Florida Vacation: Cedar Key, Florida

I recently attended a friend's wedding in Cedar Key, Florida and have to say that it was a very pleasant experience to visit this area.

It seems that when people think of a coast-line vacation in Florida, they mention places like South Beach (Miami) or Daytona Beach. What about the other side of Florida? It seems like the Gulf Coast doesn't get enough attention. Cedar Key is on the Gulf Coast and, in my humble opinion, is just as gorgeous as Miami. If you don't know where Cedar Key is located, then just look at the map of Florida - it is in the "armpit" of the state.

This town has a great small, cozy and friendly feeling to it. It's not your typical commercial vacation setting where you have tons of enormous skyscrapers sitting side by side. Majority of the hotels and motels along the coast are small in size, as you will have a hard time finding many hotels over three stories high. If you only settle for places like the Hilton, then this probably isn't the place you want to vacation at. If you are a partier, then this probably isn't the place for you, either. They actually do have some bars on the dockside that can be lively at night, but you're not going to find any fancy dance clubs here nor will you find large crowds of all-night partiers.

This is the kind of place where you want to vacation if you simply want to relax in a laid back area and enjoy the beautiful coastline by doing some occasional fishing, boating, seafood eating and browsing some of their little shops. It has a soothing aura to it, as there is not even much traffic. Actually, I noticed that most of the traffic was in the form of golf carts, which several vacationers had rented during their stay. During my last day at Cedar Key, I had dinner at a dockside restaurant, during which time me and my friend looked outside in awe as we saw countless dolphins, only 20 feet away, swimming past the fishing docks. It was a pretty image to end a glorious and relaxing weekend.

I have nothing bad to say about this area. Its historic-small-town-look was very pleasant to be around. The only warning I can give anybody is to be careful what you wear. More specifically, be careful about wearing attire that represents the Florida State Seminoles! Cedar Key is "Florida Gator" friendly, so you may get some dirty looks if you are wearing the colors of one their most fierce and historic rivals! But don't worry, they won't hurt you!