Cedar Key and Steinhatchee

In days gone by Cedar Key derived its income from harvesting the local cedar trees for pencil making but as the cedar forests were not managed sustainably the industry ground to a halt when there were no more trees to fell.

Cedar Key all but became a ghost town with a thousand or so remaining residents turning to the sea to earn a living. Slowly but surely, Cedar Key has reinvented itself and is well-known for its fresh seafood and restaurants. The gastronomic highlight of the year is the Seafood Festival sponsored by the local Lions Club in October. Another attraction is the Cedar Key Sidewalk Arts Festival which takes place in April.

The Cedar Key area lacks the sandy beaches found elsewhere but is made up of numerous shallow saltwater estuaries providing a varied habitat for many types of fish and aquatic life, particularly scallops and oysters.

Steinhatchee holds the title of bay scallop capital where the numerous charters are happy to take visitors out to catch their own scallops before returning to have them prepared in one of the many friendly local restaurants. For more information check out our vacation guide.