Florida's marsh-and-island Gulf town

Cedar KeyFlorida

Tidal flats. Cedar Key clams. Harbor sunsets.
A small working waterfront at the end of State Road 24.

Why Cedar Key

Tidal flats, clam boats, outer islands, and a road that ends at the Gulf

A working harbor, farmed clams, and a chain of low islands give this Gulf town a character shaped by the water.

Bird Lower SuwanneeExplore coastal marshes and refuge roads for wading birds and migrants.Reach Atsena OtieDiscover the former island settlement and the waters around it.Order Cedar Key clamsFind seafood and local clams around town.Sleep on the islandCompare island rooms and waterfront places to stay.

On the water or on land?

Atsena Otie by boat or paddle: A boat trip avoids a self-powered crossing; a kayak gives experienced paddlers more independence, but wind, tides and boat traffic matter. Check refuge access and current conditions before either. Compare island outings.

Stay on land: Explore Cedar Key Museum State Park or the Arts Center, or drive to Shell Mound and Dennis Creek in Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. Check hours and refuge access first. See land and water activities.

Watercolor of working boats moored beside a waterfront dock

The working waterfront

How clams became a Cedar Key livelihood

A plate of Cedar Key clams tells a story that starts well beyond Dock Street. Hatcheries produce young clams, nurseries raise the seed, and growers tend them on leased submerged land in the Gulf. Wholesalers then sort and ship the harvest to markets and restaurants.

In the 1990s, oyster closures and restrictions on net fishing changed the livelihoods of local fishing families. Retraining programs helped fishermen move into clam aquaculture, keeping their work connected to the water even as the industry changed.

Explore Cedar Key’s working waterfront Read the UF/IFAS story of Cedar Key aquaculture ↗

Watercolor of a palm-lined street and historic-style coastal buildings

An island port

Railroads, cedar, and the islands

In the nineteenth century, Cedar Key was a Gulf port where lumber, cotton, seafood, and other cargo moved between boats and trains. Cedar from the islands also supplied pencil factories, a very different use for the trees that gave this place its name.

The Cedar Key Museum State Park brings that history together with shells and artifacts collected by Saint Clair Whitman. His restored house reflects life in the 1920s, though it is temporarily closed. Native vegetation around the museum gives a glimpse of the coastal landscape beyond the harbor.

Explore the museum and its exhibits ↗

Check tides, wind, refuge notices, and boat access before an outer-island outing.