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The tides aren’t right when I visit in late January, so instead of a tour Knox and I sit down in the chamber of commerce’s back room, which doubles as something of a museum, and talk about the area. (Call or text 92 or drop them an email: wife and I came down here and we were just dazzled by the place.

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I suspect the town’s tiny police department doesn’t give a damn.Īfter my clam chowder lunch I explore the town for a bit and meet up with Paul King, a native of northern Wisconsin who now lives in town and gives free kayak tours. I look out the window of the restaurant between bites and see a new-ish red car is parked on the street out in front facing one-way, while an electric blue golf cart (a popular means of transportation in town) is right up against it, but facing the other way. I notice more oldies are playing on the radio, I think maybe Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. I also sample a terrific Po Boy sandwich loaded with seafood, including shrimp so sweet and fresh it almost jumps out of the bun.īonish Studio is a lovely shop in Cedar Key. And it’s amazing chowder, thick with local clams (it’s the city’s main industry) that grow in the super-clean water just offshore and juiced with a hint of spice that gives it a just-right kick. I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s a good story. so often that they have been barred from entering the contest. My waitress says the restaurant has won best clam chowder in the U.S. I ask the guy behind the counter what it’s called.Īcross the street is a casual seafood joint called Tony’s, which serves some of the best clam chowder you’ll ever try. I spot a sign above the counter where you place your order and see they have a special brew with four (count ‘em, four) shots of espresso, plus, thank goodness, a generous splash of milk. There’s an old-time phonograph record in the corner, spinning out a 1960’s tune from Johnny Mathis. I wander into the coffee shop at D and 2nd, called 1842 Daily Grind, and find a teensy shop filled with the rich smell of brewed coffee and a handful of small tables. The Island Hotel dates back to around 1860, and there are many other buildings that go back to the Civil War era. Located just south of the mouth of the Suwanee River (the one made famous in song by Stephen Foster), the town was given a big boost when Florida’s first cross-state rail line was built between Fernandina Beach (north of Jacksonville) and Cedar Key.

I later find the town is one of the oldest on the gulf coast of Florida, having been first settled by white Americans in the 1850s. Interior of 1842 Daily Grind Coffee in Cedar Key, Florida. The streets are filled with old buildings, many of them with second-floor verandas fronted by white, wooden railings. There’s a small coffee shop on the corner in a pale blue, wooden building with darker blue trim and a cheery red door.

I pull up to the main intersection at D Street and 2nd Street and find myself instantly charmed.

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Unless you come by plane or boat, you’re most likely to roll in on a narrow piece of asphalt called Florida State Road 24, which runs through mile after mile of towering pine trees and only the odd sign of civilization before suddenly giving way to a series of small, pretty keys, including Havens Island and Candy Island. But it also means there are no crowded freeways with off-ramps leading to burger joints and chain store coffee shops. That means you’re not surrounded by giant cell phone towers. The nearest city of any size is Gainesville, about an hour east. “If we don’t get service, why should you?”Ĭedar Key is a community of less than 1,000 people on the gulf coast of Florida. “If that’s not it, honey, all I can tell you is that in you’re in Cedar Key,” she says with a laugh. “I think it’s XYZ,” she tells me, rattling off some secret code. My phone is struggling to reach one bar on the signal meter, so I ask my waitress, Diane, for the restaurant’s Wi-Fi password. Some businesses may no longer be around, so please check before you make plans.ĬEDAR KEY, FLORIDA – I’m having dinner at Duncan’s Waterfront Bar & Grill in remote Cedar Key Florida. I re-posted the story on my blog site in 2020. Here’s the story I wrote a few years ago for a Canadian newspaper. It was tough to see how Hurricane Idalia? damaged the town so badly, but I’m told things have improved dramatically and that most businesses have reopened. I visited Cedar Key several years ago and fell in love with the low-key atmosphere and the friendly locals.