Old Florida – Cedar Key

This article is part seventeen of the series “Trip diary: Three weeks on the road in Florida”

After celebrating the fourth of July in Amelia Island in fine – albeit laid-back – style and a day at the beach to relax even further we were fully recharged and ready for one of the longest stretches of our entire road trip. From the extreme northeastern tip of Florida, just across the water from the border with Georgia, July 6 would see us make the journey across to the west coast and what I fully expected to be one of the highlights of our time in the Sunshine State.

Taking the most direct route would have meant an already fairly hefty 170 miles (273 km) or so but I wanted to make a detour on the way which pushed the total journey over 200 miles (321 km). We left Amelia Island fairly early and skirted round Jacksonville and onto the US301 heading almost exactly due southwest for Cedar Key, just as the railroad once did back in the day.

It was a fairly unremarkable journey and we encountered few hold-ups. Taking full advantage of both cruise control and the automatic gearbox in the Merc I wasn’t called on to do all that much apart from enjoy the scenery. At the cutely-named Waldo we headed south where I had a little surprise in store.

The town of Ocala is famous in the USA for breeding champion horses and most visitors head here to visit its horse ranches. I had other ideas. After stopping for lunch it was time to spill the beans – I wanted to snoop on a celebrity home. Okay, that’s not quite it, but it could be interpreted that way…

Ocala is namely where you’ll find Jumbolair, the biggest and most exclusive “fly-in” community with its own private airstrip. John Travolta and his wife were among the first residents here and you can glimpse their home from the road. As a bit of an aviation geek myself I wanted to have a look and it is quite something – “homely” it ain’t but seeing two airliners in the ‘drive’ of a mansion is one of those “only in America” kind of experiences…

If you stay long enough in Ocala you’ll probably see the man himself as he’s often popping in for dinner in a restaurant or to do a little shopping. That wasn’t part of our plan though and we were soon back on the road to Cedar Key.

From Ocala we drove through the Goethe State Forest and a couple of proper Florida thunderstorms, turned onto the FL-24 and after about an hour and a half the road ran out. We had arrived.

Often referred to as the ultimate ‘Old Florida’ destination, Cedar Key certainly has history. There are families who have lived in the town for five generations and artefacts have been found here proving that Native Americans inhabited these islands for over 5,000 years.

In the 1850’s Cedar Key was an important commercial harbour – it is one of the oldest ports in Florida – and with the opening of the cross-state railroad from Fernandina Beach the town thrived. But the good times didn’t last long as bigger ships needed deeper waters and found them elsewhere.

But the cedar trees that gave the town its name were in demand for the production of pencils, and saw mills were established.

Yes, I know that isn’t a cedar tree. It’s pretty, though, ain’t it?

Pencils were never made here but the cedar slats were transported by rail to factories in the north and also to Europe. Naturally supply could not keep up with demand and soon the trees had been cleared.

A catastrophic hurricane in 1896 severely damaged both factories and was the final straw – Cedar Key’s population plummeted and the majority of those who remained scraped a living from fishing.

The last train left town in 1932.

Things are looking up today, though. A popular haven for artists and writers, Cedar Key also attracts visitors looking for peace and quiet and to enjoy the natural environment. As well as the laid-back island vibe, there are interesting shops and galleries, renowned restaurants serving fresh local seafood and opportunities for fishing, birdwatching and walking.

Simple pleasures are on offer here too – given the geography of the town you can watch the sun rise over the bayous and later watch it set over the Gulf of Mexico.

Indeed perhaps the best way to enjoy Cedar Key is to wander and see what you discover – or even better, explore on a bicycle as we did one afternoon.

You never really know what you’ll find around each corner – from a slightly scary school mascot…

…to an offer you can’t refuse on a well-kept example of the local transport method of choice – cat probably not included.

Even the police use customized golf carts – although one suspects they are not the busiest force in the state.

Cedar Key has less than a thousand year-round residents but plenty to see – including a rather sweet “City Hall”. It also has some great places to stay including the wonderful Cedar Key Bed & Breakfast which easily lives us to its excellent reputation.

A walk along the waterfront as the sun sets is a nice way to work up an appetite for dinner.

Black Dog Bar & Tables

It would take a will of iron to walk past this place and not go in – although they don’t open until mid-afternoon so plan accordingly.

With a massive selection of craft beer – yes, 150 brews – this friendly place can easily be your first and last stop – and there’s no harm in that. They also serve a good selection of wines and have a cigar humidor if that’s your thing.

Kona Joe’s Island Cafe

Famed for its coconut cake and iced coffee, Kona Joe’s is an atmospheric diner with a lovely terrace overlooking the water. Open for breakfast and lunch, they serve excellent muffins and a mean Cedar Key Lime Pie.

Blue Desert Cafe

Continue past Kona Joe’s on the route out of town and you’ll reach the Blue Desert Cafe. It’s a small place open for a few hours in the evenings, all dishes are cooked from scratch so have patience – it will be rewarded.

On the menu is local seafood with a southwestern twist as well as excellent pizzas, burritos and specials. Oh and a great choice of beers…

It’s a colourful, quirky place and artfully decorated – a memorable experience.

The Island Room at Cedar Cove

The Island Room at the Cedar Cove Resort is a more traditional high-end restaurant but this is just as relaxed as everywhere else in town. Its award-winning kitchen specialised in, well, local seafood but this time served in a continental style.

We came here straight from the beach for a drink but ended up staying for dinner – we loved the Crab Bisque and Oysters Rockefeller…

At the bar I noticed this newspaper clip hung on the wall, and can think of no better way to round up this article than by publishing a photo of it here.

I think this guy sums up Cedar Key perfectly: