Florida offers hidden travel gems far beyond Disney World and Miami Beach. Small coastal towns and nature spots are often ...

1. Swim, kayak, paddle board at Cedar Key Beach Cedar Key Beach is a small area by the marina with a strip of white sand, palm trees, and a sectioned off swimming area.

In a straight line, Horseshoe Beach is 25 miles from Cedar Key, although it's a 70-mile drive along two-lane roads to get from one to another.

Cedar Key has the unique distinction of being the only coastal community in Florida where tourism is not the primary economic engine. It's aquaculture — clam farming — by a wide margin.