Larry - Island Real Estate Blog

March 30, 2008December 11, 2020

Anatomy of an Anna Maria Sunset

Uh oh! Looks like these events are just fun memories now.

But don’t worry! There are tons of exciting activities and events taking place on Anna Maria Island all year long, every year!

Take a look at some of my favorites below:
Cortez Fishing Festival Blog
Halloween Events Blog
Local Art Events
Local Festivals

Larry

Meet Larry Chatt. Larry is the Broker/Owner of Island Real Estate – and has owned Anna Maria Island investment property while residing in New England, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa and across Europe. He and his family have been on the island for decades and Larry has served his community in various roles with the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce

March 26, 2008March 12, 2024

Bradenton, FL Easter Egg Dash – Sorry Cancelled

Sorry – this event no longer takes place. Be sure to visit our Anna Maria Island Easter event blog or more information on Easter Activities.

If you have never witnessed 100’s of children running over a 100 feet to 36,000 Easter Eggs, come to Anna Maria Island for the Easter Egg Dash! Make the 10 minute drive out to G.T. Bray Park, in Bradenton, at 9:30am on Easter Sunday.

The Easter Egg Dash!

At G.T. Bray Park, in past years they have laid out 36,000 plastic Easter Eggs over 4 baseball fields. They usually categorize children by ages to ensure the fairest of play. The year we attended they had 10 grand prizes. The grand prize…a period of time in the Money booth. Whatever you catch is yours and believe me there were not coins in the money booth.

Along with the Easter Egg dash they brought the Easter Bunny! The large pirate ship is sure to get everyone ready for the dash. We also enjoyed the blow up play areas and prizes given out.

My son received a prize for smiling and saying “please.” If you just cannot wait until next year take a look at the pictures below. It just might get you through the year but I dare you not to smile when staring at the pure elation on the children’s faces running towards the thousands of Easter Eggs.

Another great spot to search for Easter Eggs is right on the beaches of Anna Maria Island. The Sandbar for an eternity has laid out hundreds of eggs out on the beach. If staying on the island for your vacation is more your style then the Sandbar Easter Egg hunt is a great choice. For a Anna Maria City vacation rental just a walk away try Anna Maria Beach Cottage on Magnolia.

Link to Easter Egg Dash You Tube Video

Larry

March 10, 2008March 12, 2024

Anna Maria Island Airport Transportation

Flights To Anna Maria Island Florida

If you need to fly to the area the choices are Tampa Airport (featured in image at top of page) or Sarasota Bradenton International airport. The Tampa airport is about an hour and a half drive from Anna Maria Island. Sarasota Bradenton Airport is about 45 minutes away.

Some less used airports to fly into are the St Petersburg/Clearwater airport. This one is about the same distance as the Tampa Airport. For international flights another alternative is one of two Orlando airports. Orlando also offers some very competitive airfares. The one way car trip takes about 2 hours in light traffic. Many guests also enjoy visiting Orlando for the theme parks.

Click the link for more information on transport services to Anna Maria Island from the Tampa International Airport or Sarasota/Bradenton Airports.

Travel to an Anna Maria Island rental by car

Traveling to an Anna Maria Island rental by vehicle is also a choice. Many guests come from with in Florida. Anna Maria Island also has many guest from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Many of these guests also travel by car. See below for estimated mileage from a few major North American cities.

Montreal, Quebec – 1550 Miles : Toronto, Ontario – 1400 Miles
Milwaukee, WI – 1300 Miles       : Chicago, IL – 1220 Miles
Syracuse, NY – 1325 Miles          : New York, NY – 1175 Miles
Boston, MA – 1420 Miles             : Pittsburgh, PA – 1075 Miles
Orlando, FL – 122 Miles               : Atlanta, GA – 500 Miles

Nearly all Anna Maria Island beach rentals offer wireless internet. Find information on Wireless Internet Hot-Spots on Anna Maria Island

Larry

March 10, 2008March 12, 2024

Anna Maria Island Newspapers

Anna Maria Island Newspapers are a great way to see what is going on in the community. There is nothing more fun than a small town newspaper! The island is fortunate to have two local papers and one covering Bradenton and Manatee county.

Larger Local news coverage

The Bradenton Herald is the largest local newspaper and primarily focuses on the mainland (Bradenton). Anna Maria Island is covered within the newspaper, however Bradenton normally overshadows the events on the island.

Anna Maria Island newspapers

We have two local newspapers that primarily cover Anna Maria Island. The first local newspaper is the Anna Maria Island Sun which covers island life as well as news and events. Courtesy of Island Real Estate, we will arrange for a copy of the Sun to be mailed to any address in the United States for six months, free of charge. Please send your postal mail address as well as “I want the Sun!” to Island Real Estate. The second local newspaper, the Islander also covers Anna Maria Island news, etc. Both approach news on the island with different philosophies so you choose which best suits your needs to keep abreast of island events.

The Longboat Key and News covers primarily Long Boat Key however it does cover some news on Anna Maria.

Larry

March 8, 2008January 22, 2021

Anna Maria Island Gulf Water Temperatures

Anna Maria Island gulf water temperatures are gorgeous. Northern visitors may even swim all year long! The Gulf of Mexico as well as the Tampa Bay offer warmer swimming temperatures amazingly early in our Spring season. On warm days you can usually see a child or even adult taking a dip in our gulf waters any month of year. However, the length of time you might want to swim in the Gulf or Bay has much to do with the month of the year.

Anna Maria Island gulf water temperatures and safety

As usual we suggest all the same common sense safety practices while swimming with children. Keep younger children in a water height that will easily allow them to get their head above water. They will also need to gather their footing quickly if they are knocked over by a large wave. Normally the Gulf is very calm and a toddler can play in the Gulf with little to no effort. If you are concerned about a toddlers swimming safety purchase some arm floater’s at anyone of the local shopping centers on Anna Maria Island or in Bradenton. Take a look below at the AVERAGE sea temperatures to give you an idea of what time of year you find swimming in the Gulf acceptable.

High                Season                 Low
85                   Spring                   77
89                   Summer                80
86                   Fall                        68
77                   Winter                   65

Larry