for tours).
- Museums – There’s a museum downtown and one out at the State Park that will give you more insight into the local history.
- Shopping – There are several small shops downtown, both on 2nd St and Dock St. that display the works & crafts of local artists. There are very few shops with typical touristy trinkets.
Dining – Several local eateries will offer dining choices ranging from casual sandwiches, a taco truck to fancy seafood. Each year we’ve returned it seems several have closed and more have opened, so I won’t spend too much time recommending places. Tony’s Seafood is known for their award winning clam chowder, but we recommend exploring other options in town too.- Night Life – Ok, there’s not much of it. But if you poke around downtown at either the Pelican Railroad by the Market, or down on Dock St. – you might come across some live music or karaoke. And apparently the Black Dog Saloon has quite the beer selection.
- Tiki Bar – I’ll mention it again, visit the Low-Key Tiki Bar at least once in your visit. It’s a magical place and just about the only bar we’ve ever felt comfortable with (we’re not bar people).
- Sunset viewing – when the sunsets are good here, they are really good. We’ve experienced some of our best.
There’s other stuff to explore around Cedar Key too, including afternoon trips to surrounding shell mounds, Manatee Springs State Park near Chiefland or up to Crystal River for kayaking or snorkeling with manatees.
To round this out, here’s some blog posts made by some of the other RVers in our 2014 convergence about their experience of Cedar Key:
- If It Can Go Well, It Will by Alayne & Christian of The RV Nomads
- There is Something About Cedar Key by Jeremy & Robin of Live, Breathe, Move
- Little Known Facts by Croft & Norma of Croft’s Mexico
- The Nature Coast ~ Cedar Key by LuAnn & Terry of Paint Your Landscape
- Dark Waters & Kayaks. by Barb & Jim of Bounding the Borders
- A small village, a perpetual vacation and the community by Cheng of LogicGirl
- Cedar Key Nomadic New Year Convergence by Elliott & Ann of Swiftpassage
- Several Cedar Key Posts by Craig & Lucie of Living Learning Mobile
- Several Cedar Key Posts by Dan & Jonell of Liv2RV
And here’s all our previous blog posts about our various visits to Cedar Key.
If you visit Cedar Key.. enjoy!
Thanks for the great review of Cedar Key !
Arrive at Sunset Isle RV yesterday. Thanks so much for the recommendation. We are overwhelmed by the beauty of this place and the friendliness of our neighbors.
Isn’t it amazing??? We’ve so rarely run across a place with such a great combination of scenic beauty, friendliness, and overall charm.
It is little wonder that Sunset Isle / Cedar Key has become one of our all-time favorites!
Indeed. Just like you, we are smitten. A week into our stay, we’ve already inquired about booking Jan-March 2015. Maybe our paths will cross.
Awesome.. Cedar Key is a great place to be that time of year. Not sure yet if we’ll return to the east coast for the 2015 winter, we’re kinda anxious to mix it up 🙂
Hey Cherie n’ Chris, Just wanted to blame you for leading the wife and I astray…… LOL, We are in the process of retiring early, and decide to stumble down to FL. and find a place to get warm. We did our annual stay at Disney’s campground (that “Magical experience” is way too expensive for our beer and cracker budget) then found the area south of I-4 to be warm, crowded and decided we had little interest in spending $1100-1500 a month for a site. We headed up to Rock Crusher in Crystal River, which is a real nice place, but it was temptingly close to Cedar Key. We stayed at Cedar Key Resort and liked it enough to book a spot until the end of March.
Unfortunately we had to come back to PA. for a few weeks of business. Hopefully we can escape on Sunday and blast south. Hopefully is key. We got here about ten days ago, and it’s done nothing but snow. Not normal snow, but biblical, holy sheet, is it ever going to stop, snow. We arrived to bare ground and by tonight the deck will have at least 3′ accumulated. Can’t wait to be south of all this, which by the looks of things means south of I-10 at the moment. If I hadn’t stumbled onto your blog, many years ago, I would still assume that Cedar Key is somewhere between Key west and Miami. Thanks for all the great work on the blog.
PS. JC Weber, Thanks for the activities list.
Great post as usual, thanks! We haven’t had an opportunity to stay at Ceder Key long term yet, but we spent a day there recently and can definitely see the appeal. Thought I would mention another campground that we stumbled upon at the Shell Mound (about 15min from town?). Shell Mound County Park is about $15/nite and has gravel/grass sites, some with 30A and water. There is a boat launch area as well. Looks like you could get big rigs in there fairly easily though I would be dubious of the grass sites for a heavy rig. Also the road in, while paved, is narrow and rough. When we visited there (2/10/14) only two of the 28 site were occupied.
What a great summary of Cedar Key, and nice additions to the list mentioned by poster J.C. Webber III.
I’ll throw in a few more options for varying interests. Yoga sessions throughout the week at several locations, free in most cases (which I’ve yet to get my butt to since arriving last month!), a wonderful library which is dog-friendly, a very nice community center, which hosts great independent musicians on occasion, and some years, a fantastic, incredibly informative, star-gazing gathering over several evenings, as Cedar Key is a recognized Dark Sky area (we’re sad that the Star Party was cancelled for this February).
We spent almost a week at Low-Key Hideaway recently and thoroughly enjoyed it and the lovely Cedar Key. The lack of glitz and glamour, the feel of old Florida, the friendly folks, the chowder at Tony’s, the sunsets, the fun art co-ops – and so much more — what a charming town. We have three posts on our blog about it, you might enjoy — go to : travelingtearoom.blogspot.com and yes we are tea lovers!
So glad you got to experience Cedar Key and appreciate all its charms!
Here’s the list we put together from our multiple visits to Cedar Key. Some of them are dups from your list, but some were not mentioned:
Things to do in Cedar Key:
Historical Museum downtown
Hike the old railroad nature trail
Manatee Springs State Park
Shell Mound
Walk the nature boardwalk out by the newer graveyard
Cedar Key Museum State Park
Captain Doug’s Tidewater Boat Tour
Go to old Cedar Key and visit the old graveyard
Cedar Key Arts Center
Drive the 9 mile nature loop
Explore shops downtown and along the wharf
Visit Rosewood memorial
Visit town of Suwannee
Take an airplane ride over Cedar Key
Eat at several area restaurants
Island Room at Cedar Cove – dinner
Island Hotel B&B – dinner
Blue Desert Cafe – dinner
Salt Creek iin Suwannee – lunch
Tony’s Seafood – lunch
Seabreeze on the Dock – lunch
Eat at Pat’s – lunch
Big Deck Raw Bar -lunch
What a great list!
Many are things we never got around to, and others I never heard of. Where is the 9 mile nature loop?
And to think people complain that there is nothing to do…
The 9 mile loop is a left off of Hwy 347 as you head north. Look for “South Entrance Road”. Or you can head on up further north and catch it at the north entrance road, but I don’t remember if the road is actually called that at that end. Look for signs for “Lower Swanee National Refuge” office on that north entrance road. It’s a gravel/shell road with pull-offs at ponds and such. Very ‘old’ Florida.
Great post on Cedar Key! Thanks for the mention. Hope you two are finding some much needed down-time after being pestered by all of your adoring fans. 🙂
So glad we got to meet up with you both in Cedar Key!
Love the overview of the area. We have watched your video of this area as well and want to get down there next winter!
Hope you enjoy it! (And I’m not sure we’ve ever done a video on the area?)
Great guide! Thanks for compiling and sharing this information. We look forward to making our way there when we go nomadic.
Hope you enjoy it!
We enjoyed our two month stay in laid back Cedar Key, we stayed at the Cedar Key RV Resort and really liked it there meeting new and old friends plus even some blog followers. One of the things to do which I don’t see on your list was take a tour of the clam operation there along the main road closer into town than the Tiki Bar. The guy who runs the operation has a passion for raising clams–very interesting! We loved Cedar Key so much we even considered buying a coffee shop and bakery which was for sale when we were there.
Great addition of the clam operation – it’s right next door to Sunset Isle and Low-Key. But yet, we’ve never made it in for a tour. Apparently, you can also purchase fresh seafood there too.
Ceder Key sounds like my kind of place to be and relax. If we ever get to the east coast will have to look it up.
It is suppose to be 80 deg here in southern California.
George
80 degrees sounds marvelous! Definitely haven’t been experiencing that in Cedar Key this year!
You summed up Cedar Key to a Tee! I will admit I wasn’t QUITE prepared for SUCH a laid back place when we first arrived. My Hubby LOVED it. Helped him unwind like you wouldn’t believe. But once we were there a few days, all the fresh air, and slow pace started to sneak into my big city veins….and I relaxed and went with the flow. This year I am counting down the days to our arrival. We will be coming equipped with our sea Kayak (great recommendation last year from you) AND a hard bodied kayak. Some good books, and my sketch pad, and GPS round out my relaxing equipment for our stay in May…just tell Ida to make that vanilla cherry fudge again for me…lol
I am a geocacher, and even though I have found most of the caches in the area, I see a few new ones have popped up…just enough to keep me moving. Aaahhhhh. Cedar Key, cant wait.
Cedar Key is definitely the kind of place that will either force you to relax, or you’ll be itching to leave. We keep meaning to load up the geocache app while there, but darn – we always run out of time to do everything.
You are both in the perfect position to be awesome cachers. With all of your travelling you would have quite a few under your belt. What I like about it is it takes you to see sights you would have never known about-or seen, had it not been for geocaching. Theres one right at the edge of the mainland…where the road starts to head across the water to Sunset Isle.
N 29° 10.285 W 083° 01.545 .
We have done some geocaching before.. it’s more a matter of so many other things capture our attention 🙂
Great description of Cedar Key. We loved our two weeks there.
There is another campground near Cedar Key, a county park in the Cedar Key Scrub State Preserve.
It’s small and about 8 miles from downtown Cedar Key, but it’s cheap ( $15 ) and it’s got a boat ramp. There are 20+ or so sites for tents and small to medium RV’s.
Shell Mound County Park Campground
CR 326, Off CR 347
(352) 486-5127
https://www.google.com/maps/place/29%C2%B012'32.4%22N+83%C2%B003'46.8%22W/@29.209,-83.063,4478m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0
Thanks for the addition, Eric! We had heard of a county park option, but wouldn’t you know it – we’ve never even made it out there.
Looks like I might need to make a trip here once my wife and I are able to get on the road! We are still in the dreaming phase, paying off debt, and trying to build our business (I make YouTube videos) to fund a full-time living.
I have a friend who lives in Lakeland, not too far from here; next time I visit him (hopefully in an RV), we’ll have to check this place out! Thanks!
Sending you lots of encouragement for reaching your goals! Lots of great places to explore out there.
Love this post – you did a great job describing Cedar Key realistically. The best shot someone has at loving this place (like we do!) is to go into it with the expectation that you can’t have a laid back little island town *and* all the amenities of a big city. Those two things can’t really exist together! The residents are trying to preserve their history and way of life, not prevent progress. We’ll be sure to bookmark this and pass it along to anyone considering staying there so they don’t leave disappointed. It’s a great destination for the right type of people, who can see it for what it really is.
It was fantastic to share Cedar Key with you both… so glad the area called you. You’re absolutely correct about the two not being able exist in the same place. And that’s the great thing about RVing, one week you can be in an urban center, and the next out in remote locations.