Cedar Keys Florida – Top Things to See and Do

cedar key florida gulf beach town

The fun island community of Cedar Key (see our first article here) is to date our favorite Florida Gulf Coast Beach town. It is what a friend termed what “Key Largo” used to be. An artsy, fun place that has some neat restaurants and attractions . . . but remains very accessible. You can find … Read more

Cedar Key, Florida Fun Gulf Beach Town

Cedar Key Beach

Affordable Vacation Beach Town

Whether RVing or Vacationing, are you looking to escape to get away from the madness of South Florida? Consider Scenic Cedar Key. It is a slow-pace Gulf Beach Town Gem along the Hidden Coast, with lots of fun and interesting things to do and places to see. Read On.


Although impacted by Hurricane Idalia, Cedar Key is quickly returning and open for business. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, the majority of the shops and restaurants have re-opened.


Top Ten Small Town Culture & Affordable Gulf Vacation Beach Town

Located on what is known as Florida’s Hidden Gulf Coast, the island city of Cedar Key has managed to retain its small town feel while providing a very hospitable vacation experience for visitors. USA Today ranks it in the best Top Ten Small Town culture scenes, # 6 in the nation and #1 in Florida. And UpGradedPoints rates Cedar Keys as the USA least expensive Vacation Beach Town.

Cedar Key has lots of neat shops and galleries, some great restaurants serving up some great seafood, top notch kayaking and paddle-boarding, island tours boat trips, charter fishing, sunning and swimming at the spacious Cedar Key Beach & city park, some interesting hiking trails, and just plain fun hanging out in a friendly island community.

Cedar Key Florida Waterfront Restaurants
The restaurants and shops along Dock Street hangout over the water.

RVers Note: There are several RV campgrounds in and near Cedar Key and several choices in nearby Chiefland, Florida. We profile these camping options lower down this page, with descriptions and links.


Top Things to Do and See in Cedar Key, Florida

Cedar Key Florida Welcome Center
Stop at the Welcome Center for info on neat things to see and do.

See our list of Top 10 Things to Do, Places to see in Cedar Key, Florida

Kayaks, Swimming, Sunbathing, Picnicing at the City Beach and Park

cedar key public beach
Picnic, Swim or just relax and enjoy the breezes and sunshine at the city Beach and Park.

There is a decent city swimming and sunbathing beach adjacent to the city park that has picnic tables, a playground area, a pavilion, and a bath house. Nearby, within walking distance of the beach are several good restaurants and raw bars offering fresh seafood, some of which is locally caught.

Cedar Key Florida Beach & Kayaking
Kayaks are popular because the many bays and channels among the islands provide protection from big waves.

Cedar Key Dining and Entertaining

cedar key dockside restaurants
Many of the top restaurants and bars are located along dock street.

Most of the bars, restaurants, and boutiques are located along Dock Street which runs down the center of a narrow hook-shaped peninsula that juts out into the Gulf and Suwanee Sound. The buildings on the Gulf side of the street are built on stilts and actually sit out in the water.

See our reviews of Best Restaurants and Places to Eat in Cedar Key

Walking Around Downtown Cedar Key

Cedar Key Florida Artists Gallery
Cedar Key has its share of artists and artisans, including some with a sense of humor.

Cedar Key Emporium
Humorous artistic touches all around town
Cedar Key Cottages
One of several “unique” cottages in Cedar Key
Cedar Key Florida Gift Shops Boutiques
Wouldn’t be a beach community without some gift shops and boutiques.

Away from downtown, there are some interesting walks along the Cemetery Point Trail and the Trestle Nature Trail (see them here)

While the town of Cedar Key is situated on about 6 islands, the Cedar Keys Wildlife Refuge that surrounds the town of Cedar Key has thirteen named islands, plus perhaps hundred more islands too small to have a name encircle the town. The many islands of the Cedar Keys Wildlife Refuge provide great shelter for kayaking and canoeing and also a chance to see dolphins, birds, and other wildlife or do some fishing.

Cedar Key Fishing Pier
Cedar Key’s Fishing Pier, Swimming Beach of Atsena Otie Key in the background

The Island Tours Boat Rides offers an interesting narrated tour of a few of the islands in the Keys. Seeing some dolphins is just about a guarantee as they seem to be attracted to the boat, as if they were hired performers!

Island Tour Boat Ride
Watching the Dolphins perform on the Island Tour Boat.

See our list of Top 10 Things to Do, Places to see in Cedar Key, Florida

Lodging in Cedar Keys

The town has a very hospitable beach resort community that is more laid-back and has far less commercial glitz than you’d find in Destin or Panama City Beach. There’s no high-rise resort buildings or huge apartment complexes. There are a few medium-size ocean-side condos and hotels, but a good deal of the lodging for visitors is provided in quaint cottages and mom & pop style motels.

Camping, Campgrounds, RV Parks Cedar Key, Florida

There are three private RV parks/campgrounds located within Cedar Key or within 5 miles of the center of town. As you might expect, you pay a premium to be located in or close to town. We drove through two of these three parks and found the sites too cramped together for our tastes.

Our favorite Cedar Keys RV Campground is a few miles out of town at the North end of the Keys Wildlife Refuge, Shell Mound County Park. The park offers both RV and Tent Camping and the nearby nature trails provide some interesting hiking and bird-watching.

**Shell Mound County Park Campground (see our review and article)

The nearby Cedar Keys Nature area offers a boardwalk, a fishing pier and a canoe/kayak landing. We camped at the County RV park and found the camp hosts very friendly and helpful. The RV sites offer water and electricity; the bath houses have running water and showers; and the campsite fees were quite reasonable. The campground is first come, first served – no reservations.

Can’t Find Campground Vacancies in or near Cedar Keys?

If you are willing to drive about 30 miles, there are several good RV camping options in Chiefland (see our reviews). One that we like is Manatee Springs State Park. The state park offers very nice RV sites, good spacing, nice shading, 8 miles of hiking trails, kayaking, biking, and swimming/snorkeling in the spring pool. And the rates are quite a bit less than the private parks nearer to town.

Another decent RV campground for visiting Cedar Keys area is Strawberry Fields RV Campground

Beside being able to get a reasonable campsite somewhat near Cedar Key, another reason we like to RV camp in Chiefland is the Chiefland Golf Course, only about a mile from Manatee Springs. We found it a nicely, maintained 18 hole golf course, with a friendly staff, and modestly priced green fees. It is also a very walk-able course.

More Places to Visit and Things to around Cedar Keys:

Have you been to Cedar Key Florida? If so tell us how you liked it in the comments below.

Your Scenic Travel Guide: Ross Reinhold

Scenic Highway 30A Travel

Grayton Beach Florida


Scenic Gulf Drive – Destin to South Walton to Rosemary Beach

Directory of Articles & Maps: Traveling the Gulf Coast Scenic Drive

Previous Article: Gulf Drive Pensacola Beach to Destin

Going East of Destin on Gulf Highway 98 you connect with Scenic Highway 30A just past Topsail Hill State Park. This will give you an opportunity to return to driving along with a view of the gulf and through the South Walton beach communities along the Emerald Coast. While there still are condos and town homes along this stretch, they aren’t as tightly packed on top of one another like in Destin and along the route you begin to see some actual single family homes with larger yards.

You’ll also pass several ponds that are called coastal dune lakes, freshwater lakes that drain into the Gulf, providing a unique ecosystem due to the exchange of salt and fresh water. Some of these coastal lakes have preserved, natural shoreline – no homes or condos and therefore indeed offer some natural scenery to justify calling this a scenic drive. About a mile before you get to the community of Grayton Beach you are actually driving through Point Washington State Forest.

coastal dune lake
A portion of Draper Lake, one of several unique coastal dune lakes along this section of Scenic Highway 30A

While the drive doesn’t offer an abundance of notable scenery, it is a more pleasant and slower paced drive than traveling on busy highway 98. But about halfway along the 24 mile route there is a genuine scenic and unique  destination: the historic beach town of Grayton Beach (see article) and it’s popular neighbor Grayton Beach State Park – see our article here.

Grayton Beach, Florida

The tiny village of Grayton Beach traces its founding back 125 years when vacationers used to travel by horse and buggy to enjoy its white sand beaches and small town character. As you walk through the town you can see many examples of old cottages lovingly restored and some with a humorous and artistic twist.

Grayton Beach Cottages
One of the many artfully landscaped cottages in Grayton Beach

The town is largely surrounded by Grayton Beach State Park (see our review) which has served to limit the expansion of the village and probably played a role in preserving its unique character. The State Park’s gulf beach extends on both side of the village providing more than a mile of relatively uncrowded pristine beach terrain. The park also encompasses a 100 acre coastal dune lake providing opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, paddle-boarding and fishing. There’s a 59 unit campground and 30 cabins in the park and biking and hiking trails. Make your reservations early as this is a popular park.

Grayton Beach and the State Park are located along the paved Walton County hike/bike path that runs adjacent to Scenic Highway 30A. Biking is one of the best ways to get around town as well as the three nearby towns east of Grayton Beach . . . as there isn’t a lot of public parking space.



Seaside Florida
Hundreds of bikes in the town of Seaside, every where you look bikes.

Seaside to Rosemary Beach

Going east of Grayton Beach on 30A you quickly arrive at the very upscale community of Seaside with an extensive collection of modern condo units and a popular town square that hosts entertainment, beach-related enterprises, festivals and outdoor food carts. We drove through this town in late March during spring break time and were in awe of seeing what seemed like a thousand kids on bikes running back and forth along the bike path adjacent to the road and droves of teens crowding around the food and entertainment in the town square plus walking to and fro. I wonder how crowded the beaches were because there were sure lots of people walking and biking around town. Seaside is a popular place.

Seaside Town Square
The Food Court at the Seaside Town Square is a favorite gathering place.

Further east of Seaside is the community of Seagrove (more beach condos) and then at the end of Scenic Highway 30A the community of Rosemary Beach essentially a replication of Seaside with condos, beach resort venues, a very busy town square and people walking and biking everywhere. These three villages east of Grayton Beach seem to be very popular, especially with families. If you rent a house, cottage or book lodging at a condo many types of entertaiment, in addition to the beach, are within walking distance (and biking and bike rental places abound!). These villages must have a reputation as safe places because there were young kids streaming all over the place, many without any adult supervision.

Travel and Visitor Links:

Continuing on the Scenic Gulf Coast Drive: Gulf Drive Rosemary Beach to Apalachicola – – –

Grayton Beach State Park

grayton beach sunset

RV Campground Review: Grayton Beach State Park With its sugar sand beach being one of the most pristine and uncluttered along the Gulf Coast, Grayton Beach State Park is a very desirable campground along the Scenic Gulf Coast Highway. It is hard to top its beach for swimming, sunbathing and surf fishing. It also borders … Read more

Destin Harborwalk and Beaches | Florida Travel

Destin’s HarborWalk and Boardwalk

Destin Florida’s HarborWalk Village is a regular stop for us whenever we are traveling the Gulf Coast Scenic drive along Florida’s panhandle.

A family posing with their catch from the morning’s charter fishing cruise

Destin Harbor Walk
The Margaritaville is one of several bar-dining-shopping-entertainment venues along the Destin Harborwalk.

Destin was founded in the early 1800s as a fishing village by Captain Leonard Destin. While now home to 15,000 year round residents, it retains its connection to the fishing industry with over 150 commercial and charter fishing boats in its fleet. It is a mecca for sport fisherman as well as offering opportunities for anyone who wants to experience cruising in a charter boat and fishing in the gulf. You are not likely to come away without catching some fish.

Destin’s unique protected harbor and white sugar sand beaches made it an ideal spot for development of a gulf coast beach community. Hotels and condos line its beaches offering lots of entertainment for its guests. In addition to the hotel and condo beaches, there are about a dozen public beach access points along the Destin shoreline. There is also a popular beach front state park, Henderson Beach State Park, with over a mile of public beach front for day visitors and campers to enjoy. In total the greater Destin area offers over 24 miles of beach along the emerald green gulf coast waters.

Jo stops to view the schedule for the Dolphin Cruises.

Jo and I stopped for a pair of Bloody Mary’s at one of the many outdoor bars along the HarborWalk.

If you are just visiting for the day, the must-see place in Destin is the Destin Harborwalk village. It is built along an extensive boardwalk and walkway along the Destin’s protected harbor. All sorts of amusements and fun things to do and see are offered along the harborwalk: charter fishing, boat excursions, kayaking, paddle boards, jet skis, parasailing, zip line, dining, seafood, musical entertainment, nightlife, specialty shops are among the many enjoyable recreational pursuits.

We enjoy just walking along the quarter-mile long boardwalk with the fresh gulf air and sights and sounds of so many things going on. We’ll generally stop at one of the outdoor cafes along the boardwalk to get a bite to eat, have a beer, and enjoy the musical entertainment.

Destin Links:

 

Best Pensacola Beach Restaurants

Peg Leg Pete's Oyster Bar Pensacola Beach

According to Trip Advisor, the Grand Marlin is the number 1 rated restaurant in Pensacola Beach. But as it is also listed as the most expensive restaurant in Pensacola Beach we’ve not dined there. But considering its good rating, perhaps we ought to find out “how expensive” it is! 🙂

But we have had a chance to sample some of the Beach’s other top rated restaurants.

Our Reviews of Best Restaurants in Pensacola Beach

Below are reviews of:

  • Flounder’s Chowder House
  • Red Fish-Blue Fish Restaurant
  • Native Cafe.

Review – Flounders Chowder House

Flounders is a beach front casual, seafood dining and entertainment emporium that has been in Pensacola Beach since 1979. It is full of nautical paraphernalia, antiques, and fanciful creations. A former world record 980 lb Blue Marlin hangs from the ceiling of the Marlin Bar. Adjacent to the street-side entrance is the 55 foot former shrimp boat, the M/V Flounder named after its owner Captain Frank Flounder. Frank’s three sons opened Flounders Chowder House after serving their tours shrimping.

Diners have a choice of seating: an open-air outdoor deck adjacent to their beach, a covered outdoor deck, and inside seating. There’s also a separate, cafeteria style Sushi Bar. The stand-up Tiki Bar is out on beach and the more spacious Marlin Bar is in the open-air covered area.

The sand beach fronts on Pensacola Bay and includes a long pier with boat docking facilities for guests arriving by water. The large beach area also hosts a volleyball court and a kids playground area within view of the restaurant so Mom and Dad can keep an eye on the kids while they dine. The entertainment stage looks out over the the deck, but no one was performing the day we were there. But Jamaican music played in the background on their PA system.

flounders bar and grill
The former Flounder’s Shrimp Boat welcomes visitors to the restaurant.
Beach Volleyball at Pensacola Beach
Beach volleyball in front of Flounders Chowder House
Founders Restaurant Pensacola Beach
Dining on the deck at Flounders Chowder House.

Rating Flounders Food & Service

I had the Grilled Mahi Taco Salad and Jo chose her favorite burger basket, a Mushroom & Swiss Burger w fries. The food portion size was large and the quality good, but not outstanding. We’ll give it Four stars. The wait service was prompt and friendly. A fun, family friendly, entertaining place to spend an afternoon or evening. Next time I’ll have to try their signature Floyd Flounder’s Phenomenal Chowder, a past winner of the Great Florida Chowder Cook-off.


Red Fish, Blue Fish Restaurant

Red Fish Blue Fish is another funky beach front dining and entertainment also located on the Pensacola Bay side of the island. Like Flounders it has an extensive white sand swimming and lounging beach, in fact maybe a little larger than Flounders. As with Flounders you can be in the open-air patio, the covered deck, or inside away from all the elements. There’s no volleyball court but there are corn-hole game sets on the patio and on the beach.

The day we were there a country-pop trio was performing on the outdoor stage. They had a Simon & Garfunkel style of close harmony and a wild electric fiddle that I loved. It was an idyllic afternoon, good food, good music, sun, beach, ocean breezes, and a very tasty Bloody Mary.

Our lunch was Grilled & Blackened Mahi on a bed of steamed asparagas, rice & spinach. Excellently prepared and decent wait service. We’ve had and enjoyed Grilled Mahi at other Gulf Coast eateries and the dish served up by Red Fish Blue Fish didn’t disappoint us.

Red Fish Blue Fish Pensacola Restaurant
Relax on this funky bench outside the entrance to Red Fish Blue Fish
pensacola beach
The Patio of Red Fish Blue Fish Restaurant in Pensacola Beach is where everyone wants to be.
Red Fish Blue Fish Seafood Grill
Some great tunes out on the Patio of Red Fish Blue Fish

Native Café

Also a bit away from the hustle and crowds is the best breakfast spot in Pensacola Beach (also serves lunch until 3pm). Nestled in a plain jane strip mall east of Pensacola Beach’s entertainment center, Native Café is easy to miss unless you know about their reputation. We found out about them on Trip Advisor where they are rated the #2 Restaurant in Pensacola Beach behind the Grand Marlin, which is the top rated place to eat in the Beach – but is also the most expensive.

Their artsy marquee was matched with a funky, artsy and intimate interior. Some light jazz played in the background adding to the unique café atmosphere.

Native Café is family run, operated by fifth generation Pensacolians, Joyce and Charles Brown and their children, Josef Wiggins, Jesse Brown and Arin Brown. Their commitment to good food, a fun atmosphere and good service has people like us going to an effort to find them.

Native Cafe Pensacola Beach
Native Cafe’s South Western Motif
Native Cafe Fish Sandwiches
Delicious Mahi-Mahi Tacos in the foreground, Mahi-Mahi PoBoy background.

Rating the Native Cafe

We were there for a late lunch. Jo had their signature PoBoy Mahi-Mahi sandwich basket that included a side of fresh veggies. I had their famous Florida Fish Tacos, which contains sautéed Mahi which chopped cabbage, tomato, and bell peppers and 2 kinds of sauce. Excellent taste, large portions left us stuffed. Great food coupled with fast, friendly service stands up to their #2 rating. Love the artsy coffee shop atmosphere and their choice of music. 5 stars. We look forward to returning the next time we are in Pensacola Beach.


Other Top Rated Pensacola Beach Restaurants.

Peg Leg Petes Pensacola Beach (pictured at the top of the page)
Bustling, pirate-themed seafood restaurant featuring a children’s play area & raw bar

We’ve driven by Peg Leg Pete’s several times on the way to and from Fort Pickens. The parking lot was always full so we never stopped as we figured there would be a long wait for a table. They get good reviews on Google and Trip Advisor so one of these days we have to give them a try. (We finally did in 2020 – see our review)

Grand Marlin
The Grand Marlin is at the tip of peninsula that juts out into Santa Rosa Sound with a terrific panoramic view of the cove between the island and the Gulf Breeze peninsula. Highly rated by Trip Advisor for the quality of their food and service. But warning you also pay top dollar for that four star rating. With extensive docking facilities it is a popular dining and entertainment spot for boaters. One of these days we’ll dig into the Piggy Bank and stop there for dinner or lunch.

The Pensacola News Journal recently posted some announcements of new Pensacola Beach Restaurants recently opened that included The Drift Casino Beach Bar & Grille.

Pensacola Beach Links

shotgun house
Pensacola’s historic district is loaded with beautifully restored homes from the 1800s.

Pensacola Visitor Links

See More Florida Gulf Coast Restuarant Reviews

What are your favorite Pensacola Beach Restaurants & Bars? Let us know in the comments below.

Your Gulf Coast Travel Guide, Ross Reinhold

Pensacola Beach Florida

Pensacola Beach by Red Fish Blue Fish Restaurant

Visitor Attractions Pensacola Beach on Santa Rosa Island Pensacola Beach is a beach community located near the western end of  Santa Rosa Island, a thirty mile long, narrow barrier island strip of dunes and grass lands that protects Pensacola Florida from the hurricanes and storms that roll across the Gulf of Mexico. To the east … Read more

Grayton Beach Florida

Grayton Beach Florida

The Best Small Town Beach Community along the Florida Gulf Coast

Number 1 in Grayton Beach attractions is the “Beach” that fronts the village and the adjacent Grayton Beach State park. This beach is regularly voted among Florida’s top beaches. And according to beach aficionado Dr. Beach, who is also Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, Grayton Beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the World! In his annual ranking of Best Beaches World-Wide based upon 50 criteria, Dr. Beach has ranked Grayton Beach tops for 2020.

Along with Apalachicola, the village of Grayton Beach is our favorite small town resort communities along the Florida Gulf Coast Scenic Drive. In contrast to slickly landscaped condo communities in South Florida, created by a myriad of developers, little Grayton Beach has retained it’s character of quaint cottages, some of which are over hundred years old. Aided by a community of artists and artisans, the town retains a unique character and whimsy. As the town’s website says “Grayton Beach is a state of mind. Our town is a funky little beach town full of free-spirited folks with a laid-back attitude. The narrow roads are shaded by southern magnolias, towering pines and moss-draped oaks. The salt air is ever present and so is the fine white sand covering the worn floors of our old beach cottages.”

grayton beach boardwalk
Jo finds a bench to empty the sand from her shoes after a stroll on Grayton Beach’s famous beach.

One of Florida’s Top White Sand Beaches. The beach itself is a treasure, especially for those who have the special beach passes that allow them to drive on the beach itself. And since the town is actually surrounded by Grayton Beach State Park, there’s always plenty of room on the beach. (see Beach Scenes of Grayton Beach beaches here)


Best Grayton Beach Restaurants & Bars

Red Bar Grayton Beach
The funky Red Bar is the lynch pin of Grayton Beach’s tiny downtown.

There are two bars near the beach, The venerable Red Bar (see our review), with its crazy interior decoration motif and signature blackboard menus, and the recently remodeled Chiringo bar down the street. In 2015 we were introduced to the Red Bar, its fantastic Mahi-Mahi basket, signature Bloody Mary, and super-service from the Wait Staff. We also caught some great musical entertainment. The Red is a very popular place and if you can’t get a table right away, rather than wait in line, I’d give its neighbor Chiringo Bar down the street a try. Looks like it would be a fun place. We hope to do a review on our next visit.

Another good dining option is away from the beach itself along Scenic Highway 30: The Grayton Seafood Company (see our review here).


Slide Show – A few of Grayton Beach’s Unique Cottages


Grayton Beach CottageGrayton Beach Cottagegrayton beach cottagesgratyon beach homesgrayton Beach cottage





Their tongue-in-cheek “Grayton Beach: Nice Dogs, Strange People” bumper sticker misleads a little bit because the people are also really friendly. As their website says “Grayton Beach is a state of mind. Our town is a funky little beach town full of free-spirited folks with a laid-back attitude.”

Grayton Beach Visitor and Travel Links: