Getting to the Beaches
To get to Anna Maria Island (AMI) at the northern tip of the keys from Sarasota, you start by driving over the Ringling causeway and bridge to Lido Key, slowly traversing the traffic on Armand’s Circle, and then crossing over to Longboat Key onto Gulf of Mexico Drive.
Photo: GreatRuns.com, causeway to Ledo Key
Photo: SarasotaFL.gov, St. Armand’s Circle
Then it’s a 12-mile drive up Gulf Drive which has a 45 mph speed limit. Mostly you’ll see condo complexes along the way with glimpses of the Gulf on the left and the Bay on the right. While initially interesting, with seasonal traffic, getting to AMI becomes a long slog after the novelty rubs off. That’s why we have this section. Consider using the extensive bus and trolley systems as parking is limited everywhere:
Traveling up and down Longboat Key
It’s about a 51 minutes to drive from downtown Sarasota up Longboat Key to Anna Maria Island (AMI). Alternatively,
you can go north on the mainland, along the coast, on Tamiami Trail crossing over to AMI on the Manatee Avenue Bridge in about 45 minutes.
The Longboat Key Trolley, travels every 60 min. from the Sarasota downtown bus station all the way up Longboat Key, then onto Anna Maria Island, where it leaves Sarasota County for Manatee County. It stops at the first beach on AMI – Coquina Beach.
Passengers can then transfer onto the AMI trolley to head further up the island to other beaches and the towns of Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and finally to
The Longboat Key Trolley, travels every 60 min. from the Sarasota downtown bus station all the way up Longboat Key, then onto Anna Maria Island, where it leaves Sarasota County for Manatee County. It stops at the first beach on AMI – Coquina Beach.
Passengers can then transfer onto the AMI trolley to head further up the island to other beaches and the towns of Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and finally to
Anna Maria village. The trolley runs every day except for the five major holidays, and costs $1.25 each way. The first
Photo by Rick Catlin for The Islander
trolley leaves the Bus Station at 5:30am and the last trolley leaves from Coquina Beach at 7:40pm for the return trip back to Sarasota.
There are four stops along the way on Longboat Key; each is marked by a green sign with a trolley car pictured on it, along the way. At Coquina Beach you can transfer to the Anna Maria trolley and travel north through the towns of
There are four stops along the way on Longboat Key; each is marked by a green sign with a trolley car pictured on it, along the way. At Coquina Beach you can transfer to the Anna Maria trolley and travel north through the towns of
Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and to the end-of-the-line at AMI. Hop on and off the trolley, which comes every 20 minutes.
Mainland Routes to Anna Maria Island
In the season, drivers heading to AMI from Sarasota may prefer to drive up the mainland on Tamiami Trail (Rt. 41), which is much faster, and cross over on the Cortez Bridge going through the town of Bradenton Beach (see the green route below). But traffic still clogs up once you hit the Gulf of Mexico Drive driving through Bradenton Beach on the way to AMI.
You can bypass Bradenton Beach entirely by using the
Mainland Routes to Anna Maria Island
In the season, drivers heading to AMI from Sarasota may prefer to drive up the mainland on Tamiami Trail (Rt. 41), which is much faster, and cross over on the Cortez Bridge going through the town of Bradenton Beach (see the green route below). But traffic still clogs up once you hit the Gulf of Mexico Drive driving through Bradenton Beach on the way to AMI.
You can bypass Bradenton Beach entirely by using the
Cortez bridge, further north, which is just a few minutes longer drive up the Tamiami Trail. This allows you the option to park and take the ConneXion shuttle bus over the Manatee Ave. Bridge (blue route below).
Beach ConnexXion Shuttle bus
They are shown in the map below.
To catch the air conditioned Beach ConneXion shuttle bus, park in West Bradenton at the intersection of Manatee Ave. West and 75th St (see above). Look for the commercial area with parking at the Kmart/Publix center. Every 20 minutes the Beach ConneXion shuttles to Manatee Public Beach landing in front of the Coquina Beach Cafe. Then you can walk a short distance north to the Manatee Public Beach or south to Coquina Beach. Or, you can grab the AMI trolley there, which is described below.
Anna Maria Island (AMI) Trolley
The AMI Trolley is free and runs up and down the seven-mile length of the island every 20 minutes. Air conditioned,
it stops every 2–4 blocks at a marked trolley stop. Most stops offer covered seating to wait. Stop #1 is in front of the Anna Maria Beach Cafe at Coquina Beach.
Lido Key & St. Armands Circle
The Bay Runner is a free trolley running the below route every 20–30 minutes between the beach and downtown. It stops every other block on Main Street and heads to St. Armands Circle and Lido Key.
Use it for hassle-free sightseeing. It terminates at the South Lido Park beach. You can drive and, with luck, find a spot on the circle or use the adjacent parking garage (northern “P” on the map below) or lot (southern “P”) to walk St. Armands Circle, or drive to the end and park in the field at South Lido Beach. We’ll show you a hidden parking option for North Lido Beach, as well as the public parking for the main Lido Beach Pavilion in other sections of this website.
Map from VisitSarasota.com
If you are based in downtown Sarasota, the Bay Runner is our recommended way to get to the beaches on Lido Key, or to St. Armands Circle to shop, or to just sight-see along the way.
On Demand Service
Breeze OnDemand is very cool, and can get you from your door to anywhere to downtown Sarasota, St. Armands, Lido Key and Longboat Key for $2 per ride, Monday–Saturday from 5am–10pm, and on Sundays from 6am–9pm. It uses a cell phone app to pick you up in a minivan which is shared with other riders, then you might transfer to a bus. A pickup is generally within 30 minutes of calling for the ride.
Siesta Key
Breeze bus service is centered at the bus station in downtown Sarasota to Siesta Key Village, Siesta Beach, South Village and Turtle Beach for $1.25 each way. Connecting buses travel everywhere in the county.
If you are based in downtown Sarasota, the Bay Runner is our recommended way to get to the beaches on Lido Key, or to St. Armands Circle to shop, or to just sight-see along the way.
On Demand Service
Breeze OnDemand is very cool, and can get you from your door to anywhere to downtown Sarasota, St. Armands, Lido Key and Longboat Key for $2 per ride, Monday–Saturday from 5am–10pm, and on Sundays from 6am–9pm. It uses a cell phone app to pick you up in a minivan which is shared with other riders, then you might transfer to a bus. A pickup is generally within 30 minutes of calling for the ride.
Siesta Key
Breeze bus service is centered at the bus station in downtown Sarasota to Siesta Key Village, Siesta Beach, South Village and Turtle Beach for $1.25 each way. Connecting buses travel everywhere in the county.
