On July 22, Trevor and I celebrated 24 years of marriage, that's a definite cause for celebration!
24 years ago, we never imagined owning our own business which is extremely busy during the summer months. Hence, we can never plan a getaway weekend, knowing that a week of rain or maybe even a hurricane could thwart our plans.
We talked about 'winging it' and just taking off somewhere, but I'm more of a planning kind of girl. We discussed booking a hotel room for one night, still unsure where we would even want to go.
Living in Florida, the beach is always an option but we work outside and get enough of the sun and heat.
Disney is always an option but we hardly relax when at Disney and we literally just wanted to relax.
There's always camping!
The truth is, I am spoiled with having an RV. I enjoy my own bed, bathroom, kitchen, etc...
Now we needed a campsite (on short notice) somewhere close as we wanted to leave on Thursday afternoon to make it a 3 day weekend, and someplace relaxing.
We decided Cedar Key would be a perfect place to chill for 3 days. I found a great review for Cedar Key RV Resort, hooked up and headed north.
For anyone not familiar with Cedar key, check out this link.
Cedar Key is a tiny fishing town on the Gulf of Mexico, the true 'old Florida' There are no chain restaurants or hotels, all mom & pop establishments. Full of historic stuff, artsy-farsty stuff and the freshest seafood around.
The Good: Extremely quiet, 24 miles to the nearest city. Beautiful old buildings and homes. Excellent food choices. Extremely dog friendly (Most bars and even some shops allow dogs) Wildlife and scenery are insane and everyone lives on 'Island time' If you're into hustle & bustle, Cedar key is not the place for you!
The Bad: Not the best vacation for children, there is very little to do. While you are on the Gulf, there is no white sandy beach or blue water to swim in, the water is brown and murky due to the clams. Being so close to the water, the mosquitoes and sand gnats will feast on any part of your body that's not covered in bug spray.
Let's travel shall we?
It took us exactly one hour to arrive at the resort.
The office
Check in was a breeze. The manager Connie was super sweet, gave me a rally discount, a ton of paperwork with maps & wi-fi password and sent me to site #45.
3 nights, full hook-up and free wi-fi = $98.00
(Close to one night reservation at Disney with no wi-fi)
We did a minimum set up, only one bunk down and no screen room or site decorations.
The view under my awning.
From behind our site
Mason was in camping heaven!
A stroll around the campground
Off leash dog park
Old firetruck that sits at the entrance
The backside of the office is a clubhouse with big screen tv, comfy chairs and such. The pool is also up there between the restrooms and the clubhouse.
Keep in mind, we were 7 miles from the Gulf so flooding is always a concern. You'll notice that everything is elevated for this reason.
I can say whoever designed this resort did an excellent job with the sites being elevated and the drainage system. We got a TON of rain while there and never once encountered standing water
(which is a breeding ground for skeeters)
A small pond/drainage area in the back of the grounds
While I warmed up some lasagna, this was my view out the kitchen window.
We didn't mind a bit! We had no plans this evening other than to relax and eat.
Friday morning, we woke up to more rain. I cooked some breakfast and sat outside in between each shower.
This big guy was squawking up a storm! Guess he didn't enjoy the rain as much as we did.
When the rain allowed, we walked Mason.
Kudos to the person who came up with this name for their rv: Cramalot Inn
*Don't we all?*
When the rain subsided, we hopped in the truck and drove onto the island.
We parked at the city park and walked through the streets
After we strolled through the shops (and I picked out what I wanted to buy later) we stopped in a waterfront bar for a cocktail
Not a bad view when you're enjoying an adult beverage!
Trevor had a beer but I went for the good stuff. When on an island, one should have a fruity drink complete with an umbrella.
While enjoying our drink, I kept telling Trevor that our bartender looked so familiar it was driving me crazy. Turns out, it was someone who used to live in our town but moved up to the island 6 years ago. Of all the lounges that we could have stopped into, in the dead of the afternoon, we ran into someone we knew.
It really is a small world!
Around 3:00, we walked back over the bridge
We knew where we wanted to eat and we were told to get there early or there would be a long wait.
We were headed to Tony's for the clam chowder.
Not just any old chowder, but 3 time champion clam chowder!
We were seated right away at a table for two.
Here's my view out the window
I knew right away I had to try the fried green beans and they did not disappoint!
*Mouth is watering*
Trevor had a salad since he got a full dinner which include clams three ways (fried, steamed and the famous chowder) and also potato salad.
I had the philly steak sandwich with coleslaw
Everything was outstanding and Trevor and I both agreed it would be worth the hour drive to go back just for dinner!
With our bellies full, we drove back to the campground to let Mason out and digest all that great food.
You can see as we drove out, it was low tide. Those are all sandbars sticking out of the water.
Mason was happy to see us and found a palm frond that had fell during the last bout of rain.
He flipped it all around
Then destroyed it
When the next wave of storms hit, Trevor and I sat under the awning while Mason assumed his favorite position (ass-end in the AC, head out the door so he can see whats going on without getting wet)
Did I mention that Mason is spoiled?
Saturday morning we woke up to a bit of rain but it cleared up nicely so we headed back to the island. This time we took Mason with us since he was on vacation too!
We parked at the park again and took Mason down to the beach.
Then shortened up his leash
and walked through the town
After making his Cedar Key debut, Mason was tired out so we took him back to camp for some rest and water.
not before looking longingly at all the kids playing along the water though.
Our plan for the evening was to come back, do some shopping and pick up a pizza from another highly recommended pizza place.
On our next visit into town, I picked up a t-shirt that I wanted,
bought Nathen some dip to bring home
and this solar light made by a local man
We also stopped at Island Pizzeria, put in our order, then drove some of the back streets while they were baking our pie.
Hundreds of crab traps
Cottages across from pizzeria that you can rent
The finished product, which was worth the wait
Sunday morning, I was up early and for the first morning since we'd been there, it wasn't raining!
I enjoyed a cup of coffee while enjoying the real sounds of nature
We were packed up and ready to head out by 8:30
We were home in an hour, unpacked and still had all day Sunday to top off a great weekend.
Despite the rains and the bug bites, spending the weekend with my husband/best friend was just what the doctor ordered!
