Travel Tips

Take a drive through the hidden treasure of Casey Key island
Don’t blink or you might miss the small island town of Casey Key, a strip of land located on the Gulf of Mexico nearby Nokomis and Venice Florida. The first time I crossed over the small drawbridge on Albee Road in Nokomis, I did not even realize that I had come to a new town although I knew I had entered into a beautiful area with a fabulous view of the ocean.

Casey Key offers a beautiful place to enjoy an afternoon relaxing on or near Nokomis Beach, boating or fishing, and taking in the view, especially the sunset, while walking along Casey Key Road.

The Southern part of Casey Key Road is rather narrow to drive through and you will find more commercialized properties, like small hotels and bed and breakfasts here, but the Northern part of Casey Key Road broadens out slightly and opens to a nice driving view with mostly residential homes. By no means is there much that would categorize Casey Key as a tourist area, as the zoning restrictions set do not allow for major high-rise hotels on the island. The best part about the drive or bike ride through Casey Key is that you are completely surrounded by water. Small hotels, apartments and family vacation homes line both sides of the street.  You will find a wide variety of residents and homes on the small barrier island, but all enjoy the same peaceful serenity of the small island while also appreciating all the amenities of Sarasota and Venice nearby.  

Casey Key got its name from a U.S. Army Captain named John Charles Casey who was assigned to the region to remove Seminole Indians in 1849. While Casey was assigned to the small Gulf Coast area he also helped in the coastal surveys for the U.S. government. His name appeared on the map where Casey Key now exists to mark the area where he was surveying. At the time the area was called Chaise’s Key but when the revised map came out in 1856, the name had been changed to Casey Key where his location had been marked.

During the 1920s rumors began on the island that there was treasure in the north end because a real estate developer came along trying to change the name to Treasure Island. The name did not stick and residents reverted back to the original Casey Key, which still remained.

The easiest way to access Casey Key is to walk or drive across the old fashioned drawbridge on Albee Road that separates Nokomis by the Intracoastal Waterway. If you turn left, you will end up at Nokomis Beach, which ends at the North Jetties on North Jetty Road. But if you take a right you will end up on Casey Key Road and can quickly drive or even bike ride through the rest of the stretch of the 8-mile town of Casey Key in a matter of minutes.