Guide to beaches in Anna Maria Island, Florida
Once you come to Anna Maria Island you won’t want to leave. With the old world, Floridian charm welcoming you to a warm, friendly relaxing way of life, the rows of million dollar homes that have celebrities frolicking here, the award winning restaurants and the quaint shops, how could you not want to stay here for the rest of your life?
Ah yes the beaches, they are what makes this island stretching into the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico a wonder to behold. You may feel like you died and went to heaven as you run out onto one of these glorious beaches, fling yourself on the sand and just lie in the warm sun, on the coral white sand admiring the shimmering water.
Here is just a sample of the pleasurable beaches on Anna Maria Island:
Cortez Beach is a family friendly beach, just past the drawbridge that connects Anna Maria Island with the Tampa Bay Causeway. The beaches of Anna Maria Island are not famous for surfing, but at this beach you can actually catch a wave or two here, with surfers frolicking here to catch the action. This is a public beach and offers not one but two playgrounds, and also has volleyball nets. Plentiful parking abounds here and there are concession stands to buy food and beach gear.
Coquina Beach is public and is just past Cortex Beach. It has plenty of free parking under shady pines. There are lifeguards on the main part of this beach. Coquina Beach has restrooms, concession stands, a boat ramp, a shaded picnic area, and sparkling waters to swim, boat, para-sail, and scuba dive in. On this beach you will want to do the “stingray shuffle”. This is while in shallow water you will want to kick up a little sand as to gently move smaller shy stingray out of the way. There’s a boat ramp here to launch a kayak into the waters of the Anna Maria Sound. Leffis Nature Park is also located near this beach where there is an abundance of wildlife including pelicans fiddler crabs, and raccoons found in the mangroves.
Holmes Beach is located at the center of the island in the business district. Holmes Beach offers a soothing, calming beach experience. Holmes beach is a long thin beach with a lot of shady trees. There is plenty of parking here, and while there are several other smaller beaches extending off Holmes, they are more private with parking only on side streets. This beach has shaded picnic tables, and restrooms. The area is very residential and is dotted with vacation rentals.
Bradenton Beach is an area of the island that is home to many condos and has many charming shops and award winning restaurants just over the dunes. Bradenton Beach is one of the best locations on the island to fish. However anglers are asked to observe regulations of fish size and limits. Dolphins can be seen from any of the beaches, and Bradenton Beach is a great place to watch dolphins frolic in the water. Home to the Regina Shipwreck, a steel tanker that sank in 1940, Bradenton Beach is a great area to scuba dive.
Manatee Beach offers a wide expanse of public beach with a lot of shaded parking, picnic tables, restrooms, and showers. Very popular with locals and visitors alike, but be forewarned; get here early on the weekend. Manatee Beach is a family friendly beach with a playground area complete with volleyball nets and lifeguards. This is also a great beach as they all are on the island for shell hunting. But you are asked to take only two sand dollars and starfish, because they are living creatures.
Anna Maria Island has the most incredibly beautiful beaches in Florida and possibly the most enchanting beaches in the world. The island is very hard to resist, and once you are here, you will want to stay forever.