An old-Florida beach town on Anna Maria Island's south end.
Bradenton Beach is in Manatee County, Florida, on the Gulf coast.
Bradenton Beach is its own incorporated city, separate from the city of Bradenton across the bay on the mainland. Free street parking, a seasonal lifeguard and a concession stand make it one of the better-equipped stops in the area. Holmes Beach is a bit over two miles up the shoreline, and Anna Maria Island's north tip about four miles. The fishing pier at the foot of Bridge Street is the surviving half of the 1921 wooden Cortez Bridge, the island's first road link to the mainland.
Today's flag, water temperature, surf, wind, UV and tide times for Bradenton Beach 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Amenity details are Coasti's own notes and can go out of date.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, Bradenton Beach (8726243).
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.
The same algae behind red tide everywhere on the Gulf, Karenia brevis, blooms naturally off Bradenton Beach too. Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tracks it on a statewide map, rebuilt from samples collected on a rolling eight-day cycle. One stretch of sand can be hit hard while a beach a few miles away sees nothing, and most years the activity intensifies through late summer before topping out somewhere 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 Bradenton Beach loads at the top of this page.
Bradenton Beach has lifeguards in season. Outside those months no flag is posted, and no flag flying does not mean the water is safe.
Parking at Bradenton Beach is free. Free street parking. Fees and lot hours change, so check locally before you go.
Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Bradenton Beach. 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