Tag: shopping

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 located on Anna Maria Island
Publix located in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island

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.

The Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton

Located in Bradenton, Florida, is an immense shopping center known as the Red Barn Flea Market. This place is massive, seriously, it might just take you a couple days to get through!

 

Fresh produce at the Red Barn

With more than 600 flea market booths and shops you’ll need to devote a couple hours to cover the full 145,000 sq. ft. complex (80,000 of this space being air-conditioned). With so much to do it may be better to plan out your routes ahead of time with this handy market guide and  market map.

The Red Barn Flea Market also has an awesome food court area. Get some kettle corn, jerky, Italian ice, and so much more! Make sure you stop by Miller’s Snack Shack and Meaney’s Mini-Donuts for more delicious treats.

 

Every Friday and Saturday they have live music in the Main Food Court, and they also do Garage Sale Weekends where you have even more of a chance of finding a hidden treasure.

The Red Barn Flea Market is in East Bradenton and about a 25-30 minute drive from Anna Maria Island. It is definitely worth spending a day, or two, checking out everything it has to offer.

 

If you visit the Island often, you should do yourself a favor and visit the Red Barn Flea Market.

 

Phone: 941-747-3794
Email: info@redbarnfleamarket.com
Address: 1707 First Street East Bradenton, FL 34208

Hours: 
Monday – Closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday the plaza only is open 10am – 4pm
Friday, saturday, and sunday entire market is open 8am – 4pm

Out of Town Activities for All Ages

Anna Maria- Even though Anna Maria has extremely fun activities, it’s nice to find enjoyable things to do out of town. With so much surrounding the island you’ll have no problem finding something the whole family will enjoy. Here is a list of some of my favorite things to do off the island.

Out of Town Activities

Sarasota

Sarasota is located about 40 minutes south of Anna Maria Island. If you’re looking for a fun mind game, visit Escape Countdown located off of Tamiami Trail. Here you get to pick a themed room such as Jail Break or Mad Hatter and find clues to escape it. The challenge, however, is the 60 minute time limit. You may have up to three clues for free and each added clue takes off two minutes of your time. It’s a lot of fun to do with family and friends and you can have a group of up to eight people. You can reserve a time online or just walk in. Sarasota Lanes is the perfect place to go for anyone who loves bowling.

escape countdown is out of town
Break out of jail at Escape Countdown!

Ellenton

Ellenton is about 30 minutes away and is home to Ellenton Premium Outlets and Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. The Premium Outlets offers shops such as Aeropostale, Michael Kors, and Vans. With around 120 different shops, there’s definitely something for everyone. After shopping outside all day, cool off at the ice rink and enjoy one of their two hour long public skates. Wristbands are only $15 and includes rental skates.

Tampa

If you love golfing, Top Golf is the perfect place for you! Located about an hour away from the island, Top Golf is one of the coolest places to go play golf. Imagine dart boards all over the ground, but instead of throwing darts you’re trying to hit the bulls-eye with a golf ball. Also in Tampa is the Adventure Island Water Park. Here you can find tons of cool water slides, a lazy river, and fun pools to play in.

Overall there’s so much to do on and around the island you’re sure to never get bored. Make sure to check these places out at have fun on your vacation!

University Town Center brings much anticipated shopping to the area!

Sarasota – When visiting it won’t take long to realize that dragging yourself away from the sugar-sand beaches of Anna Maria Island for shopping is nearly impossible! However, during times it may get a little rainy, take the day and head over to the BRAND NEW MALL in Sarasota!

The Mall at University Town Center (Mall UTC) just had it’s opening day on October 16, 2014.  The architecture of this mall is unique and attractive.  The glass brick roof keeps the mall light and bright letting the Florida sun shine through – it really compliments the fresh new mall. For us locals, it was very anticipated for the area! This multi-level, 880,000 square foot mall changed shopping for us here in Southwest Florida.

The mall which includes over 100 stores to shop, 12 places to get some food (including casual dining, fine dining and quick eats) as well as a list of upcoming events such as styling from Aveda Salon, Eye Wear Trunk Show, Designer appearance and fashion show at Dillard’s, and more!

Mall UTC  is located at 140 University Town Center Drive in Sarasota, FL 34243, which is only 30-35 minutes from AMI.  Time for some serious shopping fun!

Here is the Mall Directory:

  • 3D Crystals
  • Abby Iron Doors
  • Aerie
  • Aldo
  • American Eagle Outfitters
  • Ann Taylor
  • Anthropologie
  • Apple
  • Arhaus
  • Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
  • Aveda
  • Banana Republic
  • Bath & Body Works
  • Blend Bikinis
  • Bluemercury Cosmetics & Spa – Inside Macy’s
  • BOSS
  • Brighton Collectibles
  • Brio Tuscan Grille
  • Brooks Brothers
  • Brow Art 23
  • Buckle
  • Candy Barrel
  • Champs Sports
  • Chico’s
  • Chiquinho Ice Cream
  • Chubbies
  • Cinnabon
  • Claire’s
  • Clarks
  • Cold Stone Creamery
  • Cosmo Nail Bar
  • Crate & Barrel
  • Dillard’s
  • Elite Home Gamerooms
  • Everything But Water
  • Express
  • Express Men
  • Fabletics
  • Fast Fix Jewelry, Watch & Phone Repair
  • Fit2Run
  • Florida Currency Exchange
  • Foot Locker / House of Hoops
  • Forever 21
  • Forever Flawless
  • Fracassi Lashes
  • Francesca’s
  • Free People
  • Gap
  • Gap Kids
  • Gelato-Go
  • GNC
  • Go! Calendars, Games & Toys
  • Godiva Chocolatier
  • Great American Cookies
  • H&M
  • Hollister
  • House of Samsonite
  • Icing
  • iFixandRepair
  • Invicta
  • Janie & Jack
  • Jetsons Clothing
  • J.Jill
  • Johnston & Murphy
  • Journeys
  • Just in Case
  • Kahwa Coffee
  • kate spade new york (Inside Dillard’s)
  • Kay Jewelers
  • Kendra Scott
  • Kids Foot Locker
  • Kona Grill
  • Le Macaron
  • LensCrafters
  • Lilly Pulitzer
  • L’Occitane
  • LOFT
  • Louis Vuitton
  • LoveSac
  • Lucky Brand
  • lululemon athletica
  • LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
  • MAC
  • Macy’s
  • Mandarin Express
  • Masterpiece Group: Keller Williams Realty of Manatee
  • Mayors / Rolex
  • Michael Kors
  • Microsoft
  • Mimmic
  • Nespresso
  • New York Jewelers
  • Nrsh
  • Oakley
  • Obsessed Boutique
  • Organic Nail Bar
  • PACSUN
  • PANDORA
  • PAPYRUS
  • Perfume Plus
  • Piercing Pagoda
  • PINK
  • Pottery Barn
  • Relax Spa
  • Rise Pies Handcrafted Pizza
  • Robert Graham
  • Royale
  • Saks Fifth Avenue
  • Seasons 52
  • SEE Eyewear
  • Sephora
  • Shoe Elegance
  • Shoes Di Oggi
  • Skin Laundry
  • Soft Surroundings
  • Solstice Sunglasses
  • Soma
  • Sophie’s (inside Saks Fifth Avenue)
  • Starbucks
  • Starbucks (inside Macy’s)
  • Stuart Weitzman (Inside of Saks 5th Avenue)
  • Sunglass Hut
  • Sutra Beauty
  • Swarovski
  • Talbots
  • TeBella Tea Company
  • Tesla Motors
  • The Art of Shaving
  • The B12 Store
  • The Capital Grille
  • The Cheesecake Factory
  • The Walking Company
  • TINA Stephens (Tees By Tina)
  • T-Mobile
  • Tommy Bahama
  • Tricho Salon
  • Tumi
  • Urban Outfitters
  • Vans
  • Venus Med Spa
  • Vera Bradley
  • Victoria’s Secret
  • Vineyard Vines
  • Visit Sarasota County Information Center
  • White House | Black Market
  • Williams-Sonoma
  • Yankee Candle Co.
  • Zagg
  • Zales
  • Z Gallerie

Top 5 Ice Cream Places on Anna Maria Island

Hey dudes and dude-ettes!!  You’re back with The Island Kid right here on Kids Corner, the best place to get the best news on Anna Maria Island.  I’m here today to tell you guys about the absolute best places on the island to get your ice cream fix. Now, here on Anna Maria Island, there are plenty of places you can go if you want a frozen treat to eat. But if you’re unsure of which places are best and which places to rule out. Read on for good info!coffee ice cream

            Best Places for Ice Cream on Anna Maria Island

1: Two Scoops: This ice cream shop is a small shop nestled between Two Sides of Nature and across from the Anna Maria City Pier. With 32 rotating flavors, some as weird as blueberry pie and as normal as your classic vanilla, your pallet will always be pleased. They also have pastries, assorted lunch foods, and candy bars.

2: Dips: An ice cream shop near Three Island Monkeys and The Loft #5 in Anna Maria, this itty-bitty place packs the punch when it comes to ice cream. With thousands of flavors and topping variations, your experience will never be a bore.  Plus the classic candies and toys on the wall are great for a trip down memory lane.

3: Tyler’s Ice Cream is just over the bridge in Cortez Village.  Well worth the jaunt to enjoy some delicious gourmet flavors-literally hundreds over the years!  They have locally themed, as well as delicious classic flavors…and finding out what their latest is, is always part of the fun.  But creating your own flavor of shake just can’t be beat!

4: Joe’s Eats and Sweets: This place is the bomb.com. It’s got everything from chocolate to cotton candy & nerds and more! They also have pie on a stick-yes, on a stick- and various types of milkshakes and malts. This place is big colorful building right near Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach, so climb the steps, and check it out!

5: Holy Cow: No, I’m not shocked, they just have really good ice cream!  This place has many different combos of flavors and toppings, plus much more. They include a little mini gift shop inside the shop, plus indoor and outdoor seating. So feel free to enjoy your ice cream while browsing the trinkets.

Bonus tip – about 15 minutes off Anna Maria Island is a fantastic custard shop called Sweet Berries.  They mix all kinds of goodies in their custard ice cream and call it a concrete.  yum!

Whether you’re looking for just one spot or want try them all, these places are the best on the island.  So next time you’re visiting, go check ’em out! Let us know what you thought, and check back with us here on Kid’s Corner.

Grocery options on and off Anna Maria Island Florida

anna maria island groceryWritten by Reservation Specialist Angela Watson

Though Publix is the most evident grocery store on The Island, there are many ambiguous Island bazaars that offer a more subdued shopping experience where you can grab consumables among the eclectic Anna Maria Island charm that dazzles so many of our Island enthusiast. Below you can browse Grocery options on Anna Maria Island as well as off the Island.

Continue reading Grocery options on and off Anna Maria Island Florida

Bradenton, Florida Area information and things to do

Activities and Things to do in Bradenton

Bradenton, FL Area Information and Activities

Looking for something to do in the Bradenton area during your Anna Maria Island vacation? We have compiled a list of the Bradenton area attractions for your convenience!

Anna Maria Island Has Two Libraries

Tingley Memorial Library

The Tingley Memorial Library in Bradenton Beach (also known as the Bradenton Beach Public Library) is one of two libraries on Anna Maria Island.  Tingley Memorial Library is a privately funded non-profit organization existing on donations and volunteer help, and is independent of the county library system. Tingley Memorial Library is located two blocks south of the Cortez Bridge, just off of gulf drive behind Bradenton Beach City Hall.

Continue reading Anna Maria Island Has Two Libraries

Shopping at the Westfield Mall in Brandon, FL

There is fantastic shopping to be had on Anna Maria Island however some shop-a-holics need more.  Sure Anna Maria Island has lots of shopping opportunities but if you are looking for 100’s of sneakers to choose from, 100’s of different pants, shirts, blouses or Jeans then visiting anyone of our malls within an hour drive of Anna Maria Island will fill that shopping need you have.

The Westfield Mall in Brandon is a great choice.  Realize this is not to be confused with the Westfield Mall in Sarasota which is good however the Brandon location is MUCH bigger.

The Brandon Westfield Mall has several electronic stores.  The biggest being FYI which is a huge music and electronics store.  If you are looking for some great video games then hit the game stop or maybe even the APPLE store.  That’s right, there is an Apple store for all those hard to find items you may need.  The store is outfitted with lots of computers and gadgets for you to try first hand.

The major Department stores for Westfield at the time of this writing is Dick’s which is a sporting goods store, Dillards, JcPenney’s, Macy’s and Sears.  If you are looking for some more clothing and Jewelry stores then the mall will not disappoint.  Coldwater Creek, Coach bags, The Disney Store, Fossil, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle,  Guess, Lucky Jeans, and many many more stores.   I have been told some other stores not to miss out are SEPHORA, Ann Taylor Loft and MAC cosmetics.

If you are looking for a bite to eat then there is plenty to choose from as well.  Starbucks, Cheesecake factory, Five guys a great burger joint, California Pizza kitchen and about 10 other choices.

So, with the above description I have barely dented the stores at the Brandon Mall but hopefully I have peaked your interest if you are adventures and want to leave the serenity of Anna Maria Island for a big shopping day.  If you are visiting the Brandon Mall for a specific store then be sure to visit the Mall’s information page to be sure it is there.

One last thing, another person explained going to the Brandon-Westfield mall…”you failed to describe the Euro-phobic feeling when one steps inside this palace of commerce.  The sights of shiny new things all waiting to be purchased – it gives me goosebumps!!”

Westfield Brandon Mall
459 Brandon Town Center
Brandon, FL 33511
(813) 661-5100

Beach House Restaurant – Outdoor dining and great Florida seafood

The Beach House restaurant is located in Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island  just past the street light after the Cortez Bridge heading south.

Experience great waterfront dining on the Gulf of Mexico with breathtaking views and fresh Florida seafood. It is the perfect place for family dining with plenty of room for all the kids to play on the beach while you sip on a tropical drink and enjoy great food while listening to live entertainment by local artists. You can choose, if you like, to have your meal inside the dining room or on the waterfront deck. There is even a covered Gulf front area, which makes it perfect rain or shine.

Beside the regular lunch and dinner menus, Beach House offers a happy hour menu at the bar including delicious libations and small plates.  In addition to fresh local seafood you can find farm fresh produce on the menu. The Grouper sandwich is a popular menu item, but be sure to check out any seasonal offerings like the stuffed squash blossoms from Gamble creek farms.

The Beach House is a wonderful spot to enjoy a gulf sunset after a long day at the beach. If you like to take a look at some spectacular sunset pictures visit our Anna Maria Island  blog and get in the mood for a nice dinner at The Beach House.

It is also a great place to have a wedding. The Beach House is an award-winning location for beach weddings, receptions or any special event. Maybe if you are in luck you’ll witness one of the happy couples exchange their vows.

You can even do a little shopping in their gift and souvenir shop located at the entrance area of the restaurant.

The Beach House Restaurant
200 Gulf Dr
Bradenton Beach, Fl 34217
Phone (941) 779-2222