Anna Maria Island

Blog and Information Portal

Anna Maria Island Life...

What is Anna Maria Island Life?

Anna Maria Island Life is a group of websites that provide information about life on Anna Maria Island, planning a wedding, local businesses and services, as well as information about things like where to stay, where to eat, what to see and do while on Anna Maria Island, organized events and entertainment, even local issues and news.

What is the Anna Maria Island Life Blog?

The Anna Maria Island Blog is the hub that ties these web properties together.

For anyone planning a vacation on Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Lido Key or some other location close to Anna Maria Island, the Anna Maria Island Blog has a Vacation Equipment Rental and Supply category that may be of interest.

That's right, you can leave it all at home and just bring yourself!

Fun and More Beach, Bike and Baby Rentals, right here on beautiful Anna Maria Island... has everything you and your family need to enjoy your vacation of a life time!

Anna Maria Island update

Things are going great on Anna Maria.  The horrible BP oil spill never made our beach.   Our hearts goes out for all the other regions of the Gulf Coast that were effected.  From peoples livelyhoods to all the wildlife and toxic consequences for the environment.   As I go for my morning walks I pass over 30 turtle nests. I have included some pictures below so you know what they look like.    The nest should not be disturbed under any circumstanes as these baby turtle have a difficult time surviving already. 

I have also attached a wonderful picture of the beach from the air courtesy of Troy Morgan.  Mr Morgan's company is called photos from the air and he specializes in aireal photogrphay from an airplane or helicopter.

ABC's of Baby rentals on Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island baby supply rentals makes travelling with your baby, toddler or child as easy as A B C !  This almost sounds like a sesame street skit.

Here are some easy steps to  do after you have picked your dates and vacation rental home on Anna Maria Island.  Quick note for those who are not familar with Anna Maria Island that the Island is made up of 3 cities Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach.  The reason I bring this up is because we have guests ask us if we deliver to, for example, Holmes Beach, when they don't realize that Holmes Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island. 

1- Vist the baby equipment rental website and choose what you need for your vacation

2 - Call the baby rental company and place your order or go online to their rental website and place an order online

3 -  Your baby crib or highchair or whatever you ordered will be delieverd to your beach vacation home and set up and waiting for you upon your arrrival.

4-  When on Anna Maria and you discover you need other baby rental items give FunandMoreRentals.com a call at 941-462-2719 and they will deliver your additional items within an hour or 2.

5- When you are done with your baby rental items and your vacation, just leave the rental items where they were dropped off and the rental company will automatically pick them up.

Article compliments of www.FunAndMoreRentals.com Anna Maria Island bike rental, baby rental, kayak rental and beach supply rental company.

Save money at many local retailers on Anna Maria Island. Rent a bike at www.funandmorerentals.com , go to the Sandbar for lunch or dinner, or rent a scooter...many coupons inside www.Sunsavercoupons.com

Florida Beach, Bike and Baby Rentals

Beach, Bike and Baby Rentals for the Florida Vacation of a Life Time...

Vacationing in Western Florida has just gotten easier.

With the help of Fun and More Rentals, you don't need to bring a thing with you.  

This new and exciting Florida Beach, Bike and Baby Equipment Rental Company is locally owned and operated right here on Anna Maria Island.

Based on Anna Maria Island, it also provides vacation supply rentals to the Longboat and Siesta Key areas, and have plans for expansion into other geographic regions of Florida state.

Fun and More Vacation Rentals offers exactly what you need to have the Florida Vacation of your Dreams...

Boogie boarding to kayaking, men's women's and children's bike rentals, bocce ball to extra beds, beach coolers to beach chairs, food and snacks, spa treatments, fishing charters and a whole lot more!

Planning an Anna Maria Island Vacation

Enjoy an Anna Maria Island Vacation
Rental With All The Creature Comforts of Home...

If you and your family are looking for a Florida vacation experience of a life time, come to the Florida Gulf...

Come to beautiful Anna Maria Island?

Everything you and your family need, to enjoy your Florida vacation to the fullest, is right here at your disposal... on Anna Maria Island!

Vacation Rental Accommodations With a Difference

What if you and your family could go on vacation to a tropical island paradise, like Anna Maria Island, without giving up all the creature comforts of home?

That would be like the ultimate vacation experience... right?

Well, you can, and its easy to do. It's called an Anna Maria Island vacation rental!

Go to our Anna Maria Island Community Forum and tell us what you think. When visiting beautiful Anna Maria Island, why stay in a hotel, when vacation rentals provide you with all the comforts of home.

Driving to Anna Maria Island

How to Get to Anna Maria Island By Vehicle...

OK, you've got vacation time coming, you've read all the great stuff about Anna Maria Island... and now you wanna experience Anna Maria Island for yourself!

So just where in the heck is it exactly, and how do I get there?

Easy, go to How Do I Get To Anna Maria Island for detailed instruction.

You'll find a full description of where Anna Maria Island is located and how to get there.

From Orlando and Tampa in the north, and from Sarasota-Bradenton, as well as Ft. Meyers, Naples, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale in the south.

Welcome to Anna Maria Island Life.

Show Me The Fish Charters

Wanna Catch Some BIG FISH?
Then You'll Wanna Talk to Larry McGuire...

When it comes to catching BIG FISH, Mr. McGuire knows what he's talking about!

Larry is a native Floridian that comes from a family of hardcore fisherman. He grew up fishing in the Tampa Bay, Manatee River and on the flats.

Eventually he decided that offshore fishing was his true passion in life.

These days Larry fishes offshore from Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys.

"Thinking like the fish, and having those instincts, I know how the fish are and how they are biting at that time of year," Larry says, "it’s the key to being successful."

Well, successful is an understatement in Larry's case.

"Being on the water constantly, I’m always trying to improve techniques. When fishing is tough, that is when I fish the best... making it happen for all my clients!"

That's what you wanna hear if you're looking for a fish charter to take you out and show you the real fish. But don't take our word for it. Go to his blog and see for yourself... those are some mighty BIG FISH!

Bike Longboat Key

See Anna Maria Island and Longboat By Bike...

If you are into bicycling Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, there is a website you need to visit... Bike Longboat Key!

If you want to rent a bike on Anna Maria Island or Longboat Key, there is a site for that too... Fun and More Bike Rentals.

The Bike Longboat Key website is dedicated to the bike paths and shoulders on the Islands of Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island.

Lets face the facts. There are not many places left in Florida to ride a bicycle safely, so Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key are a real blessing to us cyclists.

Regardless, please ride safely!

The Ultimate Family Vacation Experience

Beach Combing, the Mote Aquarium and Sarasota Jungle Gardens...

Just came across a cool blog post of a family vacation to beautiful Anna Maria Island, and as is usually the case... everyone had a great time!

This particular Anna Maria Island vacation experience was very recent, in March actually. The weather they said was not too hot, and not too cool with a little rain just one day.

Wow, how's that for March ;-)

According to the post, and judging by the ton of pictures posted, they had a great time at their vacation rental, which of course came with pool.

Being located just two blocks from the beach meant they spent a lot of their vacation time on the beach.

Isn't that what Anna Maria Island is all about, heading straight to the beach?

Well, of course not. In fact if you frequent our Anna Maria Island Life blog then you know there is no shortage of things to do while vacationing on Anna Maria Island.

A visit to the Mote Aquarium brought them face to face with some rescued dolphins, a shark tank, manatees, sea turtles and lots of jellyfish.

There were touch tanks for the youngest member of the crew and the... "beautiful jellyfish were mesmerizing."

Anna Maria Island Photography

Looking for a Photographer to Shoot Your Wedding or Special Event?

If so, give Billi a call,
At Memories by Billi, on Anna Maria Island.

With the 2010 Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival having come and gone, many of you may already be well into the planning stages of your dream wedding... right here on beautiful Anna Maria Island.

Anna Maria Island after all, is one of Florida's best kept secrets and has quickly become one of the top ranked wedding locations in America today. And if the success of this years Wedding Festival is any indication, Anna Maria Island wedding vendors are about to experience their busiest season yet.

For those of you still in the planning stages, its important to understand that of all the different aspect of your wedding, the photographer and wedding pictures are something you simply do not want to leave to chance.

Photographic services are one of the most important services you will employ on this very special day.

With this in mind, you'll want to take your time in selecting a wedding photographer that is just right for you... and you'll want to book them well in advance of your wedding day.

Our currently featured Anna Maria Island Photographer is Billi Gartman of www.MemoriesByBilli.com.

If you are planning a wedding on (or near) Anna Maria Island, then you simply have to talk to Billi at Memories by Billi.

Save on Bike Rentals

Rent a Bicycle on Anna Maria Island...

And save $$$ when you do!

Anna Maria Island is a two wheel adventure just waiting to happen.

A subtropical island paradise off the west coast of Florida, Anna Maria Island is the closest thing to the perfect bicycle tour you'll ever experience... and its right smack in the Gulf of Mexico.

A rented bicycle is the best way to see Anna Maria Island. 

And with the help of Sun Saver Coupons, exclusive to Anna Maria Island... you can now save yourself a fiver on your rental!

Just visit the Sun Saver website, print out your Bike Rental Coupon and your set. You can tour Anna Maria by rented bike and save yourself a few bucks while you do.

It just doesn't get any better than that, now does it?

By bike is the most rewarding and enjoyable way to take in and explore this stylish Old Florida community.

Lugging your bicycle around with you while traveling isn't really an option you say, and even if it is, its a pain in the royal you know what.

So what do you do?

Well, there is a solution and its called Fun and More Bicycle Rentals.

Visit Fun and More Bicycle Rentals today and begin your tour of Paradise!

Music, Museums, Muses and the Arts

The Anna Maria Island Muse: Overseeing The Arts...

Anna Maria Island and area have a great array of art and culture to share with the community and visitor alike.

Here at the Anna Maria Island Life blog we try and represent that heritage by posting the galleries and organizations that make it possible.

Anna Maria Island Muses

The Greek goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences were called Muses. They were believed to inspire all artists, especially poets, philosophers, and musicians.

These Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.

The Muses sat near the throne of Zeus, king of the gods, and sang of his greatness and of the origin of the world and its inhabitants and the glorious deeds of the great heroes. From their name words such as music, museum, mosaic are derived. 

Much like the Greeks of the day, in 'this day'... Anna Maria Island too has its Muses. The following is a list of Anna Maria Island Muses (as displayed on the Island Players website).

Health and Fitness Club Disounts

Save on Your Health and Fitness...

That's right, now you can get fit and save money too, on any short term membership at the Anna Maria Island Health and Fitness Center.

Simply visit the Sun Saver Coupons website at www.SunSaverCoupons.com to save 15%.

City of Anna Maria and the Pine Ave Restoration Project

Growth and Development Controversy Ripples Through Quiet Anna Maria Island Community...

It's being reported in an article at the Bradenton Herald that the "normally laid-back island community" of Anna Maria has been stirring with turmoil and controversy over the past few weeks."

The controversy is the "old debate between those who want this one-square-mile city of 1,000 on the northern end of Anna Maria Island to remain as it was when they moved here... and those who would like to see changes, especially in the commercial district along Pine Avenue."

"It boiled over two weeks ago when a legal consultant, Michael Barfield, requested under Florida Sunshine Law all the e-mails first-term City Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus had sent from city or personal computers regarding city business."

The first batch of e-mails from Stoltzfus’ home computer generated nearly nine hundred pages of documents, and more than 1,260 pages on the second. Barfield said in reading the e-mails it appeared Stoltzfus was trying to target a particular business, the Pine Avenue Restoration Project, referred to as PAR.

Life Is Good When You Live In Paradise!

Visit Anna Maria Island Once and
You're Sure to Come Back... Again, and Again...

Yes, that is today's tag line and we mean every word of it!

Living here on Anna Maria Island truly is like living in paradise because Anna Maria Island is a tropical island paradise like no other.

A bold statement you say?

Well, maybe.

But then if the Anna Maria Island vacation experiences section of the Anna Maria Island blog is any indication, it is a tag line that fits well with what vacationers are saying about their time on Anna Maria Island.

Share a Piece of
Anna Maria Island With The World

Have you been to Anna Maria Island?

If so, would you like to share your Anna Maria Island experience?

Perhaps you live on the island and would like to contribute your craft and expertise on an Anna Maria Island topic of your own choosing.

We encourage you to do so. Its as easy as writing your article and submitting it to us.

Simply contact us directly and we will tell you how!

Had an Experience on Anna Maria Island You'd Like To Share?

Then Share It With Us,
So We Can Share It With The World...

Do you live on Anna Maria Island?

Do you love Anna Maria Island as much as we do?

If so, then take advantage of this opportunity to tell the world why. Write us an article and we will publish it on the Anna Maria Island blog.

Got a hobby or serious interest that somehow involves Anna Maria Island?

Are you a landscaper, gardener, fisherman, business person or authority on something you do on Anna Maria Island?

Have you vacationed on Anna Maria Island?

Maybe you would like to write an article about your Anna Maria Island vacation experience, or what its like growing up or living on the Florida Gulf coast... on beautiful Anna Maria Island.

Its entirely up to you what you submit, so long as its something you are passionate about, it would be of interest to others, and that its to do with Anna Maria Island. In other words, if you think you would like to write about something that would be of interest to readers of the Anna Maria Island Life blog, then by all means... write it and we'll publish it.

It just has to be appropriate and something our readers would find interesting.

Welcome to Anna Maria Island Life, a website and online portal to all the good things that are Anna Maria Island.

Bike Trails

Wanna Take in Anna Maria Island by Bike...

Rent a bike from Fun and More Rentals, located right here on Anna Maria Island.

Are there bike trails for us two wheel freaks when we land on Anna Maria Island?

Well, I guess it depends what you call bike trails.

There is a new bike lane along Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach, located on Anna Maria Island. There are also bike lanes in Holmes Beach (central Anna Maria Island), and in Anna Maria City, our most northern and charming village on Anna Maria Island!

Anna Maria Island is probably one of the last remaining quaint, Old Florida style islands left.

Anna Maria Island Baby Rentals

Crib, Stroller and High Chair Rentals on Anna Maria Island...

Anna Maria Island's 'Fun and More' Beach, Bike and Baby Rentals is expanding into new geographic locations along the Florida Gulf coast.

In the interest of serving these different location best, Anna Maria Island now has its own dedicated vacation equipment and supply rental website.

Anna Maria Island Baby Rentals

The new Anna Maria Island vacation rentals website is simply called Anna Maria Island Baby Rentals and is located at http://AnnaMariaIsland.FunandMoreRenta ls.com.

The reason we went with 'baby rentals', when Fun and More Rentals clearly rents everything from bikes and kayaks to beach chairs, coolers and beds, is because baby and toddler beds, cribs, strollers, high chairs and other baby furniture items by far make up the lions share of the vacation supply rental requests serviced by Fun and More Rentals.

In other words, the new Anna Maria Island Baby Rentals website was create so you, our customer, can find the baby rental products you need... even easier!

Festivals, Art, Theater, History and Other Must See Events

Anna Maria's Island's Cultural Connection...

Realize Bradenton is all about the arts, the culture and the heritage behind the community of Bradenton.

The idea of turning downtown Bradenton into a vibrant hot spot, or 'Cultural Destination' if you will, seems to have rubbed off on neighboring Anna Maria Island.

As January Holmes put it in his recent article entitled 'Buzz Worthy: Anna Maria's Cultural Connection'... the idea of a Cultural Connection is, "a contagious phrase — in a good way." In the article he says, "I recently had the opportunity to meet a group trying to make a difference for Anna Maria Island — Cultural Connections. It’s mission: promoting the island’s appealing cultural attributes."

He goes on to explain that, "Those attributes are more than the white sand beaches that lure thousands of visitors each year." And lets face it, he is right when he says, "One can only sit on the beach so long before wondering what other things are hidden in this tropical paradise."

Anna Maria Island truly is a tropical paradise. That... no one would deny, yet there is so, so much more, and that’s where Cultural Connections comes in. Cultural Connections on Anna Maria Island is the "guiding light to area festivals, art, theater, history and other must-see events".

Vacation Destination Like No Other

Things To Do On Anna Maria Island...

You are planning a trip to paradise, but you've never been there and are wondering what to expect.

Just what are some things to do while visiting Anna Maria Island you ask?

Well, Anna Maria Island truly is a spectacular place to both live and visit.

Surrounded by Gulf of Mexico waters, trimmed with miles of sugar white sand beaches and teaming with life.

There certainly is no shortage of things to see and experience on Anna Maria Island, and we'd like to take this opportunity to recap just what some of those things are.

Vacation Destination Like No Other

It's been said that from the moment your toes touch the sands of Anna Maria, you'll know you've arrived at a vacation destination unlike anywhere you've been before.

While on Anna Maria Island, there is no need to plan your day around crowds, rush and traffic... cause those things simply cease to exist once you set foot in this laid back, Old Florida Paradise in the Sun!

As soon as your feet hit the beach, you chart your own course. Simply soak up the sun, or better yet... surf, jet ski, scuba dive, go boating and fishing... or create your own unique island adventure.