Mark Saturday, November 30th on your calendar ~ we have a great way to get in the holiday spirit!
That evening from 5pm through 10pm, we are all welcome to enjoy the first official holiday Lighting of Bridge Street. Bring your friends, family (both human and furry) to Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island. The night will come alive with live holiday music by “Ted Stevens and the Doo Shots”. There will be shopping, crafts, food and a full bar available. The exact location is 107 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach….but leave the car at home! You can let loose, have a good time and shake your tail feathers by taking the free Anna Maria Island Trolley!!
What a fun way to follow up an island Thanksgiving!
This is the first of many merry holiday events on Anna Maria Island, beginning in the city of Bradenton Beach.
For more information on the host, Bridge Street Merchants, click here.
Grab the kids, family, and friends and head downtown to Music in the Park at Bradenton Riverwalk for some live music. Realize Bradenton will be hosting Music in the Park Thursday evenings at the brand new Riverwalk downtown Bradenton. This family friendly concert series begins October 25th and will continue Thursday evenings from 5pm – 7pm until November 15th at the Riverfront Pavilion and Mosaic Amphitheater.
Riverfront Pavilion and Mosaic Amphitheater
452 3rd Avenue West
Bradenton Florida
Riverwalk is a fabulous Anna Maria Island activity. Walk along the river and take in all there is to offer. Swings, a playground, water park, a skate park, pavilion and much more. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Downtown Bradenton.
Join in on the fun on Anna Maria Island Halloween. Stop into Island Real Estate at 6101 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach or 419 Pine Avenue in Anna Maria to get some treats and get your picture taken in costume.
We will post all of the kids in costume on this page the day after the trail of treats so make sure you check back with us to see all of the fun Halloween costumes.
An Anna Maria Island Labor day is fantastic! With temperatures in the low 90’s during the day and mid 70’s in the evenings as well as plenty of island activities, it’s going to be a great Labor Day Weekend on Anna Maria Island! There are plenty of Labor Day Activities on Anna Maria Island. Just a few things to remember, garbage pickup for Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton will be postponed by 1 day for the holiday. The Anna Maria Island Trolley will run during regularly scheduled hours on Labor Day, and we have put together a list of activities for the holiday weekend. Have a great Anna Maria Island Labor day weekend!
4pm – 7pm – Labor Day Weekend Nostalgia Nights – Concert & Car Show Bradenton Municipal Auditorium – 100 Barcarrota Blvd West Bradenton For more information call: 941-748-5875 5:30pm – Close –
Mike Sales Signs & Sunset Drum Circle Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe – 4000 Gulf Drive Holmes Beach For more information call: 941-448-5798 6pm – Galati Yacht Sales Labor Day Billfish Tournament Captains Meeting Galati Yacht Basin – 900 South Bay Blvd For more information call: 941-778-0755 7pm – 10pm –
Live Music – Russ Adams Project Island Time Bar and Grill – 111 Gulf Drive South Bradenton Beach For more information call: 941-782-1122 9:30pm – 1:30am – Live Music – Democracy DCoy Ducks – 5410 Marina Drive Holmes Beach For more information call: 941-778-5888 Saturday September 1ST 6am – Galati Yacht Sales Labor Day Billfish Tournament Begins Galati Yacht Basin – 900 South Bay Blvd For more information call: 941-778-0755 1pm – 4pm – Live Music – Doug Bidwell Island Time Bar and Grill – 111 Gulf Drive South Bradenton Beach For more information call: 941-782-1122 6:30pm – Bradenton Marauders Baseball Game McKechnie Field -1611 9th Street West, Bradenton For more information call: 941-747-3031 7pm – 10pm – Live Music – Ted Stevens Island Time Bar and Grill – 111 Gulf Drive South Bradenton Beach For more information call: 941-782-1122 9:30pm – 1:30am – Live Music – Burning Tree DCoy Ducks – 5410 Marina Drive Holmes Beach For more information call: 941-778-5888 Sunday September 2ND 10:30am – Bradenton Marauders Baseball Game McKechnie Field -1611 9th Street West, Bradenton For more information call: 941-747-3031 5pm – 18pm – Live Music – Moon Dr’s Unplugged Island Time Bar and Grill – 111 Gulf Drive South Bradenton Beach For more information call: 941-782-1122 6pm – 9pm –
Live Music – Ricci D’ Island Time Bar and Grill – 111 Gulf Drive South Bradenton Beach For more information call: 941-782-1122 Labor Day – September 3RD 5pm – Picnic and Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social Gloria Dei Lutheran Church – 6608 Marina Drive Holmes Beach For more information call: 941-778-1813
1. The Fish Hole Miniature Golf-An 18 hole golf course located on Historic Bridge Street. They have a koi pond that the kids will love to feed! Open 7 days!
115 Bridge Street
Bradenton Beach, FL 34217
(941) 778-3388
2. Anna Maria Bay Front Park– This is a great family friendly park which offers a playground, grills, picnic tables. There is a bay beach as well with views of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Egmont Key. There are public restrooms and showers to wash off the sand!
316 North Bay Blvd
Anna Maria City, FL 34212
3. Two Scoops Ice Cream Parlor– They offer sundaes, ice cream cones, cookies & candy or you can grab lunch, sandwiches, hotdogs & chips!
101 South Bay Blvd
Anna Maria City, FL 34216
(941) 779-2422
4. Anna Maria Island Community Center-The Center has so many programs and activities for kids, teens and adults too!
407 Magnolia Ave
Anna Maria City, FL 34216
(941) 778-1908
5. South Florida Museum-This great museum located in Downtown Bradenton has Bishop Planetarium and Parker Manatee Aquarium all under one roof! You must see Snooty; he is the oldest known manatee!
201 10th St. West
Bradenton, FL 34205
(941) 746-4131
6. Eternal Summer Surf Camp-This is fantastic, free program offered in the summer. Every Sunday beginning July 4th, there is a 2 hour instructional class for children 14 and under. Did I mention it’s free?
Located at the beach on White Avenue
7. Mote Marine Laboratory-You can explore the sea through the touch pools, viewable-working labs and interactive exhibits. See sharks, dolphins, manatees and sea turtles, along with more than 100 other species of marine life.
1600Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 388-4441
8. Clearwater Marine Aquarium– This is a great family day trip to Clearwater. The aquarium is the official home of the Dolphin Winter, star of the new blockbuster movie, Dolphin Tale!
249 Windward Passage
Clearwater, FL 33767
(727) 441-1790
9. De Soto National Park-This national park teaches the local history through a hands-on exhibit and re-enactments for the young and old. Pack a picnic and you can explore the nature trail!
8300 De Soto Memorial Hwy
Bradenton, FL 34209
(941) 792-0458 ext. 105
Join me for a short virtual tour on Anna Maria Island; create your own perfect paradise, take a look at the beach, and perfect weather that we have all year round. I can tell you first hand, that life is better at the beach, the many activities, and beautiful scenery that Anna Maria Island has to offer makes it very hard to resist. But the very best part about Anna Maria Island is that we do not have any snow here at all. Unlike most of the country that is covered for six months out of the year!
Just remember in your quest for outdoor dining, fishing, shopping, entertainment, or the next place to catch that big fish, check in with one of our Anna Maria Island Real Estate Sales professionals and make sure you find your piece of paradise. We have beach house real estate available all over Anna Maria Island. Call Island Real Estate today 877-778-6066 and find a sales professional that can fine your Perfect Paradise!
G.T. Bray Park located in Bradenton, Fl has something for everyone. You can walk tree rimmed paths, swing on the swing in one of the three playgrounds, swim and play in the water fountains or take your dog to the very safe enclosed dog park.
If you are looking to have a larger event while visiting Bradenton or Anna Maria Island then G.T. Bray Park could be your perfect ticket. The Bradenton park has seven pavilions (Picnic Shelters.) Of course sizes vary. If you refer to the map below the numbers here correlate to those on the GT Bray park map. (1)Cedar Hammock (2) Oak Knoll (3) Hickory Hollow (4) Meadow View (5) Woodland Grove (6) Whispering Pine (7) Bright Outlook – located adjacent to the Activity Center. For information on availability of the picnic pavilions call (941) 742-5974.
The dog park is called happy tails and is a perfect treat for pet visitors to Anna Maria Island. Happy Tails Canine Park is a fenced in, 3-acre off leash dog park located at the North East corner of G.T. Bray Bradenton park. Happy Tails is just off 51st Street West. Amenities at the dog park includes one drinking fountain and free waste bags and a enclosed separate area exclusively for small, fragile, or elderly dogs.
GT Bray Dog Park
This Bradenton park is a great place to relax or play soccer, softball or football in one of their many open fields. Tennis and racquetball courts are available year round. There is a weight room available for a fee. Skate and hockey court is also just one of the great amenities the Bradenton park has to offer. The skate park is located at G.T. Bray Park, 5502 33rd Avenue Drive West, Bradenton, Fl, 34209.
Depending on the time of year you are visiting the beaches of Anna Maria Island, you can find many family friendly events for children all year long. The Christmas party is a must see, Santa Claus flies in on a helicopter with Batman to give the children their opportunity to tell him what they want for Christmas and have their photos taken. The holiday celebration is perfect for families of all ages, face painting, bounce houses, games, crafts, etc. Easter is when they have the largest Easter egg hunt I have ever seen! The G.T. Park staff fill and lay out thousands of eggs. Imagine three baseball outfields covered in plastic Easter
Covered pavilion and Playground
eggs! These are just a few holiday events that the G.T. Bray park has to offer.
G.T. Bray Park
5502 33rd Avenue Drive West
Bradenton, Florida
(941) 742-5923
Bradenton – If your family is looking for something adventurous and would enjoy a bike-ride on newly-paved trails, a walk along the nature paths, kayaking through the paddle trails, a climb up an Observation Tower or would just prefer to enjoy the wildlife, then Robinson Preserve is the perfect way to entertain the whole family!
The Robinson Preserve is located in Northwest Bradenton, about a 10-15 min drive off Anna Maria Island. Open year-round, Hours: Sunrise to Sunset. Free Admission and parking. Tours only by request and usually last about 2 hours. Make an appointment by calling ahead of time.
Bring your bathing suit if you would like to go for a swim. The Preserve also has plenty of picnic tables across from the Visitor Center to have a meal or a little snack. Make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen as it can be very hot, especially during summer!!
Are you bringing your dog on vacation? Bring them to Robinson Preserve! Just make sure that you bring a leash and plenty of water!
The Ringling museum is an great day trip from Anna Maria Island into Sarasota. The museum is located right off Sarasota Bay just a short 30 minutes drive away. This is truly an amazing museum, and a must visit for art lovers!
John and Mable Ringling built their home and museum in 1927 and left their beautiful grounds and buildings to the State of Florida. The museum opened to the public in October of 1931. The history behind this gorgeous waterfront property is incredible, to read more please go to www.ringling.org.
The museum includes the Ringling Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, Rose Garden, Ringling Courtyard, and the Ca d’Zan Mansion.
Inside The Ringling.
Exhibits at The Ringling
You will fall in love with the historically significant art found here. Works from Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens fill an entire room. These pieces are huge and astonishing. Additionally many other famous names decorate the walls.
The Circus Museum is fun for everyone! Yes, this is the John Ringling of Ringling Circus. You will find interesting circus history, and fun things to see.
Ca d’Zan is the summer home of John and Mable. It’s like visiting a palace on Sarasota Bay. This mansion is one of a kind. You’ll never see anything like this luxurious home. The Ringlings held amazing balls and also loved entertaining here.
One of the galleries at the museum is for rotating exhibits. This is an excellent place to catch traveling shows.
Beautiful Ca d’Zan MansionRose Garden
The museum offers complimentary tours with admission of the Ringling Museum and the Circus Museum, but it is $4-5 for a tour of the Ca d’Zan mansion.
Saturdays at the Ringling Museum are family fun days with story time, exploration stations, family friendly exhibition tours and more all with paid admission.
Also located on the grounds, Banyan Café and the Treviso Restaurant are great for dining.
Open Daily from 10am to 5:30 pm
Admission is $7-20, Children under 6 are free.
Located at the end of University Parkway on beautiful Sarasota Bay, check here for directions and parking.
For more things to do on Anna Maria Island or Sarasota visit our top ten list of things to do while vacationing in paradise.
Lee Roy Selmon’s is a great family restaurant that has similar food as Outback. The restaurant is just 10-15 minutes from Anna Maria Island in Bradenton, Fl. Just travel South to Cortez road and head East until 65th street West. The restaurant has a nice family atmosphere and is family friendly. They have a nice childrens menu filled with Barbecue Ribs, Chicken Fingers, Corndogs, Macaroni and Cheese, and other child favorites. For adults Lee Roy Selmon’s has soups, salads, Barbeque, Salmon, Trout, Shrimp, and plenty of great choices of appetizers.
Lee Roy’s has a menu on their website as well as more locations on the Gulf Coast. If you are planning on going bowling, out to a movie, or leaving Anna Maria Island. Try Lee Roy’s for lunch or dinner, you won’t be sorry. They open at 11:30 AM for lunch and most nights are open until 10:30 PM.
One last note, their barbeque is great as well as their sweet potatoes.
Sorry, Lee Roy Selmons is no longer located in Bradenton, FL
Lee Roy Selmon’s
6510 Cortez Road
Bradenton, Fl 34210
Mark Saturday, November 30th on your calendar ~ we have a great way to get in the holiday spirit!
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