Anna Maria Island

Most Anna Maria Island beach guides will tell you the sand is white and the water is warm. Both true, and both completely useless at 10:30 on a Saturday morning when you have four kids in the car and every lot is full.

Manatee Public Beach on an ordinary morning. Roughly 120 spaces, and this is what they look like well before noon.

Anna Maria Island beach parking is the actual problem on this island. It is the difference between a great beach day and an hour of circling with everyone in the car getting quieter. We own homes a few minutes from these beaches and our guests run into this every single week, so here is the version we would want if we were the ones visiting: five beaches, ranked by how hard it is to leave the car, with the times you need to be there.

Table of Contents

Manatee Public Beach: the one everybody wants

The cafe deck at Manatee. Food, a tiki bar, and a sunset crowd, which is exactly why the lot fills.

This is our favorite and the one we send people to first. Straight down Manatee Ave, right at the end of the causeway. Restrooms, changing cabanas, food, a few shops, a playground, lifeguards on duty every day of the year, and a tiki bar. You can rent chairs and umbrellas, and Fun and More Rentals on AMI is the outfit we have used.

It is also the most crowded beach on the island, with about 120 free spaces trying to serve all of that.

Regular day: Arrive by 11:00 AMThe latest we would risk it
Peak or holiday: Arrive by 9:00 AMSpring break, long weekends

The overflow lot most visitors never find

If the main lot is full, the Church of the Annunciation at 4408 Gulf Dr lets beachgoers park for a donation. It is two blocks up Gulf Drive, a four minute walk to the sand.

What we tell our guests to do: pull into Manatee, drop everyone and the chairs and the cooler at the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe, then go park at the church and walk back. Nobody hauls gear and nobody sits in the car circling.

One exception: Sunday mornings. The church is in use from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM, so plan around that.

When Manatee is full, go south

Here is the move that saves the day, and almost nobody tells first-time visitors. From Manatee, head south on E Bay Dr. Cortez Beach is a couple of miles down and Coquina Beach is right past it. Both have significantly more parking than Manatee.

Cortez Beach

Restrooms, grills, picnic tables and lifeguards, with parking spots running down the street. There is usually something open here even when Manatee has given up. It feels quieter and more local than Manatee. No rentals on site, so bring your own chairs.

Coquina Beach

Coquina, looking north. Those lots running along Gulf Drive are why this is the safe bet on a busy day.

The most parking of any beach on this list, by a wide margin. If you are getting a late start, or you have a big group arriving in several cars, this is where to go. Restrooms, grills, picnic tables, lifeguards, and the Coquina Beach Cafe right there. On peak days it still fills, usually by noon, but it is the last one to go.

These are the only guarded beaches

Manatee, Cortez and Coquina are the only three beaches in Manatee County with professional lifeguards. Between them the county staffs 11 towers: number 1 at Manatee, 2 through 4 at Cortez, and 5 through 11 at Coquina.

Cover runs 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM from Labor Day through Memorial Day, and 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM through the summer. Everywhere else on this list is unguarded, so if you are swimming with young kids or anyone who is not a strong swimmer, pick one of the three.

Two quieter spots worth knowing

Bean Point, the north tip of the island. No facilities, no rentals, and the best sunset on Anna Maria.

The White Ave access, north Holmes Beach. Up at the north end of Holmes Beach there is a beach access off White Ave with no parking of its own. CrossPointe Fellowship at 8605 Gulf Dr sits right there, and when no service is running you can usually park in their lot and walk over. Worth a call ahead on a Sunday.

Bean Point. At 27.532930, -82.741974 there is a crosswalk with beach access. Park in the gravel and shell areas along the side of the road. This is where the Gulf meets the bay, and it is worth the trip for sunset alone. Bring everything you need, because there is nothing up there.

The side-street rule that gets visitors ticketed

Almost every island street has public beach access at the end, and you can park along many of them. The rule that catches visitors is simple, and it is enforced year round.

All four tires must be completely off the pavement.

Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton Beach all require it. A ticket runs about $75, and there is often no curb or paint showing where the road ends, so pull further onto the gravel or grass than feels necessary.

A few other things that will earn you a citation:

Any block posted with no parking signs. Signs always win.
Blocking a driveway, public or private. Residents call these in quickly.
Within 30 feet of an intersection or a stop sign, and within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
On a sidewalk or bike path, or within 20 feet of a crosswalk.
Facing the wrong way. Your right-hand wheels should point with the direction of traffic.
Overnight at Manatee Public Beach, where the lot closes 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Some residential blocks in Holmes Beach are permit only. If you see decal or permit signage, keep driving and use one of the public lots instead.

Anna Maria Island beach parking: the short version

Pick your beach in ten seconds

Normal day, want food and restrooms: Manatee Public Beach, parked by 11:00 AM.
Peak or holiday weekend: Manatee by 9:00 AM. Running later than that, drop everyone at the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe and go park at the church lot.
Late start, or a big group in several cars: Coquina Beach. It has the most room and it is the last to fill.
Quiet over convenience: Bean Point, or the White Ave access up north. Pack everything, because there is nothing there.
Swimming with kids or weak swimmers: Manatee, Cortez or Coquina. They are the only guarded beaches.
Parking on any side street: All four tires off the pavement, every time. No exceptions.

Stay minutes from all of it

Our Bradenton homes sit in quiet neighborhoods a short drive from every beach in this guide. Run home for lunch, swim in your own pool when the beach fills up, and head back out at four when the crowd thins.