Cedar Key Museum State Park — a state park in Levy County, Florida — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 39 km (24 mi) WNW of Inglis.
Cedar Key State Museum is an 18 acres (7.3 ha) Florida State Park located at 12231 SW 166th Court, Cedar Key, Florida. The museum displays items collected by Saint Clair Whitman, a local resident who established the first museum in his home. His collection included such items as sea shells and Indian artifacts. The museum displays these as well as dioramas depicting life around Cedar Key and contains a large collection of related historical information. An important feature of the museum is the Saint Clair Whitman house, built in the 1880s and acquired by Whitman in the 1920s. The house has been restored to depict life in Cedar Key c. 1920 - 1930. It was moved to the museum site in 1991 and restored for public viewing. The Memory Walk, a brick trail, links the house to the museum. In addition to the museum, there is a short nature trail. Among the wildlife of the park are gray...From the Wikipedia article “Cedar Key Museum State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cedar Key Museum State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:37 AM | 90° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:34 AM | 63° ENE | 8:35 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 117° ESE | 5:39 PM | 244° WSW | 37° | 10h 17m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:02 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:22 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 29m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 10m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:14 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:43 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:27 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 52m |
| May | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 36m |
| June | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 00m |
| July | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:00 PM | 13h 50m |
| August | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 12m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:03 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 42m |
| December | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 18m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Cedar Key Museum State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 32° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.8 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:00 AM – 6:20 AM | 2.3 | 29° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 3.7 | 32° | SE → S |
| May | 11:57 PM – 5:07 AM | 5.2 | 32° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:09 PM – 4:49 AM | 6.7 | 32° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:06 PM – 3:26 AM | 5.3 | 32° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:39 PM – 1:29 AM | 3.8 | 32° | S → SW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 11:28 PM | 2.5 | 29° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:22 PM – 9:22 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.66 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (66%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 72 | 73 | 76 | 80 | 86 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 87 | 81 | 75 |
| Low °F | 32 | 39 | 44 | 52 | 60 | 71 | 77 | 76 | 66 | 54 | 43 | 40 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 10.9 | 6.2 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 4.2 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Cedar Key Museum State Park, closest first.
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cedar Key Museum State Park?
What time is golden hour at Cedar Key Museum State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cedar Key Museum State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cedar Key Museum State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cedar Key Museum State Park?
How far is Cedar Key Museum State Park from Inglis?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.