The City of Anna Maria on the north end of the island is by far the quietest and most residential community on the island, with little retail and hotel lodging most visitors stay in vacation rental homes or condos. This adds to the tranquility and peacefulness of the north end of the island, however the trade off is that most conveniences are driving distance away.
For everyone not wanting to leave their beach chair for a week or two this is the spot. Although subtlety unique in their own way all three island communities offer and array of dining and lodging experiences sure to please each individual palate. There are many airports within a 3 to 4 hour radius of Manatee County and Anna Maria Island; however the two typically used are Tampa International and Sarasota-Bradenton International. Depending on where you stay on the island, North, Central, or South, a vehicle is not absolutely necessary but recommended.
There are several services that provide slow speed vehicles for rent like golf carts. The island has a typical central west coast Florida climate with hot summers and mild winters, with absolutely glorious weather in early spring and late fall. Visit our Anna Maria Island weather page for general information on weather conditions for each month out of the year. If you are planning boating while on the island, a visit to our Anna Maria Island wind and tidal information page is a must do.
Anna Maria Island Newspapers. We walked around Bean Point and paused to sit on a bench in the shade. Some say this is the least crowded beach. On Sundays, a craft market spreads out under the shade trees at Coquina Beach. There are picnic tables, grills, a walking trail and concessions. Bayfront Park , N. Bay Boulevard. It has lots of parking but it does fill up on weekends. It is a good place to park to walk around Bean Point, which is a beautiful place to watch the sunset. Anna Maria Island has plenty of appealing restaurants and bars and cute shops with apparel and decorative items.
Parking is hard to find. You can try nearby Cortez beach parking and walk over. This small entertainment district is located on the bayfront, anchored by a free fishing pier with fantastic views across the water to the fishing village of Cortez. A few of the buildings on Bridge Street are 80 to years ago and lend an Old Florida ambiance. In the middle of the block is a lushly landscaped garden that turns out to be a compact miniature golf range, probably a fun evening activity.
Newly rebuilt in after hurricane damage, there is a cafe at the end that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open daily from 7 a.
You can get ice cream, beer or wine. From many locations including from the Bridge Street Pier you can also arrange to get out on the water in various ways. There are dolphin-spotting tours, fishing charters, parasailing, sunset tours, jet skis and kayak rentals.
One bucket-list activity: Riding a horse into the water along a sandbar. The location is 20 minutes from Anna Maria Island. Cortez started as a rural community of fishing families in the s.
Descendants of those settlers still live here and there are still commercial fishing operations here, dating back many decades. If you visit Cortez, you can tour a small, free maritime museum reservations are required and wander a neighborhood of cute, historic cottages. The best thing to do, though, is to eat seafood at a classic Florida fish shack. There are a half dozen waterfront seafood restaurants but my favorite is the Star Fish restaurant , an outgrowth of the adjacent large seafood wholesale company founded in the s.
Star Fish has perhaps 15 tables overlooking a beautiful expanse of water and fishing boats and all food is ordered at the counter and all orders are cash only. The coves and shores along Sarasota Bay are excellent places to paddle. If you stay away from the channel with its power boats, you can find scenic beauty and tremendous wildlife. There are many kayak trails in the vicinity, all mapped out in an outstanding guide produced by Manatee County called Paddle Manatee.
During our visit, we stayed in a fabulous vacation rental on the water in Cortez and could launch a kayak from our own dock. We explored Cortez Cove and, wow, did we love the experience. We saw flocks of white pelicans, brown pelicans, herons, osprey and more. There were schools of fish visible in the water. The best part was reaching a rookery island as we paddled east along the shore where magnificent frigate birds were hanging out with their breeding plumage of vivid red neck wattles.
The harbor at Cortez is full of funky derelict fishing boats, shanties on stilts and other colorful boats. Anna Maria Island is a good base for exploring the many natural and historic wonders of the southern Tampa Bay region.
A few spots to explore within a half hour:. This is actually a national park, although quite small and modest. It has a spectacular location on the Bradenton River and a well-done three-quarter-mile trail along the water and through the mangroves, telling the story of the indigenous people and the Spanish explorers.
There is a small museum, not currently open. During normal times, in the winter there is a living history program telling the story of the native Americans. A real hidden gem, this site located on a peninsula at the very bottom of Tampa Bay, has several miles of trails both on land and for kayaks. Has more "resorts" i. And then the "bottom" section of AMI is 'Bradenton Beach" not to be confused with " Bradenton " - which is on the mainland and totally separate and apart for BB.
LOTS of nice restaurants and shops and places to stay. And there's easy access to Cortez on the other side of the bay. There's a FREE trolley that runs the length of the island. I'd recommend it for sightseeing, dining out, etc. If you want to go out shopping for groceries and other items, I'd use the car , but otherwise you can hop on and off the trolley without ever getting behind the wheel for the duration of your stay.
Rental costs cover the gamut - it would simply depend on how much you'd like to spend, how long you're staying, and what time of year you'll be coming to the area? That's "in season" in the area meaning higher rental prices and longer lines Several people on these boards have used Mike Norman Realty and swear by them With teenagers I think a pool would be good.
July and August are hot here and you might want to get off the beach and jump in the pool. If you kids like swimming definitely get a condo complex with a pool or a rental house with a pool. We snowbird here for three months now and we love the quiet of the north end but with teenagers you might want something where they could walk for ice cream, etc.
It is very confusing fhe first time because the town next to the island is Bradenton and the town on the island is Bradenton Beach. It took me a while to realize that. If you want to be on the island you want Bradenton Beach.
The new brochures are out now for the island so definitely request them. There are other rental agencies on the island people have used and are happy with.
They are all listed in the brochure which you can get for free or you can do a search on this forum for reputable agencies. There are so many rentals it will make you dizzy. For a first timer you should try to narrow down whether you want a home or a condo. There are also motels with kitchen units close to the beach. The whole island is only seven miles long and not that wide so you are usually not that far from the beach.
Nice places here are not cheap. That is the only "con" I can think of. You can call the chamber and request the map and brochure. The map will really help. We love the summer! The island is small enough that you are never far from restaurants or shops no matter which area you choose. Besides Mike Norman Realty, also check out www.
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