Chris Jepson: The key for happiness

I recently spent a few days on Cedar Key. It’s a small island environment on the Gulf coast of Florida; about an hour’s drive due west from Gainesville. It’s a comfortable three-hour drive from Orlando. Since 1986 I’ve probably “vacationed” there 20 or so times. There are no amusement parks. Traffic congestion doesn’t exist and golf carts are the preferred mode of transportation. Besides the exquisite beauty of the place, what you quickly notice is how serenely quiet it is.

There are maybe 700 year-round residents. Arguably the cleanest coastal water in Florida is found in Cedar Key. Clams and oysters from Cedar Key are shipped all over Florida and America. If you travel there for a long weekend, you’ll have four or five “good” restaurants to choose from. I recommend Annie’s Café for breakfast and Tony’s, The Island Room and the Island Hotel for dinner. There’s a funky, friendly Cape Cod like bar in the Island Hotel. A word to the wise, there is but one small grocery store. It offers an adequate selection of cheeses and wines.

Go to Cedar Key to walk and unwind. I’ve taken bicycles a couple of times but walking will get you wherever you might meander. All my life I have been attracted to cemeteries. I like to walk among the dead and read what remains of their time on earth. Cedar Key has an enchanting cemetery, perched on what passes for a hill there, with the Gulf of Mexico lapping on three sides.

Walk out to the airport. You will not be disappointed. It’s changed a bit over the years. They’ve put up a fence to keep people off the tarmac. I once had an indignant local shout at me for riding my bicycle on the runway. I laughed but complied. Believe me, if you get struck by a plane landing on Cedar Key, well, perhaps, Darwinism is at work. Folks fly their small planes in for the experience or for lunch. The only cab in town will pick you up. That cab (and driver) is a story in and of itself.

There all sorts of places to stay and I must have stayed in 10 different establishments over the years. You can secure quite decent accommodations for six adults for $150 a night. There are two historical “institutions” on the island, both worth a look/see. The island was once covered in cedar trees but, alas, they were “harvested” over 100 years ago to make pencils.

Right off the main dock, oh, maybe ¾ of a mile out is a small island that I once swam to. I don’t recommend that. There are canoe rentals for such excursions. Secure a bottle of champagne, some fruit perhaps and your honey and head over to this small key. Great beaches. Lots of privacy. It has a wonderful history, too, with its own cemetery. No one lives there anymore. It is a great day excursion.

There are a number of small art shops and neighborhoods to peruse. You can dream of owning your own exotic get-away. I have. The town folds up by 9 p.m. You can be out walking at midnight and not encounter a soul. I like that. I recommend a room with a view (on the water) to awaken to the sound of lapping water. That is all you will hear. Suh-weeeeet.

Cedar Key is what folks call “old” Florida. It is and it isn’t. I’ll be back.