Anna Maria Island, a Florida barrier island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, is known for white-sand Gulf beaches and three small beach towns. About seven miles long, it lies in Manatee County, west of Bradenton, and is shared by three cities: Anna Maria in the north, Holmes Beach in the middle and Bradenton Beach in the south, with fewer than 5,000 year-round residents between them at the 2020 census.
The island could be reached only by boat until the first bridge opened in 1922, and it grew slowly, with many of its houses dating from the 1950s and 1960s. Today a free trolley runs the length of Gulf Drive, sunsets over the Gulf draw crowds to the beaches every evening, and dolphins, pelicans and nesting sea turtles are part of daily life. Vacation rentals are mostly beach houses, cottages and condos, which suits families, groups of friends and anyone who wants a quiet base with a kitchen, a short walk from the sand.
The city of Anna Maria, at the island's northern tip, is the quietest and most residential of the three, with beach houses and cottages on leafy streets near Pine Avenue's small shops, the historic city pier and Bean Point. It suits couples and families who want a calm base and do not mind going elsewhere for nightlife.
Holmes Beach, in the middle, is the largest city on the island by population and has many of its shops and services. Manatee Public Beach, at the end of Manatee Avenue, is a large public beach park, and houses on the canals of Key Royale, a bayside island within the city, suit boaters and anglers. Bradenton Beach, in the south, mixes condos, small rental buildings and houses around Bridge Street, a short strip of shops and restaurants near the old bridge landing, with Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach just down Gulf Drive. Its southern end looks across Longboat Pass to Longboat Key.
The Gulf side of the island is one long beach of fine pale sand, with public access points along Gulf Drive. Bean Point, at the northern tip, looks across the water to Tampa Bay and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and the beaches of Anna Maria are a favorite place to watch the sun set. Holmes Beach, which the tourism board describes as family-friendly, with lifeguards and calm, shallow water, is home to Manatee Public Beach, opened in 1952, with picnic areas, volleyball courts and a playground.
In Bradenton Beach, Cortez Beach draws surfers to the area known as the Three Piers when waves arrive, and Coquina Beach, named for the tiny colorful clams found in the sand, is known for shelling. Beyond Longboat Pass, Greer Island, often called Beer Can Island, can be reached by kayak or paddleboard. The city of Anna Maria bans dogs, alcohol and glass on its beaches, asks visitors to fill in holes and remove all furniture each day, and restricts beach lighting during sea turtle nesting season, from May 1 to October 31.
The island is a bird sanctuary, and pelicans, herons, egrets, ospreys, roseate spoonbills and wood storks are common sights, while bottlenose dolphins swim in the Gulf and the bays. North of the island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, Egmont Key, a national wildlife refuge and state park reached only by boat, holds an 1858 lighthouse and the ruins of Fort Dade, a Spanish–American War-era fort, and parts of it are closed year-round to protect nesting seabirds.
On the mainland, De Soto National Memorial, about five miles west of downtown Bradenton where the Manatee River meets Tampa Bay, commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto's expedition on a shoreline that is mostly mangrove. Across Anna Maria Sound from Bradenton Beach, the fishing village of Cortez, settled in the 1880s by families from North Carolina, still works its boats and has a historic district and the Florida Maritime Museum, housed in its 1912 schoolhouse.
For centuries the island lay within the Safety Harbor culture area, and the Spanish expeditions of Pánfilo de Narváez in 1527 and Hernando de Soto in 1539 passed it on their way into Tampa Bay. According to the best-documented account, Madison Post, a former mayor of Tampa, named it for his wife Maria and his sister-in-law Anna; other stories credit Spanish explorers. Cuban fishermen were among the first visitors, and George Emerson Bean homesteaded the north end in the 1890s. His son and the developer Charles Roser formed the Anna Maria Beach Company, which built the Anna Maria City Pier in 1911 for steamships, and the city of Anna Maria was incorporated in 1923.
The wooden bridge from Cortez to today's Bridge Street opened in 1922. In 1948 MGM filmed parts of the musical On an Island with You here. Holmes Beach, a planned community begun after World War II by John E. Holmes Sr., was incorporated in 1950, and Bradenton Beach followed soon after. Longtime residents once said Anna Mar-EYE-a; most people today say Anna Mar-EE-a.
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), about six miles south of Bradenton, is the closest airport, and the drive to the island usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes. Tampa International Airport (TPA) offers more flights; the local tourism board puts it about 45 minutes from the Bradenton area, so allow an hour or more to reach the island. Two bridges cross from the mainland: the Anna Maria Island Bridge, carrying Manatee Avenue (State Road 64) into Holmes Beach, and the Cortez Bridge (State Road 684) into Bradenton Beach.
Gulf Drive is the only road that runs the whole length of the island, and a free trolley travels up and down it, connecting with county buses at Manatee Public Beach and Coquina Beach. Many visitors leave the car parked and use the trolley, a bike or their feet, which helps because parking rules are strictly enforced in Anna Maria. Florida law requires vacation rentals to hold a state license, and Anna Maria sets quiet hours for pools and hot tubs from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.; check the current rules.
Anna Maria Island sits on the boundary between a tropical climate with a dry winter and a humid subtropical one. Summers are long, hot and humid, and the rainy season, from roughly May to October, brings short but heavy afternoon thunderstorms; winters are mild and drier, with occasional cool spells when fronts pass through. Spring is a popular time for warm, mostly sunny beach days, while winter suits visitors escaping colder weather, and summer suits families on school holidays who do not mind the heat.
The Atlantic hurricane season, which includes the Gulf, runs from June 1 to November 30, with peak activity from late August through September. In 2024 Hurricane Helene's storm surge flooded much of the island and caused severe damage in Bradenton Beach, and the island was evacuated ahead of Hurricane Milton two weeks later; rebuilding has continued since, so check that a rental and the places you plan to visit are open. Travelers in late summer and autumn should follow forecasts, know their cancellation terms and heed any evacuation orders.
Anna Maria Island is on Florida's Gulf Coast in Manatee County, at the southern mouth of Tampa Bay and west of Bradenton. It faces the Gulf of Mexico and lies just north of Longboat Key and Sarasota.
Anna Maria, in the north, is the quietest, with houses near Pine Avenue and Bean Point. Holmes Beach, in the middle, has the most shops, services and Manatee Public Beach. Bradenton Beach, in the south, is livelier around Bridge Street and close to Coquina Beach and Cortez.
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is the closest, about 30 to 45 minutes away by car depending on traffic. Tampa International Airport (TPA) has more flights and is about 45 minutes from the Bradenton area, so allow an hour or more to reach the island.
Not for getting around the island. A free trolley runs along Gulf Drive from one end to the other, and the island is flat and easy to cycle. A car is useful for the drive from the airport, grocery runs on the mainland and day trips to Sarasota, Tampa or St. Petersburg.
Spring offers warm, mostly sunny days before the summer heat, and winter is mild and popular with visitors from colder places. Summer is hot with afternoon storms, and the hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so late-summer travelers should follow forecasts and keep plans flexible.
Yes. The beaches are gentle and sandy, Holmes Beach has lifeguards, Manatee Public Beach has a playground and picnic areas, and the free trolley makes it easy to move around without a car. Rental houses with kitchens suit families and groups. Watch for strong sun, and follow the posted flags when the surf picks up.
Not in the city of Anna Maria, whose beach rules ban dogs and other pets on every beach, along with alcohol and glass. Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach set their own rules, so check the signs at beach accesses or the city's website before bringing a pet to the sand.
Most people today say Anna Mar-EE-a. Longtime islanders used to say Anna Mar-EYE-a, and you may still hear the older pronunciation. The name is usually traced to Madison Post, a former mayor of Tampa, who named the island after his wife Maria and his sister-in-law Anna.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .