Boating while visiting Anna Maria (Tampa, Orlando: rental, condo, homes)

[MaggieMooster]

I'm staying in Anna Maria the week of July 4th with some friends in a rental condo on the Gulf.

I'd like to bring our 20 ft boat.

We are staying at LaCosta 1800 Gulf Dr N Bradenton Beach, FL which appears to be about halfway between Manatee Ave and Cortez Road.

I don't know if we will be able to trailer the boat at thee condo.

Any suggestions on where we could park it for the week if we can't keep it at the condo? And where is the best place to put in?

Also -- any sandbar or little islands to visit?

This is my first time to this area so I'd like to get the locals perspective on boating in the area. There are a couple of families with kids mostly pre-teen and teens. Boat isn't big enough for everyone to be on all together all day -- and we aren't into fishing - just playing around - tubing, riding around, etc.

Thanks.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by MaggieMooster

I'm staying in Anna Maria the week of July 4th with some friends in a rental condo on the Gulf.

I'd like to bring our 20 ft boat.

We are staying at LaCosta 1800 Gulf Dr N Bradenton Beach, FL which appears to be about halfway between Manatee Ave and Cortez Road.

I don't know if we will be able to trailer the boat at thee condo.

Any suggestions on where we could park it for the week if we can't keep it at the condo? And where is the best place to put in?

Also -- any sandbar or little islands to visit?

This is my first time to this area so I'd like to get the locals perspective on boating in the area. There are a couple of families with kids mostly pre-teen and teens. Boat isn't big enough for everyone to be on all together all day -- and we aren't into fishing - just playing around - tubing, riding around, etc.

Thanks.

First you should contact the office at LaCosta for their rules & regulations regarding boats on trailers during the week you will be staying, otherwise, your boat will be towed as there are no public parking lots for boats on trailers. You can launch at the boat ramp on Manatee Avenue just east of the island for public launching right into the bay. Make sure you have a life jacket for every person on the boat. Google the waterways for water depths and location of sandbars. Beer Can Island is right between Perico Island and Anna Maria Island; there are others as well south of AMI. You'll be coming during the 4th of July holiday and so will everyone else, keep that in mind.

[MaggieMooster]

I am contacting LaCosta but I'm pretty sure I can't park the boat there. That is why I need somewhere to park it. Ideas?

Thanks for the ramp info -- my dear husband is in charge of the waterway/safety and is an experienced boater.

I'm in charge of finding the fun!

[RhysNJ]

Is this any help?

Where to Keep Your Boat on Anna Maria Island

Rhys

[MaggieMooster]

Thanks. That helps some. This must be a tightly packed island...even finding a place to park the trailer is tough.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by MaggieMooster

Thanks. That helps some. This must be a tightly packed island...even finding a place to park the trailer is tough.

Anna Maria Island is home to three (3) towns. It's full of homes on different bodies of water which include canals, bay front & gulf front. Most homeowners have their boats on lifts off their backyard canals. Other's rent space at island marinas. Parking is tight even for residents and space is at a premium; you're coming during a holiday week so you need to understand the dynamics of the island in regards to leaving an object such as a trailer somewhere...

[MaggieMooster]

No - I totally get it. I'm from Florida. I just haven't spent any time on Anna Maria. I normally wouldn't even plan to go that weekend but we are meeting up with other friends who do the yearly trip.

If it doesn't work out - we'll survive. We live in Orlando so we get to enjoy the water all the time. I just was hoping to find something reasonable because we will have all the kids and they would enjoy boating together.

[bbronston]

Bradenton Beach Marina is near there. You might give them a call and ask what they'd charge you. I don't think they have a ramp but I could be wrong. There are other marinas on the island. Just call a few.

[Mikemapva]

Maggie,

I think boating in the AMI area is some of the best I've ever done. We usually boat on the Potomac River in Virginia, and we're amazed by the water clarity there. We've been going to AMI for around 7 or 8 years and always rent a boat for at least 1 day, and in one case we rented for a week.

I'm sure you know this since you're from Florida, but the depths around any of the barrier island can be pretty shallow so be careful about running aground. If you have a chart, you should be able to find the places I'm talking about below.

First of all, here's a few places to visit by boat. Beer Can Island (mentioned above) is actually the very northern tip of Longboat Key (right by where the bridge crosses from AMI to Longboat) and is a fun place to hang out. The channel going into the gulf causes the shore to erode steeply and the current can be strong if the tide is going out.

Real close to Beer Can is a sandbar by Jewfish Key where a lot of people hang out as well. It's sort of in a line between Longboat and Cortez and is to the left of the main channel if you were heading out of the pass.

The best place for tubing is in Palma Sola Bay, which is between the Cortez and Manatee Bridges on the mainland side.

Another fun place to go is Egmont Key which sits in Tampa Bay off of AMI.

Two of the places you could go to eat by boat have now closed down, the original Rotten Ralph's and the Rotten Ralph's on the Bridge Street Pier. You can still dock close by at Mar Vista on the north end of Longboat and grab a bite to eat.

If you want to take a longer ride, you can go all the way down to Sarasota and dock at Marina Jack's, or at the Salty Dog or New Pass Grill.

I've never had to store a boat and/or trailer there (the time we rented for the week we had a dock and the rental guys delivered the boat to us). I would try checking with the marinas on the island, Bradenton Beach, Keyes Marina, and Galati to see if they know where you might be able to park the boat and trailer. Also, you might want to check with the AMI Chamber of Commerce, and maybe some of the self storage places in Cortez to see if you could park it there for a day.

Have a great trip! We'll be there from June 22-July 6 and we will be out on a boat at least once during that time.

Mike

[MaggieMooster]

Wow! Thanks Mike. Just what I was looking for. Noted and stored for reference.