Anna Maria Island

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!

Help Save Anna Maria Island

"Save Anna Maria" Has a New Look...

It's been reported in the Bradenton Times that the "Save Anna Maria" organization has a new look to an old mission!

The beauty of Anna Maria Island is undeniable, and probably the reason so many are
attracted to her shorelines and beaches. 

This is why our group called  "SAM , Loves Serving Anna Maria".

"Save Anna Maria" is a non-profit organization.

Our Mission  is to serve & preserve the unique Character of Anna Maria Island

That is the first thing you see when you visit the new Save Anna Maria website.

Just nominated as the president of Save Anna Maria Island (SAM), Katie Pierola is no stranger to Anna Maria Island. She has lived in Bradenton Beach for 30 years and served as Mayor for three terms.

Pierola said, "when the local Metropolitan Planning Organization started in 1972 the cities that were represented included Bradenton, Palmetto, Longboat Key, Sarasota, Venice, North Port and the counties of Sarasota and Manatee."

"The cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, and Holmes Beach did not have representation."

“There were really big problems with bad communication with the islands. We are trying to move forward and that’s why we’ve now got our Web site located at www.amisam.org.” 

The new web site for SAM was launched to improve communications with the community and to inform people about how this magnificent island, spanning seven miles long and two blocks wide, can be saved and served going into the future.

Visit "Save Anna Maria" at www.amisam.org to learn more.

Sport Fishing in the Gulf

What Kind of Fish are Caught in the Waters of Anna Maria...

Fishing is one of the all time favorite things to do when visiting Anna Maria Island.

There are a number of Anna Maria Island area charter businesses with years of local experience under their belts. This means any one of them can show a fishing time of your life.

Go to our Anna Maria Island Life Information and Business Directory and look under Fishing Charters. You'll find all the contact information you need to get you and your guests set up for a day of fishing you will not soon forget!

What kinds of fish can I expect to catch in the waters surrounding Anna Maria Island area you ask?

Well, the following is not an exhaustive list. However, it does provide a good representation of the many different kinds of fish we catch on our local charters.

Discounts on Segway Rentals

Tour Anna Maria Island by Segway...

The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric personal vehicle.

They are inexpensive to operate, a blast to ride and they are about as 'green' as you can get.

Users lean forward to go forward, lean back to go backward, and turn by leaning it left or right.

Segway PTs are driven by electric motors at up to 12.5 miles per hour.

The good news is you can now rent a Segway from Segs by the Sea, right here on Anna Maria Island. The really good news is that you can receive a discount when you do.

All you have to do is go to Sun Saver Coupons and print out your Segway rental discount coupon.

Then the savings are yours!

Segways are Anna Maria Islands favorite eco-friendly way to play!

Call (941) 209-5970 to reach Segs by the Sea, or visit their website at www.segsbythesea.com.

Segs by the Sea offer SCENIC TOURS and CUSTOM RENTALS of the popular and innovative SEGWAY Personal Transporter (PT). 

The SEGWAY PT is a self-balancing personal transportation device that enables you to go farther in your exploration of beautiful Anna Maria Island, do more together as a family, and experience your vacation in a whole new way.

A Trip Through Historic Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island Historical Society...

With the help of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society, you can take a trip back in history.

The Anna Maria Island Historical Society's [AMIHS] beautifully restored complex interprets the Island's history through its museum, City Jail, Belle Haven Cottage and the Mangrove Walk's indigenous garden.

The Anna Maria Island Historical Society was formed in 1990 by Anna Maria residents Pat Copeland and Carolyne Norwood, both reporters for the Islander newspaper.

Pat and Carolyne knew something must be done to preserve Island artifacts, which were being lost.

The non-profit, educational organization was incorporated in 1991.

Learn more about the Belle Haven Cottage Garden and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society and Museum Complex.

With all there is to see and do on beautiful Anna Maria Island, the Historical Society Museum is one you just don't want to miss!

Learn more about the Belle Haven Cottage Garden and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society and Museum Complex.

With all there is to see and do on beautiful Anna Maria Island, the Historical Society Museum is one you just don't want to miss!

Home of the Island Players

THE OLD COMMUNITY HOUSE...

For about 95 years the Anna Maria City Community House at the corner of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue has served the residents of Anna Maria Island in one way or another.

The building was brought by barge by the developers of the Anna Maria Beach Subdivision around 1912.  It was used as a pavilion and gathering place for social functions of all kinds before the city took it over. 

When Anna Maria was incorporated in 1912, the community house was used by the city as its official meeting place for the next 45 years.

Bayside Turtle Nesting

The Only Place in Florida Where Bayside Turtle Nesting is Found...

Contact information for the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch.

Learn more about the Anna Maria Island Sea Turtles.

Bayside Turtle Nesting

It's true. Anna Maria Island is the only location in all Florida where the local turtles nest bayside.

In fact, there have been nests at Bayfront Park for years in the city of Anna Maria.

According to Suzi Fox of the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, “This year, there were more nests south of the park. We had three nests south of the Anna Maria City Pier this year.”

What this means, the presence of the nests south of the pier, is the city of Anna Maria will have to be more vigilant than ever about artificial lighting close to the beach where there are turtle nests.

Turtle Pic of the Day

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Volunteers Continue Helping the Local Turtle Population...

As reported a couple of days ago, the Turtle nesting season is winding down.

The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers of course continue to monitor the local beaches to make sure that all remaining hatchlings from late-season nesting make it safely into the Gulf.

To the right, you'll see a bucket of soon to be released turtle hatchling that hadn’t yet emerged from an excavated nest. 

If you look really close you will see one live pip in the bucket. Pip is the term used for a turtle hatchling that isn’t fully emerged from its egg. By the time this photo appeared in an article in the Anna Maria Island Sun, this baby had managed to shed the eggshell and all the hatchlings had been released.

Are the Beaches on Anna Maria Island Clean?

Keep Anna Maria Island Beaches Clean and Beautiful...

Help Protect the Sea Birds, Fish and Other Wildlife that Depend Upon Those Beaches.

Surfing the many different forums online that are Anna Maria Island or travel focused, we come across lots talking about the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

One of the most commonly asked question is... "Are the beaches clean on Anna Maria Island?"

Well, the quick answer is yes, the beaches on Anna Maria Island are clean, at least relatively so.

Ok, what I mean is this.

Compared to most tourist areas, the beaches on Anna Maria Island are clean, however, in recent years, the beaches of Anna Maria Island have become less pristine than in the past.

How Was This Turtle Nesting Season?

Turtle Watch Calls This Turtle Season a Hit...

It's being reported that this season has been a good year for turtles on Anna Maria Island. That’s according to Suxi Fox, who directs the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Program.

“The hatch rate is way up, though the number of nests is about the same as last year,” Fox said. ‘I think that’s probably because we didn’t have any really bad weather – just a few heavy rain days.’