Anna Maria
The northernmost city on Anna Maria Island, Anna Maria is home to the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum at 402 Pine Ave.
Housed in a 1920-era ice house, you’ll learn fun facts like the Island’s original pronunciation, “Anna Mar-eye-ah,” how a diving platform was built in the Gulf of Mexico for an Esther Williams movie, and how the inventor of the Fig Newton helped build the Roser Community Church just up the street.
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Next to the museum you can tour the Belle Haven Cottage and the Old City Jail. The story goes that prisoners at the jail, which had no window glass, were punished more by the mosquitoes and the heat than by the law.
Walk the beach to the northern end of the Island at Bean Point, which overlooks the channel connecting the Gulf of Mexico to Tampa Bay, making it risky to swim but mandatory for panoramic views.
Holmes Beach
The Anna Maria Island Butterfly Park just south of Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, is a colorful place to visit the fluttering gems.
Just north of city hall is a skateboard park, where watching the stunts is almost as much fun as doing them.
And don’t miss Manatee Beach at sunset, which offers live music on the pavilion.
Bradenton Beach
Historic Bridge Street is the place to go to fish in the Intracoastal Waterway off the historic pier. If you’re keeping track of time, the clock tower at the pier tolls the daylight hours, but you’re on your own after dark.
Just a couple of minutes south on Gulf Drive, hikers will enjoy exploring Leffis Key Preserve’s bayfront views and shady boardwalks across from Coquina Beach.
For a sunset dinner, there’s nothing like a barbecue at one of the covered pavilions at Coquina Beach in the shade of the Australian pine trees on the Gulf of Mexico.