Bradenton Area Florida Hotels, Lodging and Bed and Breakfast

Florida’s Gulf Islands: Bradenton, Long Boat Key and Anna Maria Island Bradenton, Long Boat Key and Anna Maria Island are located just south of Tampa and St. Petersburg and north of the cultural happenings in Sarasota. Bradenton’s southern hospitality with year round sunshine, a warm tropical climate and Anna Maria, the best of the barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico, make this destination the place to visit.

The seven-mile long Anna Maria Island is situated is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on its western shore and Sarasota Bay and Anna Maria Bay on its eastern shores. It is the northernmost of a string of barrier islands that extend in a southerly direction to the Florida Keys. Did you know that Fort De Soto is less than an hour from Anna Maria Island? The island’s three cities (Anna Maria at the northern end, Holmes Beach in the middle and Bradenton Beach at the southern end) are easily accessed by three draw bridges – one for Longboat key to the south and two from the mainland which lie off the Island’s eastern shore across from Sarasota Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Enjoy kayak adventures or a day at the Spa or, if you prefer, visit the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, The Lake Manatee State Park, or Myakka River State Park. You can also choose to travel along Bradenton’s Beach Scenic Highway and enjoy the beauty of the coastline. Whatever you do, you will understand why Bradenton, Long Boat Key and Anna Maria Island have become the jewels of Florida’s Gulf Island.