Things to Do on Anna Maria Island: Beaches, Piers, and a Working Fishing Village
Anna Maria Island's three towns -- Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, and Bradenton Beach -- share one 7-mile stretch of Gulf-front barrier island, and most of what visitors and residents actually do here revolves around that shoreline: named beaches, a handful of fishing piers, and the boat ramps and marinas that put people on the water. This page sticks to attractions the underlying research could specifically confirm, and it's direct about one thing a lot of marketing photography still gets wrong: the island's most iconic pier is not currently standing. Details below, along with a plain note that status like this changes and should be confirmed before you plan around it.
The Beaches: Bean Point, Manatee Public Beach, Cortez Beach, and Coquina Beach
The island's named beaches run roughly north to south along its Gulf side. Bean Point, at the island's north tip in the town of Anna Maria, is where the Gulf and Tampa Bay meet -- a distinct spot rather than just more open sand. Manatee Public Beach, in Holmes Beach, is the island's main public beach with the facilities that designation implies. Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach sit toward the south end in Bradenton Beach; Coquina Beach in particular hosts a Sunday craft market, a recurring, verifiable draw beyond just sand and water. Together these four give visitors a real spread of options depending on which town they're staying in and what kind of beach day they want.
Anna Maria City Pier and Bridge Street Fishing Pier
The Anna Maria City Pier, at the island's north end, was rebuilt in 2020 and includes the City Pier Grill, giving it both a fishing-pier function and a casual dining stop in one place. Farther south, the Bridge Street Fishing Pier sits within Bradenton Beach's historic Bridge Street district, a commercial strip of shops and restaurants that gives that end of the island its own walkable, historic-village character distinct from the quieter north end. Bayfront Park, also in the Anna Maria area, rounds out the island's public waterfront green space.
Rod and Reel Pier: A 1947 Landmark That Is Not Currently Standing
The Rod and Reel Pier is the island's best-known historic landmark -- a wooden pier dating to 1947 -- and it's worth being direct about its actual status: it was destroyed by the 2024 hurricanes (Helene and Milton) and, as of the most recent confirmed information from May 2026, has not been physically rebuilt. A community GoFundMe fundraiser had reached $104,431 toward a $300,000 goal by that point, with no completion date set. Many photos and marketing materials for the island still show the pier standing, which no longer reflects reality on the ground. The pier's longtime restaurant did reopen, but at a temporary location known as "the Plaza," at 3246 East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach -- not at the pier site itself. Anyone planning a visit around walking out onto the Rod and Reel Pier should confirm current status first, since a rebuild timeline still hadn't been set as of the last confirmed update.
Nature and History: Leffis Key Preserve and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum
Leffis Key Preserve, across from Coquina Beach, offers a boardwalk trail through mangrove habitat -- a quieter, walkable nature stop rather than a beach day. The Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum gives visitors and residents a dedicated look at the island's own history. A short drive off the island opens up several additional preserves worth knowing about: the DeSoto National Memorial, Emerson Point Preserve, Neal Preserve, and Terra Ceia Preserve State Park all sit within easy reach on the mainland side for anyone willing to leave the island proper for an afternoon.
Cortez: An Adjacent, Historically Distinct Working Fishing Village
Cortez sits just off the island's south end, across the Cortez Bridge, and it's genuinely a different kind of place -- a working waterfront community founded in the 1880s by settlers from North Carolina, and still one of the last true commercial fishing villages on Florida's Gulf Coast rather than a beach-tourism district. The Florida Maritime Museum, located in Cortez, documents that fishing-village history directly, and the village hosts an annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival celebrating it. It's worth treating as its own stop rather than folding it into "Anna Maria Island" generically, since its identity and history are distinct from the island's three beach towns.
Getting on the Water: Boat Ramps and Marinas
Coquina Beach has the island's public boat ramps, a north and a south ramp operated by Manatee County. Both were damaged by the 2024 hurricanes and reopened by January 2, 2025; in May 2025, the north ramp was renamed the Scott Moore Boat Ramp, honoring a local charter captain. Beyond the public ramps, several marinas serve the island and its immediate surroundings: Galati Yacht Basin in Anna Maria, Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club in Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach Marina in Bradenton Beach, and Loggerhead Marina-Cortez Village Marina in Cortez. Between the ramps and that spread of marinas, boating and fishing access is genuinely distributed across the whole island and its neighboring fishing village rather than concentrated in one spot.
Getting Around: The Free Route 5 Trolley
A practical note for stitching these stops together: Manatee County Area Transit's Route 5 trolley runs free along Gulf Drive, connecting attractions up and down the island without needing a car for every stop. It's a genuinely useful way to move between the beaches, piers, and Bridge Street district without hunting for parking at each one.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page is limited to what the underlying research could confirm: the island's named beaches, its piers and Bayfront Park, Rod and Reel Pier's honest current (not-rebuilt) status, Leffis Key Preserve and the Historical Society Museum, the nearby off-island preserves, Cortez village and its museum and festival, the island's boat ramps and marinas, and the free Route 5 trolley. It doesn't catalog every restaurant, shop, or seasonal event on the island. Attraction status changes -- the Rod and Reel Pier's rebuild timeline especially -- so confirm current details directly before visiting or planning a trip around any specific stop.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. The named beaches -- Bean Point, Manatee Public Beach, Cortez Beach, and Coquina Beach (including its Sunday craft market) -- are independently documented, as are the Anna Maria City Pier's 2020 rebuild and City Pier Grill, the Bridge Street Fishing Pier within Bradenton Beach's historic Bridge Street commercial district, and Bayfront Park. The Rod and Reel Pier's 1947 origin, its destruction by the 2024 hurricanes (Helene and Milton), its not-yet-rebuilt status as of the most recent confirmed information (May 2026), the GoFundMe total of $104,431 toward a $300,000 goal with no completion date set, and its restaurant's temporary reopening at "the Plaza" (3246 East Bay Drive, Holmes Beach) are independently documented. Leffis Key Preserve's mangrove boardwalk, the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum, and the nearby DeSoto National Memorial, Emerson Point Preserve, Neal Preserve, and Terra Ceia Preserve State Park are independently documented. Cortez's 1880s founding by North Carolina settlers, its standing as one of Florida's last working commercial fishing villages, the Florida Maritime Museum, and the annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival are independently documented. Coquina Beach's north and south county boat ramps, their storm damage and reopening by January 2, 2025, and the north ramp's May 2025 renaming to the Scott Moore Boat Ramp are independently documented, as are Galati Yacht Basin, Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club, Bradenton Beach Marina, and Loggerhead Marina-Cortez Village Marina. The free Manatee County Area Transit Route 5 trolley along Gulf Drive is independently documented and confirmed currently active. This research did not catalog the island's full restaurant, retail, or events calendar beyond what's listed on this page, and attraction status -- especially the Rod and Reel Pier's rebuild timeline -- can change; confirm current details directly before visiting. Nothing on this page is legal, financial, or real estate advice.