ANNA MARIA ISLAND, AN OLD FLORIDA FEEL

ARTEMIS ON STANDBY, A GETAWAY TO SOOTHE THE SOUL

Written by: Kathleen Walls

There’s a strip of a state barrier island that has preserved its real Florida authenticity. No theme parks, highrises or chain stores. You are surrounded instead by charming shops, general stores, boutiques and cafes.

Anna Maria Island is on Florida’s west coast, sandwiched between St. Petersburg/Tampa and Sarasota on the Gulf of Mexico. The island’s main street, Pine Avenue, is known as the “Greenest Little Main Street in America.”

It’s an island that soothes your soul. It escaped the worst of Hurricane Ian and is waiting for you to visit.

Things To Do And See

Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum Complex

If there’s time, start here. Learn how the island it got its name. One version is that in the 1840s a U.S. chart survey team stayed with the Madison Post family in Tampa and named the island for the then-mayor’s wife, Maria, and her sister, Anna.

The other version is that a 19th century Spanish map shows it as Ana Maria Cay. Maria is the Spanish for Mary, and Mary’s mother is Anna, spelled with just one “n” in Spanish.

The museum houses over 120 years of photos and documents, artifacts donated by islanders. The original city jail built in 1927 is on the property. There were bars on the windows but no glass. Locals dealing with Florida mosquitoes after a night in the clink were careful not to repeat the same mistake, it was said.

Belle Haven, also on the museum property, was built on a pier in 1920, along with a larger home called Lotus Cottage. Belle Haven functioned as a fish packing plant, rental cottage and bait shop. A storm destroyed the pilings in 1926 and tossed the homes into Tampa Bay. Lotus Cottage was gone but Belle Haven was intact and floating, functioning later as an island home. It was rescued in 2001. It’s furnished today with a feel for early island living.

Florida’s Maritime Museum

Being an island, Anna Maria naturally has a colorful water history. The museum in the nearby village of Cortez tells it. I’ve never seen so many shells in one place.

One room is particularly relevant. It’s Caught in the Storm: 100 Years of Florida Hurricanes. Informational outdoor signs detail the various hurricanes as you walk a path leading to the 1890 Braxton Store, once a general store, the local post office and a steamship wharf. Behind the museum is a Seminole chickee hut.

A small waterway separates the museum from the Cortez Cultural Center. You may want to watch for wildlife here. I spotted a beautiful limpkin sitting on the railing.

Paradise Boat Tour

Experience Florida wildlife and waterways of the west coast. The company guarantees that 95% of its tours include dolphin sightings, often manatees, rays, a variety of birds and a good deal of other wildlife. We saw lots of birds, dolphins near the end of the tour.

Free Anna Marie Island Trolley

On Pine Avenue to explore the shops and dining opportunities.

Ginny and Jane E’s’ Café

Two sisters created the place in a former IGA store. One collected art and antiques, the other was a farmer. The deep menu is specialty drinks, breakfast/hot lunch plates, salads, sandwiches and fresh bakery items. You’ll find an unusual restaurant atmosphere. But it works. It transported me back to the 1950s—the food is delightful.

Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe

A must for breakfast. The all-you-can-eat-pancakes are a tradition. I had the French toast, though my friend said the pancakes are delicious. You get blueberries or strawberries with the French toast, so I shared. The egg-dipped toast was perfectly browned and the fruit topping plus the whipped cream a sweet addition. We sat outside to enjoy the view from nearby Holmes Beach.

Swordfish Grill and Tiki Bar

In Cortez Fishing Village, a waterfront spot where locals gather, boaters dock. The seafood is fresh. I suggest something you seldom find outside the Keys—Bahamian conch fritters. The outer crust was well seasoned and crisp, the meat soft and chewy. If you haven’t tried it, conch meat resembles a chewy oyster. Remoulade sauce accompanies the fritters. I ordered the oyster sampler, loved each one.

Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub

A cross of a waterfront fishhouse and fine dining on Longboat Key, has beach dining under softly lighted oak trees or a covered patio. Lots of seafood, but an interesting dish is the Shogun Farms pulled pork from wild hogs. The meat is tender and tasty.