Moonstone

Myakka Soil

Agatized Coral

Caya Costa State Park occupies most of Caya Costa Island directly located south of Boca Grande. Accessible only by boat or ferry. Miles of beaches, pine forests, acres of oak palm hammocks, mangrove swamps and a spectacular display of bird life. Overnight camping or rental cabins.

The 204 acre Lemon Bay Park is located north of Dearborn Street in Old Englewood. It is home of the American Bald Eagles and a variety of other local birds. Restrooms and pavilion. Parking and admittance is free.

The 10 acre Indian Mound Park is basically a public boat ramp, but it features picnic shelters and a nature trail.

The Cedar Point Environmental Center is located on the shores of Lemon Bay on Placida Road. The Park has five marked hiking trails through SW Florida pine Flatwoods, oak scrub, salt flats, and the mangrove fringe of Lemon Bay. It's a great place to look out over the beautiful forest and spot a gopher tortoise, bald eagle, owl, or bobcat. 

Where the Fish are 

Some of Florida's finest saltwater fishing occurs in the southwest. This area of Florida has some of the best backcountry and flats fishing in the state, using light tackle or fly fishing is angling at its best.

Florida's extensive network of bays, mangrove islands and tidal creeks that permeate the region, presents angling challenges to the accomplished angler as well as the novice. There are thousands of miles of shoreline, oyster bars and acres of sea-grass flats that attract an abundance of saltwater fish.

The canals, bridges and numerous boat docks that also populate our area, present their own unique fishing challenge to every angler.

Roaming these waters are four of Florida's most sought after game fish: the Tarpon, Snook, Redfish and the Spotted Sea Trout. Thousands of anglers come to southwest Florida each year for the chance at a Grand Slam, catching a fish of each species in a single day.

In addition to the fishing, Florida's wildlife helps to provide an extraordinary aesthetic experience. Birds of prey, bald eagles and ospreys as well as wading birds commonly observed include snowy egrets, reddish egrets, great blue herons, white and snowy ibis, and roseate spoonbills. Dolphins and manatees are usually seen on almost every trip. 

There are 5 beaches on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in the area, and more to choose from in a short drive either by boat or car.

Manasota Beach is located at the North end of the barrier island known as Manasota Key. It is a large beach with amenities and year round lifeguard. No restaurants. Parking is free. www.scgov.net

Middle Beach or Blind Pass is about 4 miles south of Manasota Beach. If you want it quiet this is the beach for you. There are restrooms, but no restaurants and no lifeguard. Parking is free. www.scgovnet

Englewood Beach/Chadwick Park is another 4 miles further south on Beach Road. This is the more crowded beach. Close are restaurants, shops, and scooter and boat rental places. Nice facilities, re-built in 2002, with volleyball and basketball courts. Parking is available but not free. www.charlottefl.com

Stump Pass State Park is nestled between the Lemon Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Combine nature walks with a day on the beach. The park is for those who enjoy no crowds and prefer mile long walks instead. No lifeguard and limited parking. www.floridastateparks.org

Don Pedro Island State Recreation Area is located on the barrier island of Don Pedro. There is a huge covered pavilion, showers and restrooms, several grills and about 20 boat slips. It is easier to go by boat, but there is a ferry to the island. Donation requested.

Gasparilla Island State Recreation Area is south of the Cape Haze Peninsular, cross the bridge to the Island. You need to travel to the southern tip of Gasparilla. It is actually located on Boca Grand Pass, right where Charlotte Harbor enters the Gulf of Mexico. This park is the home of Boca Grande lighthouse (built in 1890). No swimming in the pass – dangerous current. A Donation for the park facilities is requested.

Anna Maria Island (movie) is the northernmost of a string of barrier islands that extend in a southerly direction. Located on the West Coast of Florida, about 35 Miles south of Tampa, Anna Maria Island is the barrier between the turquoise Waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay. Almost 8 miles of white sand beaches are stretching along the gulf coastline southwards to Longboat Key Pass. 

The beautiful homes on the key are surrounded by lush sub-tropical vegetation; and when you hear the island

birds you feel the peace and security of times gone by. Yes, Anna Maria has actually resisted

changing over the years. On this laid back island you will still experience the “old Florida”.

Learn to spend your days with the simple things in life again: fishing, shelling, or swimming.

Reading a good book in the shade of a palm tree while the fronds are swaying in the balmy air can be soooooo relaxing.

Anna Maria Island - what a different world 

Is there any place that isn't filled with high-rise condos or gated golf communities, a spot where you can walk

uncrowded beaches in the late afternoon or ride a bike fearlessly? Where restaurants totter at the end of fish

piers and serve fresh grouper? Where you find luscious key lime pie with a meringue topping in an old cottage

painted aqua and pink?

Well, you can, here on this 7-mile-long barrier island west of Bradenton and directly north of Longboat Key.

Longboat is high-rise, upscale and gated. Anna Maria Island is low-key, low-rise and open.

You are looking for a million-dollar villa, a beautifully restored home or a rustic cottage? Have you ever con-

sidered living on a beautiful subtropical island? Close to everything but with a private island feel? Maybe Anna

Maria Island would be the spot for you. 

Bird Key is located just across the new majestic Ringling Bridge from downtown Sarasota to your left and just

before famous St. Armands Circle.  Bird Key is called a boater’s paradise and that is even an understatement. 

The Key, with its own private yacht club, has many homes with their own deep water dockage or at least a

spectacular bay view.

Bird Key, as mentioned before,  is an upscale neighborhood with 510 home sites and an active Homeowner's

Association. Many of the original homes that were built during the 1950's have been replaced with elegant estate homes. Currently, homes on Lido Key range from $995,000 for a 2600 square foot pool home built in 1957 on Morningside Drive with deeded beach access to $3,850,000 for an elegant, dramatic European estate with a dock, full bay view and nanny's quarters on Washington Drive. Condos start at $149,000 for a one bedroom 300 square foot on Roosevelt Drive to a new luxury 6,000 square foot Orchid Bay penthouse with valet parking, concierge desk, fireplace, caterer's kitchen and the best marble and granite for  $4,675,000.

The serene gulf waters of Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key are known for washing away the frenetic demands of the outside world. Time and again even the most beleaguered fast-trackers find themselves slowing down, breathing deeply, and soaking in the calm, beautiful, natural world of Florida’s Gulf Islands.

Beaches, parks, restaurants, resorts – they all make the most of the lush native landscape, warm sunshine, and shimmering green Gulf of Mexico, capturing and showcasing the area’s natural wonders in an uninter-rupted stream of Florida magic.

The main road into the islands, Gulf Drive, is one of America’s most scenic byways, stretching from northern Anna Maria Island down to the southern tip of Longboat Key.

A leisurely drive along this picturesque thoroughfare reveals some of the best views of the Gulf of Mexico, Intracoastal Waterway, and Coquina Beach. With windows down and salty breeze blowing, visitors enjoy a rolling preview of colorful vegetation, local wildlife, quaint towns, and heavenly views of the gulf’s great outdoors.

No doubt about it, the life of a loggerhead turtle is fraught with danger. Between the imminent danger of the all too eager bird’s beak, the jaws of a hungry fish, and the rough and tumble welcome of the gulf surf, baby sea turtles have the odds stacked against them.

So the non-profit Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch figures the least they can do is see that the turtle nests are undisturbed. In 2007, there were more than 100 turtle nests on Anna Maria Island, each under the watchful protection of a dedicated team of volunteers.

The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch also hosts turtle walks, guided night tours, and educational classes for kids. A trained team of volunteers also serves as a highly specialized rescue team that can be called upon should anyone encounter an injured turtle or exposed nest. Night tours offer the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to possibly witness the miracle of baby turtle hatchlings heading for the surf.

Little Gasparilla Island: 

Pristine shell-strewn beaches, fragrant tropical flowers, and not a single traffic light on the entire island – it can’t be more relaxing than that.

Year-round sunshine tempered by breezes from the Gulf. Best tarpon fishing in the world. Streets that make a statement: “Welcome to Gasparilla Island”. It is actually better known for its main community - Boca Grande.

Gasparilla, approximately an hour’s drive south of Sarasota, is one of a string of barrier islands scattered along southwest Florida’s coast. Bordered on the west by the Gulf of Mexico, on the north by Little Gasparilla Pass, on the east by Charlotte Harbor, and on the south by Boca Grande Pass, the island is accessible only by one toll bridge or by boat.

Boca Grande Pass, one of Florida’s deepest natural inlets, accounts for its early history. Calusa Indians were drawn to its rich fishing grounds. Railroads that once carried phosphate mined in central Florida to the island’s deep water harbor later transported distinguished guests for the winter season.

Today Boca Grande has a population of nearly 1400, which more than triples during winter and spring. Visitors come for different reasons, which range from exhilarating angling to somnolent afternoons under a palm tree.