Just under an hour northeast of Tampa, Pasco County’s Dade City is an underrated gem for treasure hunters, antique collectors, and thrift maniacs. If you love strolling through boutiques that still have handwritten price tags and creaky wooden floors, this little town is for you. What sets Dade City apart isn’t just the number of antique shops, though there are plenty. It’s the quality of the finds and the friendliness of the locals.
If you’re on a hunt in Florida for the best shops to go antiquing, Dade City is dotted with curated antique stores and specialty shops along the streets of its historic downtown. Users on Tripadvisor recommend shops like Antiques on the Main Street, Ivy Cottage Antiques & Wine, The Rusty Rooster, and Thaila’s American Eagle Antiques, Too. But walking around, you’re sure to find more boutiques and hidden gems bursting with furniture, records, retro signs, jewelry, and mid-century oddities you didn’t know you needed. You can make a day of it, too. Stop for homemade pie at Lunch on Limoges or sip something citrusy from a sidewalk café while planning what you’ll do with all your old-but-new goodies.
After you’ve shopped ’til you’ve dropped, you may want to continue your historical exploration at Dade City’s Pioneer Florida Museum or at one of Florida’s most underrated state parks, Dade Battlefield Historic State Park, which is just about 25 minutes away in Bushnell. This park memorializes The Dade Battle of 1835 through battlefield reenactments in January. There’s a ton of other stuff to do in the park as well, from enjoying the outdoors to exploring the on-site museum.
Dade City’s citrus roots and charming community
While Dade City’s shopping scene is reason enough to visit, its citrus-growing heritage and neighborly vibes give it an extra dose of charm. For decades, Dade City was the center of Florida’s kumquat industry, and the town still holds onto that legacy with pride. Each January, the annual Kumquat Festival brings in thousands of visitors for citrus-infused goodies, live performances, and streets packed with local vendors hawking all sorts of goods, from art and homemade jams to cheese and baked treats. If you attend the festival, be sure to have a slice (or two) of Rosemary Gude’s Famous Kumquat Pie, aka the official pie of Pasco County.
Dade City’s Main Street, anchored by a historic courthouse, also hosts farmers markets, antique car shows, and fun celebrations that make visitors feel like a part of the community. Locals might point you to Kafe Kokopelli, a surprisingly good restaurant inside an over 100-year-old brick building originally built to sell Ford Model-Ts. Or, you might be steered to check out the Church Street Historic District just a few blocks away. Even the local museum, Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum, is worth a look. It’s housed in an old train depot and tells the story of how the railroad, citrus groves, and Southern hospitality built this small-town Florida gem.
Planning your visit to Dade City, Florida
