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Anna Maria Island: Low-key pleasures rule on this slice of Old Florida

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February 05, 2012|By Diane Bair and Pamela Wright

Anna Marias coast faces west, offering beautiful sunsets from points such… (DIANE BAIR FOR THE BOSTON…)

ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. - “Can you get arrested in Florida if you drive half-naked,’’ I asked. “Better not risk it, the way our luck is going,’’ Pam replied.

The airline had misplaced our luggage, so I was still wearing the Boston winter uniform of Uggs and fleece. The air conditioning in our (cheapo) rental car was spewing hot, funky fumes. Not to mention, we were lost. Sweaty and crabby, we stopped at a convenience store for a blast of cold air and a couple of diet sodas. The guy at the counter calmly directed us to our lodgings. “I’m gonna sweeten up this day for you,’’ he added, tossing a handful of chocolate candies into the paper bag with our beverages. “No charge. Enjoy,’’ he said.

Huh?

Prepare yourself for a shock: People really are this friendly on Anna Maria Island, a 7.5-mile stretch of sand, surf, and old-fashioned charm. That weird elation you are experiencing is not a sugar buzz, it’s from the people who make random conversation with you, allow you to merge into traffic (with a friendly wave, no less), and dole out free candy kisses when you need them. These people really do exist, and they are right here, enjoying the good life on Anna Maria, one of the Gulf Islands off the coast of Bradenton in southwest Florida.

Even by Sunshine State standards, Anna Maria is one mellow joint. There is exactly one high-rise building here, which somehow sneaked past the town planners, but otherwise, three stories is the limit. Fast-food franchises are few. Mom-and-pop-type motels and cottage colonies rule. Stores sell such vacation necessities as inflatable alligators and purple Slurpees. “This island is 40 years behind the times,’’ resident Linda Haack told us. “It’s like the rest of Florida used to be, just beaches, palm trees, and pelicans.’’

True. Once you’ve crossed the drawbridge from Bradenton to Anna Maria, you feel the decades fall away. And stress? What stress? Within minutes of squishing our toes in the sand, we were seduced by the slo-mo rhythm of this easygoing island.

Hit the beach