Jeffrey Pettis, Park Manager
We welcome you on a journey to experience a timeline of Cedar Key’s history at Cedar Key Museum State Park. The handcrafted exhibits provide a window into its early beginnings with the indigenous people who once lived off the land to the booming timber industry of the 19th century and more. The museum also displays the collections of St. Clair Whitman, a former Cedar Key resident whose extensive collection of seashells and Native American artifacts was once featured in National Geographic.
Beyond the museum, our park offers visitors a chance to step back in time through the historic Whitman house, where Mr. Whitman himself had created Cedar Key’s first Museum. His home was dedicated to the park by St. Clair Whitman’s surviving family in 1991. The house has been restored to what it would have looked like in the 1920s.
Touring the house offers a unique look into a bygone way of life on Florida’s Gulf Coast, an experience only possible at Cedar Key Museum State Park.
Once you’ve had your fill of touring indoors, take a leisurely stroll to view the beautiful salt marsh on the Whitman Trail and make use of the shallow areas to launch your kayaks into the waters beyond.