Our Restaurants In the News
In the Gulf, enough islands to match any personality
Washington Post - November 8, 2009
If I were a brown pelican, flying high above the Gulf Islands of Florida, I imagine that I would see thin strips of land trimmed in white, surrounded by water as clear and blue as the cloudless sky above. However, I am not a bird. I am flightless, and as I drove -- the way we wingless ones travel -- across bridge after bridge to eight different islands in the chain, I found that though they all inhabit the same body of water, they are hardly identical octuplets. Nor are these islands clones of the Florida Keys, the more popular and party-wise archipelago on the east coast. Read more...
Islands Magazine Best Family Islands
Island's Magazine - November 2009
Anna Maria Island was chosen as the Best Quaint Island. Our lack of chain restaurants, miles of sandy beaches and the drawbridge separating us from the mainland are what makes us so special. The Sandbar Restaurant and it’s deck that spills over into the sand was mentioned, along with other favorites such as Ginny’s & Jane E’s and The Tortuga Inn. Read more...
Leigh's Table Talk: Longboat Key - A Dining Style All Its Own
www.americanroads.net - Fall 2009
This season I’m hosting a travel media trip to Longboat Key, Florida. For nearly a century this 11-mile long Gulf of Mexico ‘cay’ has hosted international world-class celebrities who find anonymity here that’s as delicious as the sweet stone crabs that are indigenous to their local waters. One can walk north-end to south-end along its quiet white sand beaches, dine outdoors under colossal banyan trees watching herons wobble through the bayous, hear the wind play a tune through giant coconut palms and take a long afternoon bike ride along Gulf of Mexico Drive…without being disturbed. Read more...
Sandbar named one of the top beach restaurants by www.nowfly.co.uk
www.nowfly.co.uk - September, 2009
Located at the northern end of Anna Maria Island, off the west coast of Florida, this historic restaurant dates back to 1913 when the island was only accessible by boat. In the 1930s a diving platform was built 100 feet offshore. Read more...
A Florida Island, End to End, Table by Table
Choice Tables - NYTimes.com - July 26, 2009
FLORIDA is a clever little peninsula. Just when you think you’ve seen everything under its proverbial sun, you stumble across a place like Anna Maria Island — a seven-mile slip of cushy white sand tucked in the Gulf of Mexico where you can dump the car, rent a bike, swim in smooth, teal waters and eat remarkably well. Read more...
Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub
www.yourobserver.com - June 17, 2009
It began as the Pub Cocktail Lounge in 1947, when Capt. Don Nemmo and Ray Smith opened a fish camp to sell bait, tackle and beer. Read more...
Island Living
floridatravellife.com - May 27, 2009
I have a new love in my life, and its name is Anna Maria Island. For those who can fondly remember the Keys as it was 30 years ago, this barrier isle near Sarasota is for you. Laid back, full of families and nary a chain restaurant or shop in sight, it’s just 7 miles long and barely 1 mile wide, which makes it perfect for cycling. Read more...
Insider's Guide to Anna Maria Island
Southern Living - March 2009
For toes-in-the-sand dining, the Sandbar Restaurant wins out. Everything tastes better if you’re sitting at a table on the beach, with waves gently splashing nearby. No reservations are accepted, but you’ll dine on such delightful entrées as freshly caught grouper and top sirloin, starting at $14. Contact information: 100 Spring Avenue; www.sandbar-restaurant.com or (941) 778-0444. Read more...
Birds, bistros and beaches: three days in Manatee County
woodburyreviewnews.com - February 17, 2009
Beaches, bistros and birds are highlights for visitors to Anna Maria Island, a 7 1/2 -mile-long barrier island, less than a mile across, at the southern end of Tampa Bay on Florida's Gulf Coast. Read more...
Living on an Island in Florida
hubpages.com
It all started because I love sailing and my wife and I wanted to get our 34' Catalina sailboat "Joie de Vie" to the Florida Keys for the winter. Now I have a full time and then some job as the owner of a sign business in Raleigh, North Carolina and time off is a rare commodity. We came up with a whacked out (in retrospect) plan to deliver the boat to the keys in a leg-by-leg journey on weekends. Now you know the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and we had plenty of good intentions. Read more...
The 'Old Florida' feel of Anna Maria Island
USAToday.com - December 12, 2008
ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. — "Please be sweet and rinse your feet," hand-painted signs over troughs of water outside rooms at the beachfront, 23-unit Cedar Cove Resort & Cottages gently urge. Read more...
The Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub - A Taste of Old Florida
The Florida Mariner Dockside Dining - May 27, 2008
When it comes to classic Florida waterfront restaurants and bars, the treasures of our childhood are getting rarer and rarer these days, especially on great waterfront locations. Condos and mansions have unfortunately converted more and more of these already precious spots and rendered them off limits to visitors and locals Read more...
Island Honors
visitflorida.com - March 2007
The little tyke on the Anna Maria City Pier was in for some serious fishin' as he cast his line in the shimmering waters. "I'm going to catch a fish," he declared. His dad beamed, giving him a thumbs up. Read more...
Finding a new Florida
New York Daily News
There’s no better way to beat the winter blues than with a quick trip down to Florida, and you won’t fi nd many New Yorkers arguing it — of the 77 million travelers who visited the Sunshine State in 2005, 11.9% were from New York. But where to spend the weekend? Miami’s got nightlife and dining, and Orlando’s great for family fun, but sometimes all you need on a winter getaway is sand, surf and a few good meals. For a lower-key escape, consider two Florida destinations that might not be on your radar. Read more...
Sandbar Receives Recognition from “knotties”
theknot.com - "Best of Weddings 2007
A new magazine published by the wedding planning Web site The Knot (www.theknot.com), "Best of Weddings 2007," aims to help couples make critical wedding planning choices. Read more...
Overlooked: Anna Maria Island
Elliot - July 17, 2007
Just when I thought I had thoroughly explored Florida's coastline and discovered its best vacation destinations, I stumbled upon a place like Anna Maria Island, a quiet resort area near Bradenton, right across the bridge from Longboat Key. Read more...
