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Jodi Nichols

Learn More about Jodi Nichols - the CEO of Island Real Estate Vacations. Jodi handles all things vacation rentals and leads our renovation and design division!
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Gulf Islands Ferry – Anna Maria Island

Gulf Islands Ferry – Anna Maria Island

Two new water taxis will take passengers between Bradenton and Anna Maria Island this summer between July and early August. The 49-passenger catamaran pontoon-style boats will be able to accommodate all the beach gear that riders want to bring. Beachgoers will soon be able to travel to and from Anna Maria Island in a 30-minute boat ride. The water taxi will begin at the day dock in Downtown Bradenton and make stops along Anna Maria Island. The project is supported by tourism tax process and will be used to reduce traffic. A one-way trip costs $8 for adults. If you want to use the taxis all day, it will be $10. The boats will start out running only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:30 am- 9:30 pm. In the future, the taxis may branch out as far as Longboat Key.

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Easter Activities and Treats

Easter Activities and Treats

If you are staying on Anna Maria Island over the Easter holiday, there are plenty of Easter Activities to choose from for you and your family to do! 🐰🐰🐰

🐥 The 36th Annual Sandbar Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Bonnett Contest – Saturday, March 30th 2024, 9:00-10:30 a.m. Children up to 10 years of age can participate in the Easter Egg Hunt that begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. The Easter Bonnett Contest starts at 10:00 a.m. There are prizes for the top 3 adults and youths. The Sandbar Restaurant is located at 100 Spring Avenue, Anna Maria, FL 34216. After the Easter Egg Hunt, there are usually activities on Pine Ave, including opportunities for pictures with the Easter Bunny! If you are looking to stay a bicycle ride away from Anna Maria City Easter activities then be sure to visit our Anna Maria City Vacation rental page. 🐰

🐥 The 59th Annual Easter Sunrise Service – Sunday March 31st, 2024 on Manatee Beach at 6:30 a.m. This event, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, brings together many local churches into a single service. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on to hear the various speakers from around the island and special Easter music selections. Manatee Beach Park is located at 4000 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, FL 34217. Just a reminder, the service draws up to 2,000 people. The free Island Trolley service starts at 6:00 am. It may be a great way to avoid traffic.

🐥 Easter Dining – Most of our Anna Maria Island restaurants are scheduled to be open on Easter Sunday. Please call ahead to make a reservation for large parties and to confirm that your favorite restaurant is open.

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Top 10 Things to Do With Pets on Anna Maria Island

Top 10 Things to Do With Pets on Anna Maria Island

We love our furry family members, so why leave your pet behind when Island Real Estate Vacations has so many Anna Maria Island pet friendly rental properties.  The island is very dog friendly with water bowls randomly placed and lots of restaurants that allow pets in outdoor seating areas.    Unfortunately, Anna Maria Island does not have any pet friendly beaches but there are plenty of other options.  By the way, not sure if this is the exact order but they are all great things to do with pets!

Browse Anna Maria Island pet friendly vacation rentals

Continue reading “Top 10 Things to Do With Pets on Anna Maria Island”

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GROVE Restaurant, Patio, & Ballroom -Lakewood Ranch

GROVE Restaurant, Patio, & Ballroom -Lakewood Ranch

The GROVE Restaurant is a newer establishment, and sits where the Polo Grill & Bar once was in Lakewood Ranch. If you have ever dined at Pier 22 on the river in Downtown Bradenton, than the GROVE may seem a bit familiar, as it is owned/headed by the owner and head chef of Pier 22.

The GROVE Restaurant, Patio, & Ballroom is open for lunch & dinner, and they just started doing Brunch on the weekends. The food on the menu is great for any palette. There is seafood, landfood, sandwiches, sushi, flatbreads, and more. Not to mention their creative cocktails, wine list, and dessert menu. Everything here looks fabulous!

Planning an event? The GROVE has a beautiful ballroom and private dining rooms that they would love to host your special event in.

GROVE Restaurant, Patio, & Ballroom
10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
(941) 893-4321

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North Shore Cafe – a New Great Addition to Pine Avenue

North Shore Cafe – a New Great Addition to Pine Avenue

There’s a new little café on Pine Ave in Anna Maria City that you must visit! The North Shore Café specializes in coffee, teas, smoothies, and more! Its a great spot to get something on the healthier side for breakfast and lunch.

Need a caffeine fix? They’ve got you covered with one of their Cold Brews, Cappuccinos, or Macchiatos. If you prefer tea over coffee then you’re going to love their specialty teas, like the London Fog (earl grey tea with vanilla, rock  sugar, & steamed milk). They even have Matcha Lattes!  Moving on to menu items that will fill you up, they have a great selection of delicious smoothies, acai bowls, as well as pastries & bagels, avocado toast, and lunch sandwiches. My favorites are the Jacaranda Smoothie, the Acai Hemp Protein Bowl, and the Caprese Sandwich. 

Stop by the North Shore Café any day of the week (besides Tuesdays when they’re closed to restock and recharge) for drinks or a bite to eat. You’re on island time, so you better enjoy every second of it! 

North Shore Cafe
304 Pine Ave, Anna Maria, FL 34216
(941) 900-2671

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Local Fishing Charters for Anna Maria Island

Local Fishing Charters for Anna Maria Island

Gone Fishin’

Ready for a trip out on the waters off of Anna Maria Island? Because I know I am.

This list of local fishing charters should help you get an idea of how many options there are to choose from, and which one suits what you’re looking for in a fishing trip:

Southernaire Fishing Charters
Captain: Danny Stasny 
Phone: (941) 744-7413
Email: southernairefishingcharters@gmail.com
Specializes in: Live-bait backwater and near shore fishing
Boat Type: 23 foot C-Hawk Tower Boat powered by a quiet 200 hp Yamaha 4 stroke motor

Captain Matt Fishing Charters 
Captain: Matt Ercoli
Phone: (941) 447-9888
Email: captainmatt@captainmatt.com
Specializes in: Inshore fishing, offshore fishing, tarpon fishing, and Tampa Bay fly fishing
Boat Type: 24ft. custom Sheaffer with new 225 Suzuki four stoke

Anna Maria Charters
Captain: David White
Phone:  941-725-1860
Specializes in: Inshore spinning & fly fishing, tarpon trips on spinning gear or fly, inshore & nearshore fishing, and offshore fishing.
Types of Boats: 
.  18′ BVT  (Beavertail Skiff), powered by 115hp Mercury 4 stroke. Used for shallow water applications inshore and fly fishing.
. 23’ AQUASPORT powered by 225 hp Yamaha Outboard. Used for inshore and near-shore fishing.
. 24′ ROBIN powered by 300hp 4 stroke. Used for near shore water applications and used up to 9 miles offshore (popular for tarpon fishing).
.  30’ Cobia. Used for offshore fishing.

Back Country Sport Fishing
Captain: Todd Romine
Phone: (941) 920-5049
Email: Capttoddrom@aol.com

Captain Logan Bystrom
Phone: 941-713-1265
Email: loganbystrom@aol.com
Boat Type: 25′ Dorado Fishing Boat

Captain Josh Fishing Charters
Captain: John Peurifoy
Phone: (941) 447-6345
Email: captainjoshcharters@gmail.com
Specializes in: Inshore fishing, offshore fishing, fly fishing, and fun runs

AMI Charters
Captain: Scott
Phone:  (941) 348-2035
Email: scott@amicharters.com
Specializes in: Inshore fishing, nearshore fishing, night fly fishing, family tours, sunset cruises, and fun runs

Reel Cortez Charters
Phone: 941-538-4290
Email: Reelcortez@gmail.com
Specializes in: Inshore fishing, nearshore fishing, and offshore fishing
Boat Type: 32′ Luhrs Open

Anna Maria Inshore Fishing
Captain: Kyle Taylor
Phone:  (941) 345-7182
Email: annamariainshorefishing@tampabay.rr.com
Specializes in: Inshore fishing
Boat Type: 2016 custom built 24ft T-Craft

Grande Tarpon Charters

Captain: Jason Wightman
Phone: (941) 759-3745
Email: Jason@GrandeTarpon.com
Specializes in: Inshore fishing, nearshore fishing, and tarpon fishing
Boat Type: 2310 Action Craft Coastal Bay

Cortez Deep Sea Fishing
Captain: Lance Plowman
Phone: (941) 795-6969
Email: info@cortezdeepseafishing.com
Specializes in: Deep sea fishing
Boat: 62’ US Coast Guard Inspected fishing vessel.
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Publix – Anna Maria Island Grocery store

Publix – Anna Maria Island Grocery store

Publix is located in central Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. It is the only major grocery store on Anna Maria Island. The prices are normally 5% more however most locals save a half an hour round trip off the island to visit the Publix found on 7310 Manatee Avenue in Bradenton, Fl.

Publix of Holmes Beach is located on 3900 East Bay drive next to CVS. You can load their mobile app to order deli orders or subs before-hand to make the most of your Anna Maria Island vacation. The lines for making sub sandwiches at lunch can get lengthy. Publix sells beer and has a large wine selection. They have typical deli selections with a small hot section usually including chicken nuggets, fried potato wedges, mac-n-cheese. They do not have a cold deli with salads etc.

For a quick visit, Publix offers pre-made salads, sandwiches, sushi and cold varieties of pasta salad, potato salad, etc. Publix of Anna Maria Island has a fairly large produce section, frozen section and all the staples you would need. Publix has a bakery where you can pick up bread or preorder cakes, they have a seafood section as well as a floral section. If you are looking for specialty items you may need to visit the off the island Publix which is significantly larger and offers more varieties of groceries but most of the time unless you are a chef you will find what you need at the local Publix.

Publix is on the free Anna Maria Island Trolly route if you want to leave your car at home or your vacation rental. Publix does offer grocery delivery visit the Publix page for more information. If you want to walk to Publix from your vacation rental then a few great choices on Island Real Estate’s vacation rental program are; Salt Shack and Gulf View Townhomes.

If you want some more choices for picking up groceries visit our Anna Maria Island grocery option information page.

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Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier (AMOB)

Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier (AMOB)

For a casual restaurant that serves fantastic seafood at a fantastic price, head on over to Anna Maria Oyster Bar on the Pier. This Bradenton Beach restaurant is one of 4 locations, though this is the only one on the Island.

If you’re a parent with a child under 10 you’re going to love what I am about to tell you – kids under ten eat for a penny an inch Sunday – Thursday. You may be confused as to what this means, but its going to save you some $. At most locations they measure the child’s height, and whatever their height is (say 40 inches) is what you pay for their meal (so $0.40). You can’t beat that! AMOB on the Pier overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway and has outdoor dining with overhead cover.

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Awesome Aquariums Near Anna Maria Island, Florida

Awesome Aquariums Near Anna Maria Island, Florida

Today’s information is about some of the awesome aquariums near Anna Maria Island There are so many cool places to go if you’re interested in exotic or local marine animals.

To kick it off, there’s the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. They have 100’s of different animals. Some of them have been injured & are being hospitalized right there in the aquarium. They also have technological games & activities that you can participate in during your visit. You can explore & discover the marine life they have there, touch stingrays in their touch tank & so much more.

Bradenton has a much smaller aquarium however it is a quick trip just of Anna Maria Island. Unfortunately our famed manatee, Snooty passed away and our area has lost the oldest living manatee in captivity.  The South Florida Museum has lots to do including a planetarium.   Manatee’s are often seen in the canal pool side.

There’s also the Clearwater Marine Hospital (C.M.H.) in Clearwater that holds one of the most unique dolphins ever, Winter. If you haven’t seen the movie Dolphin Tale, Winter is a dolphin that lost her tail in a crab trap accident & is the one & only dolphin with that kind of disability. She now has a prosthetic tail & is living happy & healthy in C.M.H. You can see Winter & all her friends at C.M.H. & some of the other activities. They have a hurricane simulator, some of the actual props & sets that they filmed in the movie, otters, turtles, & so much more. See more at SeeWinter.com

Enjoy your summer & keep in touch with Kid’s Corner!

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