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Note: This article about Anna Maria Island originally appeared inThe Gabber Newspaper before the 2024 hurricane season, on Jan. 26, 2012.

“Anna Maria Key, lying to the south of Tampa Bay and separated from the mainland by Sarasota Pass, one of the many sand and shell islands bordering the west coast. It rises but a few feet above sea level and is covered with mangrove swamps, palm savannas, salt flats, cacti thickets, and buttonwood trees. Anna Maria, a resort at the northern extremity of Anna Maria Key, consists of many cottages in a jungle setting.”

–The Guide to the Southernmost State, 1937

Paradise on the Sand in Anna Maria Island

WHAT

Much has changed on Anna Maria Island since 1937. The palm savannas surrendered to beach cottages, and while the island herself rises but a few feet above the warm, turquoise Gulf, bungalows at Anna Maria’s edge prop themselves like mangroves, resting just out of reach of salt and waves.

The spirit of the island remains untouched. Sand and shells abound, and the entire low-lying tropical jungle has bursts of blazing pink bouganvillea cascading over fences and dazzling orange birds of paradise standing guard along walkways. While the other side of Tampa Bay boasts the most densely populated county in the state, the pink Don CeSar in the distance fades against the tropical land- scape of colors and the ever-permeating salt air.

Why Anna Mara?

You can draw the sihouette of much of Florida’s coast with condominium-and hotel-colored crayons. Not so here; everything on this seven-mile strip of paradise –even her stilt homes –is short. The island draws tourists without needing tall hotels and convention centers; visitors can make their way around the island’s shell-lined streets and paths using foot or pedal power. The island has no chain restaurants, and while you can get milk at a local market, you’ll need to head to the next town over for a supermarket.

WHO

It’s a small town of locals and visitors, fisher- men and sunbathers. Anna Maria is one of six incorporated cities in Manatee county, a county with one-third of the people of its neighbor to the north, Pinellas.

WHERE

If you look across Tampa Bay from Pass-a-Grille or Fort DeSoto, you can see Anna Maria in the distance. By boat it’s a short hop around Egmont to Anna Maria; by car, it’s just under an hour to cover the same distance. Anna Maria is at the northernmost tip of Manatee’s northernmost barrier island.

BEST PART

Anna Maria Island evokes memories of the Florida in your heart, the sandy paradise that draws people here year after year. It’s old Florida with air condi- tioning, bleached shell paths that crunch under your feet, and coral sunsets dotted with crimson blossoms. It’s fishing piers and walks on the beach; it’s beer at sunset and fish for dinner. Every part is the best part.

WORST PART

With beaches everywhere, it’s a shame the city doesn’t allow dogs on at least one of them. There are a few places along the bay where you can get away with letting your pooch run off leash, but they’re not desingated as dog beaches and you run the risk of being told to take your furry friend off the sand. Locals say there’s talk of a dog beach.

MAGIC QUESTION

Free. Lodging and food run the gamut. Expect to pay a premium for waterside accomodations, although you can get a room for under $100 a night. Weekly stays cost less per night.

Take more Florida road trips with Cathy.

Contact Cathy Salustri