Pasco County, Florida
Port Richey
Everyone shortens the Pithlachascotee. Johnny Cash lived on it for twenty-three years.
Johnny Cash kept a house on the Pithlachascotee here from 1979 until 2002.
What this place is
Why Port Richey is here
Aaron M. Richey arrived from St. Joseph, Missouri and settled near the mouth of the Pithlachascotee River in 1883, opening a post office on 9 July 1884. The city incorporated in 1925, in response to New Port Richey incorporating the year before.
The river made the place - the settlement began at its mouth, and the city still carries the motto On the Beautiful Pithlachascotee River.
- 1883Aaron Richey settles the river mouth
- 1925Incorporated
- 1979Cash buys the river house
Worth the trip
What to look for
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The Pithlachascotee River, the city's original reason for being and the feature its motto names.
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Gulf View Square, the enclosed shopping mall just north of the city.
Hotels, inns, rentals and campgrounds
Where to Stay
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Campgrounds
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Campgrounds
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Resorts
Restaurants, seafood, cafes and bars
Where to Eat
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Restaurants · $$
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Restaurants · $
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Bars Breweries · $
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Restaurants · $
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Restaurants · $
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Grand Sushi Hibachi Buffet
Restaurants · $
Parks, beaches, museums, tours and charters
Things to Do
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Golf
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Golf
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Parks Nature
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Parks Nature
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Lake Lisa Park
Parks Nature
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Attractions
Port Richey on the record
Pictures of the place
Archive and Creative Commons photographs of Port Richey. Nothing here is generated; every image is credited to the person who took it.
74 guides, written from this town’s own record
Guides
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The Best Things to Do in Port Richey, Florida
Port Richey is a river town first, and everything else—the parks, the launches, the slow afternoons—comes from that.
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Best Restaurants in Port Richey, FL (2025 Guide)
Port Richey's dining scene splits cleanly down the middle: a quiet riverfront where the Pithlachascotee still sets the pace, and a long, practical stretch of US-19 where the town's everyday meals happen.
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Where to Stay in Port Richey: Hotels, Inns and Rentals
Port Richey isn't a hotel town in the way Tampa or Clearwater are. It’s smaller, quieter, and the lodging options reflect that—mostly chains working the US-19 corridor, plus a few rentals closer to the water. You’re not coming here for a resort scene. You’re coming for the river, and for the low-key pace that made Johnny Cash keep a house on the Pithlachascotee from 1979 until 2002. That’s the context. Here’s where you actually lay your head.
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Port Richey, FL Weekend Guide: River, Food & Things to Do
Port Richey sits at the mouth of the Pithlachascotee River, a town of about 3,200 people where the water is the reason for everything. The dining scene along US-19 is more about dependable chains than culinary surprises.
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16 Things to Know Before Visiting Port Richey, FL
Port Richey is a small town on the Pithlachascotee River where the water sets the pace and the dining strip along US-19 handles the rest.
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The Best Time of Year to Visit Port Richey
The best time to visit Port Richey is the week after the snowbirds leave, when the river goes quiet and the town remembers it answers to the tide, not the season.
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Port Richey vs New Port Richey: Which Florida River Town to Visit
Port Richey is the original river town. The quieter half of the pair that New Port Richey grew out of. Its appeal is the water and the pace, not the attractions.
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The History of Port Richey in 6 Landmarks
The Pithlachascotee River is the reason Port Richey exists, and these six landmarks explain how a tiny riverside settlement became the town it is today.
Public record
Port Richey by the numbers
- 3,229Residents (2023)
- 14.3% Homes held for seasonal use
- 176 Places in this guide