Cedar Key- From Pencils to Clams....A City in Motion

Cedar Key – From Pencils to Clams… A City in Motion

Cedar Key –

From Pencils to Clams…

A CITY IN MOTION

38 BETTER OFF WET | SEPTEMBER 2022

Cedar Key – From Pencils to Clams… A City in Motion

We at Better Off Wet, have always loved heading to Cedar Key. There is just something about this amazing little city, which ignites something inside us. To us, it is the picture perfect example of an old Florida waterfront community. When we are walking the streets downtown, we always seem to fall back to a vision, of a time when the pace didn’t need to be so fast. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t love looking at the shops and restaurants on A Street, built on pilings over the water. Cedar Key is the epitome of a what we picture a waterfront community to look like.

Cedar Key has plenty to keep you busy, especially for the water lover.

Watch the tides before planning your day on the water though. This is always good advice, in our opinion, at B.O.W. But, at Cedar Key it isn’t really advice as much as standard operating procedure. There are 2 sets of boat ramps, located downtown. The inside boat ramp, at low tide though, has little or no water. There are plenty of fishing guide services available in the area. While there, on this particular trip, the fishing was great. We saw all types of keepers being unloaded from guide boats, going home with happy anglers. One thing we have to recommend is the Cedar Key Historical Society Museum. There is a self guided tour through the history of

Cedar Key, with lots of cool artifacts to help your imagination paint a picture of what life was like in Cedar Key, in years past. Cedar Key has an extremely rich history. They thrived there with the pencil industry, oystering, sponges, fishing, and even paintbrushes. Cedar Key is now the largest producer of farmed raised Clams in the South east. As the tour guide at the museum told us; Cedar Key rolls with the punches!

Cedar Key is a beautiful city with an incredible past, present, and future. If, you have never been, please take our advice and go visit. We don’t think you will be disappointed!

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Cedar Key – From Pencils to Clams… A City in Motion

A word from the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce: Welcome to Cedar Key, a place where time stands still and allows you to enjoy the unique qualities of our coastal environment. Cedar Key is a quiet island community nestled among many tiny keys on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Long admired for its natural beauty and abundant supply of seafood, it is a tranquil village, rich with the almost forgotten history of old Florida. There are no high rises or huge apartment complexes. We are a community of quaint cottages, single-family homes, working water front and aquaculture structures. The view as you cross the Number Four Bridge is spell-binding. Cedar Key is a haven for artists, writers and “adventure” tourists, who find the unspoiled environment their inspiration.

Thousands of visitors come annually to enjoy the “Old Florida Celebration of the Arts” in April, 4th of July, the October Seafood Festival, Pirate Festival, and The Stargazing Party in February. Our island provides a place for excellent fishing, bird watching, nature trails, kayaking and coastal guided tours. Federally protected sanctuaries, the Cedar Keys form a chain of barrier islands ideally suited to a vast range of migratory and shore birds, including the elusive white pelican, roseate spoonbill and bald eagle. The variety of natural habitats, from salt marshes to Indian shell mounds, makes this truly a nature lover’s paradise. The small town feeling is absolute – transportation is by car, but the road is shared with bicycles and golf-carts. Drivers and pedestrians wave to locals and visitors alike greeting each other with a warm welcome to our island. The nearest major airports are Tampa and Orlando, there’s a regional airport in nearby Gainesville, and we have an airstrip on the island where many small plane enthusiasts land. Text and Chamber of Commerce logo from www.cedarkey.org

40 BETTER OFF WET | SEPTEMBER 2022

Cedar Key – From Pencils to Clams… A City in Motion

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Cedar Key – From Pencils to Clams… A City in Motion

A word from the City of Cedar Key: Cedar Key derives its name from a 1542 Spanish map that named the area as “Las Islas Sabines,”, “The Cedar Islands.” The name “Cedar Islands” was in reference to the abundant growth of cedar trees that formerly covered all the barrier islands within the surrounding area. The City of Cedar Key resides on the island of Way Key, four miles out into the Gulf of Mexico, located 60 miles west of Gainesville, Florida. Cedar Key can be found by following State Route 24 to the end of the road and crossing

over the salt marshes and channels on four small, low bridges. The population of Cedar Key is approximately 800 full time residents. Today Cedar Key is one of the largest producers of farm raised clams in the Country and Florida oysters are available all year round. Because of Cedar Key’s rural location, the water quality is exceptional. It is a haven for artists, writers and “adventure” tourists, who find the unspoiled environment, their inspiration. Both aquaculture and tourism is Cedar Key’s mainstay. And yet no industry has overwhelmed the authentic old Florida charm of the keys. Cedar Key and the surrounding islands

as a National Wildlife Refuge offer Federal protection for birds and wildlife. It is not uncommon to observe such rare bird varieties as bald eagles, white pelicans, osprey, and roseate spoonbills or families of dolphin in a spectacular natural environment. We welcome you to visit Cedar Key and experience our island’s excellent fishing, bird watching, nature trails, kayaking and coastal guided water tours. We offer you the opportunity for dining, shopping and more. The text above and the City of Cedar Key logo from: www.cityofcedarkey.org

42 BETTER OFF WET | SEPTEMBER 2022

Cedar Key – From Pencils to Clams… A City in Motion

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