TripAdvisor.com just named Anna Maria Island, Florida one of the top 10 most romantic destinations in the world! Ranked alongside notoriously romantic loactions, including Paris, Praque and Maui, our small beach town is now an up and coming hot spot for couples seeking a private, tanquil getaway or even a beach wedding. Picturesque sunsets, long walks on the white sand beaches, romantic waterfront restaurants...

Southwest Florida is known not only for its white sand beaches, but also for miles of Gulf waters, calm bays and inland waterways to explore by power or sail boat. Boating is one of the most popular activities on our Island, allowing passengers to feel the wind in their hair as they glide through the crystalline waters of Longboat Key & Anna Maria Island.   One can expect many awe inspiring experiences...

Keep Manatee Beautiful takes advantage of its location on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico with SandBlast, a sand sculpture competition that pairs youth groups with local business sponsors to raise funds to support Keep Manatee Beautiful’s programs. To kick off the event, a team a professional sand artists, dubbed “Team Sandtastic,” built a huge exhibition sculpture at the BeachHouse restaurant,...

Sea shells are by far the most sought after treasure for the beachcomber and Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key offer an abundance of unique and beautiful shells.   Experienced beachcombers know to look for shells at low tide and after storms or unusually strong tides. All beaches have shells, but some of the best beaches in Florida for consistently productive shelling are located in southwest Florida, on...

 Red tide, a naturally occurring phenomenon, is a high concentration of a microscopic alga in the water. Learn all about this occurrence, its side effects and how it impacts your vacation time in Florida!     1.      What is red tide? Red tide occurs when there is a high concentration of a microscopic alga in the water. In Florida, the species of algae that causes most red tides is called Karenia brevis....

Anna Maria Island’s wedding industry has grown from about 50 weddings a year five years ago to nearly 1,000 in 2008. And a large number of the members of wedding parties return to the Island as vacationers, said Caryn Hodge, marketing director for the Sandbar Restaurant in Anna Maria. “Many of them who are visiting the Island for the first time with a wedding party say they’re coming back for a vacation....

  Down the 7-mile stretch of white sand on the Gulf of Mexico, waves lap and sea oats sway in the dunes. Two bridal parties and a few dozen tourists assemble by The Sandbar lounge/restaurant for Anna Maria’s nightly rituals: sunset weddings and guessing which minute the red orb will drop below the horizon. The Sandbar winner typically gets a bottle of Champagne (dessert or T shirts for teetotalers). Unlike...