Anna Maria, Largest of the Bradenton-Sarasota Islands...
Anna Maria Island is the largest of the Bradenton-Sarasota islands. Sometimes called Anna Maria Key, Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the coast of Manatee County, on the central west coast of Florida.
Anna Maria Island is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the south by Longboat Pass (which separates it from Longboat Key), on the east by Sarasota Bay and Sarasota Pass, and on the north by Tampa Bay.
Anna Maria Island is approximately seven miles long north to south, with a latitude of 27.513N and longitude of -82.719W.
Anna Maria Island has three distinct communities, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria City.
All of Anna Maria Island has some historic feel to it.
Anna Maria Island is blessed with seven miles of sugar white sand beaches gently sloping into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Of these beaches, the finest are located at Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach.
Anna Maria Island History
The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his crew entered the mouth of Tampa Bay north of Anna Maria in May, 1539, but passed it by to make their landfall on the mainland.
In 1892 George Emerson Bean homesteaded the northern 160 acres (0.65 km2) of the island and became its first permanent resident... and the rest is history!
Learn more about the History of Anna Maria Island.
Transportation To, From and On Anna Maria Island
The main north-south road onto Anna Maria Island is Gulf Drive, which begins on the south end of the island at the foot of the Longboat Pass Bridge from Longboat Key, and is the only road that runs the entire length of the island.
There are two bridges across Sarasota Bay that join Anna Maria Island to the mainland: the Cortez Bridge, which brings State Road 684 into Bradenton Beach from Cortez, and the Manatee Avenue Bridge, which brings State Road 64 into Holmes Beach from the Palma Sola section of Bradenton.
Anna Maria Island is also uniquely serviced by a free trolley-style bus that runs north and south on Gulf Drive. The trolley connects with both the MCAT (Manatee County Area Transit) system serving the greater Bradenton area, and the SCAT (Sarasota County Area Transit) system.
The MCAT connects to the trolley at Manatee Public Beach, at the intersection of State Road 789 and State Road 64. The SCAT connects to the trolley at Coquina Beach, at the south end of Anna Maria Island, just before the Longboat Key Bridge. Several local taxi companies serve Anna Maria Island.
Anna Maria Island was only accessible by boat until 1921, when the wooden Cortez Bridge was constructed from the fishing village of Cortez to what is now Bridge Steet in Bradenton Beach. The remaining parts of the Cortez Bridge are used as a fishing pier.
Anna Maria Island Tourism
Anna Maria Island is known as the "wedding capital of Florida," and each year the Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual Wedding Festival that has become one of the largest events of the year.
The island also has a thriving arts and theater community, with both an Artists' Guild and a local theater company, the Island Players, founded in 1948.
With its crystal white beaches and an average year-round temperature of 74.8 degrees, Anna Maria Island is a year-round tourist attraction. Restaurants, resorts, gift and curio shops, real estate companies, and local watering holes dominate the economy.
Sea Turtles, Manatees, Dolphins and Birds
From May through October, the beaches of Anna Maria Island become just one of the many places in Florida that sea turtles come to nest. Protection of the sea turtles is an important aspect of the island culture and life, and information and training is available for tourists and locals in abundance.
Learn more about Anna Maria Island's sea turtles and how to protect them.
Manatees are also frequent summer visitors to the shores of Anna Maria Island, and like the turtles, the Manatee is held in great reverence by both residents and visitors alike.
The entire island of Anna Maria is a bird sanctuary. There are pelicans, multiple types of cranes and herons, wild parrots, sand pipers, hawks, vultures, seagulls, and crows sharing their island with humans.
Then of course there are the Dolphins. It's been said that Dolphins and Anna Maria Island go together like beer and football, and it's true. Anyone that has traveled to this subtropical island on the Gulf of Mexico knows the local Dolphins are as at home as the Turtles.
It is very common to see Dolphins frolicking around in the waters surrounding our beautiful island.
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