Old-Florida charm with no high-rises in sight.
Anna Maria Island is in Manatee County, Florida, on the Gulf coast.
Anna Maria Island sits at the northern tip of the barrier island chain in Manatee County. Holmes Beach lies about two miles down the shoreline, with Bradenton Beach about four miles down the island. Free street parking lines the accesses but stays limited, and a seasonal lifeguard watches the main beach. The sand runs the same fine quartz found the length of this island.
Today's flag, water temperature, surf, wind, UV and tide times for Anna Maria Island load on this page automatically. Conditions change through the day, so nothing on this page is a substitute for the flag flying when you arrive.
Amenity details are Coasti's own notes and can go out of date. Fees, lifeguard seasons and dog rules are set locally.
Flags run from green for low hazard to double red for water closed — see what each flag color means.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Anna Maria Key, city pier (8726282).
Weather and marine forecasts come from the National Weather Service at Sarasota Bradenton Intl (KSRQ).
Red tide readings come from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission monitoring map.
Red tide traces back to Karenia brevis, a Gulf algae that occurs on its own rather than from pollution, and it can turn up anywhere along Manatee County's coast. Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission keeps a statewide monitoring map current using water samples collected on a rolling eight-day cycle. Conditions can differ sharply between beaches only a few miles apart, and the heavier activity tends to build through late summer, usually peaking between September and November. See today's statewide red tide status.
That depends on the flag and the surf, and both change through the day. Coasti shows the posted lifeguard flag when a current one exists, and estimates from surf, wind and rip-current risk when it does not. Today's answer for Anna Maria Island loads at the top of this page.
Anna Maria Island has lifeguards in season. Outside those months no flag is posted, and no flag flying does not mean the water is safe.
Parking at Anna Maria Island is free. Free street parking, limited. Fees and lot hours change, so check locally before you go.
Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Anna Maria Island. Nearby rules vary, so check locally before you go.
It is quartz rather than crushed shell or coral. Quartz reflects more light, so it looks whiter and stays noticeably cooler underfoot on a hot afternoon.
More Manatee County beaches · All beaches Coasti covers · Red tide status · What the flags mean