Florida Beach Dreams: Anna Maria Island

This is a post I started and never finished because pictures of the beach, who cares am I right? But ha ha 2020 came and it seems I won't be seeing a (warm) beach anytime soon, so please indulge me this trip down memory lane?

Normally this time of year we would be getting organized for our annual trip to Florida to visit my Mom/laze on the beach/do other Florida stuff. Where my Mom lives in Bradenton there are several islands, as well as Sarasota, and about 45 minutes north Tampa/St.Petersberg. 

We basically stick to Anna Maria Island for beach days, nearby Siesta  and Lido Key are also huge tourist spots, but Anna Maria Island is hands down my favourite for several reasons. It's somewhat touristy but in a kind of old school way, it's also local/residential in vibe, it is more of a chilled/family area than Siesta or Lido (which are also very nice beaches!) in my opinion.

Also there is more beach choice, you can go to Bradenton or Holmes or Bean Point at the top of the island, with Anna Maria having several areas of shops and restaurants, as well as more dotted around, and a free trolley, you could very easily stay on the island for an entire vacation. We actually rented a beach condo a few years ago and did just this. 

There is a lot of rental property including motels and hotels on the beach, houses and condos, as well as permanent residents so it's a nice mix in my opinion. There is a local am dram theatre, a library, a museum, a couple of churches, a beach branch of Publix (the best supermarket evah, get their fried chicken if you ever visit one!). 

It is super welcoming to day tourists, unlike some other local islands which are less plentiful with parking and general amenities. Bradenton Beach has lots of picnic tables and grills as well as a snack bar. My personal favourite Holmes/Manatee Beach (it is always changing names I can't keep up!) has a really great hot and cold seafood shanty/diner type food beach restaurant, a full tiki bar, plentiful bathrooms and outdoor shower/rinse spots, as well as lifeguards.

I still remember how excited we were the first couple of times we visited Florida and saw pelicans up close, nowadays it's a bit "Eh more pelicans" but I will still always try to take a pic if there is a large cluster like this!).

Pelicans, common as muck but still cool!

The water is warm, like bathwater warm, usually until around mid November. On a clear day you can see to the bottom of the turquoise sea, and the shallow low tide can extend out like an irresistible oasis. Sigh!...

I also really like the little area near the Bridge Street Pier, closest to Bradenton Beach. There are some cute homewares and tourist shops and a few restaurants, including a takeaway branch right on the pier of the popular local seafood restaurant Anna Maria Oyster Bar. Also leaving from this pier are regular wildlife sightseeing boats (I admit every year we say we are going to do this and never get around to it!).

The longer you spend at the beach, the more easily you can see yourself never leaving and decorating your beach cottage in whimsical and cool ways! (Maybe this is just me!).

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This is one of a few paths to Bean Point at the northern tip of Anna Maria Island. It's kind of a local secret in that there is no public parking but you are (the last I checked) allowed to park on local streets and walk to the beach. 

This beach, unlike Holmes and Bradenton, has no public restrooms, it's more something we have gotten into for a walk on the beach/occasional wildlife viewing on non-(full on, swimming and sunbathing) beach days. 

You see more people fishing up at this end, it's more quiet than the beaches further down the island, but I also kind of dig that about it. Also we saw a manatee here once and many locals report seeing them often!

I just love these little black and white birds! I think they are sandpipers?

David is so chilled after a beach vacation he even (sort of!) tolerates selfies!

The "big birds" are always fun to photograph because no matter how slow and patient you are, they always turn ever so slightly at the last second so you don't get the perfect shot, but also they are too lazy to fly away, so you can spend stupid amounts of time stalking them for pictures (maybe that's just me! ;-)).

There is another cute shop area nearby with a great homemade ice cream place called Two Scoops and the Rod N Reel, another, more rustic pier that is popular for fishing nearby. 

This was the year before last on a cloudy day

Thanks for indulging my day at the beach! I definitely recommend checking out this area if you ever get the chance. I have only mentioned a few things but there is lots more to see here for more adventurous water sports enthusiasts or boaters, as well as the more culture vulture scene of nearby Sarasota or slightly further away Tampa. 

I think because I started blogging after we had been visiting for several years I have been a bit slack about bigging up all that Florida has to offer. I know Florida is the cool state to hate on, especially in the current climate, but it really does have so much to offer beyond news headlines and isolated weirdness. No, I don't love some of the politics there, but most people I have met are kind and welcoming and I am really looking forward to being able to visit again, hopefully before too long...I miss the sun on my skin and the saltwater air and mostly, of course, my Mom!

Do you have any favourite vacation spots you are dreaming of visiting again someday?