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A trip to Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch means
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Find Old Florida luxury at the Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast. Visitors feel welcomed by The Londoner’s old-world charm. The Londoner B&B, in historic downtown Bradenton, has six bedrooms. The Bradenton area's beaches are all inviting.
Longboat Key's Gulf Coast is fringed by white-sand beaches. Set down your beach umbrella and prepare to relax. Rent a luxury beach villa and find the beach at your doorstep. Our beaches were made for fun family vacations.
Sunset is a popular time to head to the beach. Enjoy our uncrowded beaches from a sailboat. Like snowflakes, no two sunsets are the same. Sea oats protect our beaches by holding the sand in place.
Coquinas, jingle shells and more – start your own collection. Skimmers, terns and gulls gather at the water’s edge. The Regatta Room at the Palmetto Riverside has a four-poster bed. Gourmet breakfast is served in the Palmetto Riverside’s Florida room.
A rental house near the beach is convenient and affordable. Find all the comforts of home and more in a vacation rental. The Bungalow Beach Resort is a renovated 1930s island-style resort. The Hive on historic Bridge Street showcases local artwork.
Explore the chapel and original post office at Palmetto Historical Park. A manatee statue enlivens Bradenton’s downtown waterfront. John Ringling’s Venetian Gothic mansion overlooks Sarasota Bay. The Powel Crosley Estate hosts theatrical performances and holiday shows.
In Bradenton’s Village of the Arts, find artists’ homes and galleries. The Village of the Arts features pastel-hued buildings and tropical art. The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre presents Broadway-style shows with a buffet. Enjoy music, dance, theater and more at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
The Ringling Museum of Art houses paintings by great Old Masters. Dating to 1910, the Anna Maria City Pier has a restaurant at its end. Shop, dine or just unwind on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch. Snooty, a 62-year-old manatee, makes his home at the Parker Aquarium.
Why not rent bikes for the family and ride to the beach? The De Soto National Memorial marks the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto. Shop for fine art, jewelry and ceramics at the Village of the Arts in Bradenton. At Mixon Fruit Farms, tour the citrus groves and shop for tasty gifts.
Explore the area’s natural history at the South Florida Museum. Take in a spring training game at Bradenton’s McKechnie Field. Herrmanns’ Royal Lipizzan Stallions perform near Bradenton in the winter. Roasting marshmallows around a campfire is one of the joys of camping.
Towering live oak trees shade a campground in Myakka River State Park. Spend time relaxing with family during a camping trip to the Bradenton area. Camping gives kids a chance to play with newfound friends. Towering live oak trees shade a campground in Myakka River State Park.
Banana Cabana serves up seafood, ribs, ice cream and other favorites. Fresh seafood – everything, in fact – tastes better by the sea. Dine steps from the beach at the BeachHouse Restaurant in Bradenton Beach. Anna Maria’s Waterfront Restaurant is across from the Historic City Pier.
Stone crab claws and other fresh seafood are popular dining choices. Floribbean cuisine is the star at Bradenton Beach’s Sun House Restaurant. Ice cream and fudge are just the beginning at Joe’s Eats & Sweets. Mr. Bones BBQ brings New Orleans barbecue to Anna Maria Island.
Make time for an umbrella drink at the BeachHouse Restaurant. The Pumpkin Festival fills October at Hunsader Farms. The Powel Crosley Estate gets all decked out for the holidays. Easter egg hunts held across the area delight children come spring.
Free kayak clinics and tryouts are held at the Gulf Coast Outdoor Festival. Ride a rented bike around town and to the beach. The size of the fish doesn’t matter – it’s the thrill of the catch. Wade fishing and kayak fishing are both popular in the Bradenton area.
Fishing is an activity that can involve the whole family. Local bait shops will provide bait, tackle and local knowledge. A fisherman tries his luck surfcasting off Anna Maria Island at sunset. You don’t need much gear to fish off one of our many piers.
The kids are happy, and the fish are safe (for now, anyway). Head out for a day of near-shore fishing among our mangrove islands. Cortez Historic Fishing Village has been a center of commercial fishing since the 1800s. Waterlefe Golf and River Club comes by its name naturally.
There are nearly 20 championship golf courses within a 30-minute drive of the islands. University Park Country Club features a dramatic entrance and 27 holes of golf. Hole No. 5 at University Park Country Club is a Ron Garl-designed signature par 3. Golf in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and Longboat Key is a year-round sport.
Water hazards, sand traps and fairways lined with live oaks are common sights. The Gamble mansion was the headquarters of an extensive sugar plantation. The Gamble parlor includes a mid-1800s grand piano and other period furnishings. A spinning wheel, cane press and other implements bring history to life.
The South Florida Museum is also home to a planetarium and aquarium. Prehistoric creatures rule at Bradenton’s South Florida Museum. The De Soto Historical Society’s annual heritage festival features a grand parade. Hernando de Soto’s armada landed on the shores of the Manatee River in 1539.
The Ringling includes the Museum of Art, Ca d’Zan mansion and the Circus Museums. Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden, on the museum’s grounds, is home to 1,200 plants. The north boardwalk snakes through the mangroves at Robinson Preserve. The observation tower at Robinson Preserve provides expansive views.
Deer, wild turkeys, alligators and armadillos inhabit Myakka River State Park. The Coquina Bay Walk on Leffis Key is at the south end of Anna Maria Island. An observation tower looks out on 195-acre Emerson Point Park. At Emerson Point Park, sandy trails meander among sea grape trees.
A wooden boardwalk leads to Emerson Point Park’s Portavant Ceremonial Mound. An extensive network of prop roots supports this red mangrove tree at Emerson. Nathan Benderson Park is being developed as a multipurpose park and rowing facility. Join a tour and take the family kayaking through shady mangrove tunnels.
More than 130 outlet stores lure bargain shoppers to Prime Outlets Ellenton. At Ginny’s and Jane E’s, find gourmet food, vintage furnishings and an Internet café. International restaurants and stylish boutiques line Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Head to Bradenton Beach’s Bridge Street for galleries overflowing with local art.
T-shirts, swimwear, beach toys – the Bridge Street Bazaar has all your vacation needs. At Mixon Fruit Farms, shop for citrus to ship to family and souvenirs for yourself. Charisma Café and Art is in a charming 1920s home in Bradenton's Village of the Arts. Shop for funky ceramics and other tropical-themed art in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts.
In the Village of the Arts, colorful geckos lurk around every corner. Pampering, relaxation and a little self-indulgence are on the menu at are day spas. Enjoy Pittsburgh Pirates spring training among balmy breezes at McKechnie Field. Skimboarding is popular along the gently sloped shores of Anna Maria Island.
For a very cool ride, try horse surfing in Bradenton’s Palma Sola Bay. Major rowing regattas are held every winter and spring at Nathan Benderson Park. Hundreds of high school and college athletes compete in championship regattas. Rent a beach cruiser and explore seven-mile-long Anna Maria Island.
DeSoto Speedway is a 3/8-mile paved oval that holds races fall through spring. Feel the island breezes as you tool around town on a one- or two-person scooter. Take a tour of Bradenton’s Pirate City complex, a state-of-the-art training facility. From Longboat Key to Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, find great tennis facilities.
Take an airboat cruise of Upper Myakka Lake and spot gators and water birds. A daysail on aquamarine Gulf or Bay waters will relax and invigorate. Take to the Gulf of Mexico at sunset and enjoy the constantly changing waterscape. Whether in a single or an eight, rowing is a sport that’s growing in popularity.
Paddleboarding is a cross between surfing and canoeing – and a good workout. Explore the mangrove-laced shores of Robinson Preserve by kayak. Don a snorkel and mask, and discover the area’s underwater wildlife. Pack a picnic, rent a kayak and paddle around Myakka River State Park.
The area’s flat, protected waters are perfect for a family canoe outing. Beach Beauty by Dara Caudill, Photographer Beach Couple by the Rocks by Dara Caudill, Photographer
Ceremony by Dara Caudill, Photographer Crosley Mansion by Al Gordon, Photographer Crosley Mansion Pavilion by Al Gordon, Photographer
Wedding Girls by Al Gordon, Photographer
     
 
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