5 Reasons You'll Love Anna Maria Island, Florida
/Are you looking for gorgeous water, a chill vibe, and minimal crowds for your next vacation? If so, check out Anna Maria Island, Florida! The island offers plenty of conveniences, but it lacks the huge crowds you see in similar destinations. Keep reading for my top five reasons you’ll love Anna Maria!
1. Beautiful Beaches and Gorgeous Gulf Water
Anna Maria is a barrier island off the west coast of Florida. It is approximately two miles wide with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and it’s surrounded by Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay on the other. It is only seven miles long.
Anna Maria is divided into three sections: Bradenton Beach to the south, Holmes Beach in the center, and Anna Maria beach on the north end. The beach runs the length of the island on the gulf shore and each of the beaches have a slightly different vibe. They all share two things in common: beautiful white sand beaches and the gorgeous turquoise water that make the Gulf of Mexico a repeat destination for beach-goers. We stayed in the Holmes Beach area and based on our observation, this area seemed to be less crowded than when we walked or drove to Bradenton Beach or the northern end of AMI.
The water is a beautiful color and on a sunny day, it is clear enough to see your feet! The waves are relatively calm in AMI, so while this may not be the best beach for surfers, the calmer water makes it a good place for families. The sand here is like sugar and is my favorite kind to dig my toes into and build sand castles. There were also sections of the beach that were covered with crushed shells and it was gorgeous!
2. AMI is Surrounded by Bays
The island is surrounded by bays. To the north of the island is Tampa Bay, Palma Sola Bay is in the middle, and Sarasota Bay is to the south. Bays are easier to explore than larger bodies of water like gulfs and oceans and we enjoyed investigating the bays by both kayak one day and by boat on another day during our visit. These two days were our favorites of the entire trip! We had close encounters with wildlife, pretty beaches and sandbars to anchor on, and yummy restaurants right on the water.
View of the bay on one side of Anna Maria Island and the Gulf of Mexico on the other.
For an up-close-and-personal view of the bays, choose a kayak to help you explore. In the wildlife section, I’ll give you more details on a tour company we used and loved and what we got to see.
If you have your own boat, or rent one from one of the rental companies in the area, you can really cover more of the bay area. We rented a boat for the day and I’d recommend spending the majority of your time near the mouth of the Tampa Bay at Egmont Key. Egmont Key is a Florida State Park that is accessible only by a private boat. It will appeal to history buffs as it has an old lighthouse and also has the remains of an old military base. The beach here is beautiful and full of wild, natural beauty. The water is crystal-clear and great for snorkeling. We had manatees come within a few feet of us while we were here. There are no stores or drinking water in the park, so be sure to bring your reef-safe sunscreen, snacks, and plenty of water.
Another point of interest is Beer Can Island. There are picture-perfect spots here with gnarled trees dotting the area. This driftwood combined with the turquoise water make for a picture-perfect location. Shelling is good here too. However, many people like this area, so make sure you go early if you want to find a spot to anchor the boat or don’t want to hang out with a crowd.
There are plenty of sandbars that are fun to anchor on and we chose one to enjoy our lunch and mid-day swim. We used a net to dredge the sandbar and found several sea urchins. We carefully held them and placed them safely back in their home! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled as you ride. We enjoyed spotting many dolphins throughout the day!
We asked a couple of locals for their recommendations for a place for dinner on the water. We usually ask locals where they eat and go there instead of a chain establishment. We chose Tide Tables for dinner and were not disappointed! There are several bayside restaurants in the area that you can dock your boat up to and enjoy fresh, local-caught seafood outside with a view of the water.
3. Low Crowds, but Plenty of Amenities
It could have just been the time we visited, but we found the crowds of AMI to be lower than some of the other Gulf of Mexico destinations. We’ve visited many of the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico over the years. All of these beaches are within driving distance of us and we love the sand and water in these areas. The busy tourist destinations of Destin and Panama City Beach have plenty of amenities, but are usually way too crowded for our taste. Cape San Blas has the seclusion we seek and has few crowds, but also has few amenities. Enter AMI: Anna Maria Island seemed to strike the perfect balance of Gulf Coast beach we were looking for in this trip. The crowds were low, but there were plenty of restaurants and shops, and even a major chain grocery store-although I will say it was the smallest Publix I’ve ever seen!
4. Old Florida Feel
Much of the Gulf of Mexico is now populated with high-rise condominium complexes that take up so much beach real estate you can hardly even see the beach. While it is definitely more modern and populated than some destinations in Florida, AMI has retained the charm of what many of us remember as “Old Florida”. There are no buildings higher than three floors and most of the accommodations on the island are single-family homes with just a few smaller hotels and condo complexes dotting the island. We loved our little cottage we rented. The location was great as it was close to the beach and a few other things, but the best part was the backyard. It was our own little oasis, complete with a hammock, pool, and tiki bar that looked like Jimmy Buffett had decorated it!
There are hardly any chain restaurants on the island and most of the restaurants specialize in local seafood. The pier areas are lined with unique shops and the pace of everything seems slower. This was a welcome change to some of the destinations mentioned earlier!
5. Wildlife and Natural Beauty
We got to see all sorts of creatures around the islands when we explored by boat and kayak. Manatees are frequent visitors to the island and got to view these graceful giants several times during our trip. Once a group swam by our spot on the beach, another time a curious one came very close to our boat (while it was anchored out at Egmont Key), and another time during our kayak tour. We often rent kayaks and explore on our own, but this trip, we took a guided kayak tour with Happy Paddler Kayak Tours & EcoVentures and we are so glad we did. Our guide, Captain Casey, was a life-long resident and took us on a several hour paddle. Highlights of our trip were seeing manatee within just a couple of feet of us, listening to the cacophony of sounds from an island filled with multiple species of birds, and holding sea urchin, sand dollars, and starfish (we didn’t take any of them and safely returned them to their homes!). We also anchored out on a beautiful beach (that I mentioned in the section about the bay) with picture-perfect trees and a multitude of shells. We were there early on the day of our paddle and pretty much had the beach to ourselves. We returned the next day in our rental boat and it was very crowded!
While this was our first trip to Anna Maria Island, I don’t think it will be our last! What’s your favorite Old Florida beach town?
