David Yonke| Editor
ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Florida —For most of the 20th century, this island jutting into the Gulf of Mexico was a sleepy little town frequented by Floridians who wanted a close and convenient getaway from their busy hometowns.
My late brother Rick lived north of Tampa and discovered Anna Maria Island in the 1970s, and it soon became his family’s go-to vacation spot, either for long weekends or a full week of basking in the beach atmosphere.
Rick’s passion for AMIpersuaded us to give it a try, and about 20 years agoswitched our regular Florida destination from Clearwater to the quiet,laid-back gulfshore island just an hour or so further south, near Bradenton.
Heat lightning on Anna Maria Island, Florida
After the sun has set, heat lightning dances across the dark clouds on Anna Maria Island. This was filmed on an iPhone using the "slo-mo" mode.
David Yonke, Wochit
Not so much a 'best-kept secret' anymore
In the two decades since, AMI has slowly but steadily lost its “best-kept secret” status, drawing increasing numbers of tourists from around the country and globe, including occasional celebrity visitors(Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Cameron Diaz and Jared Leto are among the stars seen on the island).
But Anna Maria Island is distinct from many other Florida beach havens because its zoning laws have managed to preservethe “Old Florida” look and feel, but of course with modern amenities.
There are no high-rise buildings on AMI, which measures seven miles by under two miles. No towering condos lining the shore.The tallest buildings are a matched pair of old and, to be honest, uglyfive-story condos near the southern tip of the island. It’s as if the town leaders saw those eyesores being built and said, “No more, let’s keep things as natural and low-key as we can.”
There are no chain restaurants or fast-food joints, with one exception— a Domino’s Pizza somehow popped up on the island. Every other restaurant, sandwich place, ice cream shops,donut shopsand bars and grills are unique to AMI.
Enjoy the local food fare, it's nearly the only choice
The Sand Bar restaurant, for one example, is right on the beach at the northern part of the island. The Ugly Grouper has a sprawling patio with a huge disjointed statue of its namesake fish. Both are reasonably priced and very family friendly.
Isola Bella Italian Eatery offers fine-dining in a casual atmosphere, pricier than most other island eateries but the food is delizioso —we fell in love with the lobster ravioli and chicken parmesan.
Skinny’s Place is a must-seeAMI landmark with itsfunky beachcomber feel and its famous burgers, fries and frosted mugs. Skinny's only accepts cash, no debit or credit cards, and they might frown if in desperation you peel off one of the many dollar bills tacked to the wall. Conveniently, there is ATM on the premises. It was malfunctioning when we were there recently but the cashier told us quietly he’d take Venmo rather than turn a customeraway.
Right across the street from Skinny’s is the West Coast Surf Shop. I nabbed a hat and some Sun Bum lip balm and while chatting with the cashier, Jim Brady, he said he opened the shop in 1964 at the tender age of 16and has owned it for all 57 years. The store is stocked with colorful T-shirts, surf shorts, sunglasses, hats, and, of course, surf boards.
There are no big chain hotels on the island, either, just a few local one- or two-story throwbacks to Old Florida.
Most tourists rent a house for a week through the myriad oflocal real estate offices or the major online home-rental sites, including VRBO.com and AirBNB.com. It's possible to rent a house for less than a week depending on season.
When we started going to AMI in the late 1990s, the majority of rental homes were pastel-colored ranches with beachy decor — lots of seashells, anchors, nautical ropes, and paintings of sanddunes and seagulls.
There are still plenty of those around, but over the last decade some deep-pocket developers have been shoehorning large, three-story-tall homes and designer pools into the tightly packed lots where the smaller houses once stood. The new models are designed to minimize potential flood damage by using the first floor for garages and sheds, with all living spaces high and dry on the second and third floors.
Prices vary tremendously depending on the season, the house, amenitiesand location.
Golf cart is vehicle of choice
It’s easy getting around Anna Maria Island, with many tourists renting golf carts that are street legal (be sure to buckle up!) and there is a free trolley that circles the island and pulls in at 14 stops along the route.
There are only a few public parking lots, but it used to be easy to find a spot on a side street to park your golf cart near a beach-access point. As the island has grown, however, the number of visitor parking spaces has shrunk. Try to rent a house close enough to the beach so you can walk.
Getting to the island can be problematic, as it’s about an hour from both Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater Airport, crossing the majestic Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and about half an hour from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. Rental cars are the most convenient way to go, but Uber and airport shuttles are options.
I’m not much of a fisherman but we rented gear (about $5) and buckets of live shrimp ($5 for two dozen) at the Anna Maria City Pier and ourgroup of six caught 20 fish in a few hours, including snapper, cowfish and pinfish — mine were way too small to brag about. The pier also has a grill that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
While fishing, dining, swimmingand typical beach activities such as shell hunting and floating in the calm gulf waters are all popular activities on AMI, the thing everyone looks forward to every day is the sunset. There is something about the island atmosphere, cloudsand the wide white-sand beaches that makes virtually every Anna Maria Island sunseta special occasion.
Gulf horizon at sunset is worth the price of admission
Scores of tourists take a break from their busyness and head to the beach to watch the sun drift slowly below the gulf horizon. (Take care to avoid turtle nests, which are marked by yellow tape).
The sunsets are majestic from any spot on the west side of the island, but the most amazing view is fromBean Point,on the northern tip of AMI. It seems like half a mile from the road to the beach, but after making the hike you are treated to an unimpeded 270-degree view of water, cloudsand the shifting colors of the sun from yellow to gold to orange to red.
Clouds floating overhead are drenched in luminous reds, oranges, and purples as the sun casts a thin streak of color across the water. One night during our recent visit the sky provided a post-sunset encore, when heat lightning began streaking across the sky, lighting up the dark clouds with quick, silent, dancing flashes.
Our family loved the house we rented this year so much we talked about renting it again next year. But when we went online to check its availability, we got hit with sticker shock: The same rental house, on the same week next year, is triple the price of 2021.
I guess Anna Maria Island’s growing popularity comes with a price.
