Nobody wants to spend half their beach day circling a parking lot. That’s the reality for a lot of first-time visitors to Anna Maria Island beacheswho show up mid-morning expecting open spots. Spoiler: they’re already gone.
Here’s what locals and repeat visitors figured out a long time ago. Golf cartschange everything. You zip past the cars waiting for spots, squeeze into smaller spaces, and actually start relaxing instead of stressing.
But maybe you’ve never rented a cart before. You’re probably wondering where you can actually take it, what the parking situation looks like at each beach, and if there are any weird rules that might trip you up. Fair questions. This guide covers all of it so your family can stop Googling and start packing the cooler.
Where to Find the Best Anna Maria Island Beaches
Three beaches get most of the attention here, and honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them. They’re all free to access and free to park at. The difference comes down to vibe, crowd size, and what your family is looking for that day.
Anna Maria Bayfront Park and Bean Point
Way up at the north end of the island, Bayfront Park is the spot families keep coming back to. There’s a playground right there, which is clutch if you’ve got little kids who need to burn energy before (or after) the beach. Picnic tables, grills, and a big grassy area make it easy to set up camp for the whole day.
Walk about ten minutes north from here and you hit Bean Point. Sunsets there are unreal. The crowds thin out, the water stays shallow and calm, and it feels like you found something secret even though everyone technically knows about it.
Parking at Bayfront fills up on weekends, no surprise there. Bean Point doesn’t have its own lot, so most people leave their cart at Bayfront and walk over. Get there by 9 and you’re golden.
Manatee Public Beach
This one sits at Manatee Avenue and Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach, and it’s the busiest beach on the island. Big parking lot, bathrooms, showers, snack bar. Everything you need is right there.
The trade-off? Beach parking Anna Maria Island regulars will tell you this lot hits capacity fast. Like, before 10 a.m. on busy days. If you roll up in a golf cart, you’ve got a better shot at squeezing into a spot that a full-size SUV can’t touch. Still, earlier is better.
Coquina Beach
Head south to Bradenton Beach and you’ll find Coquina. More parking, fewer crowds, same gorgeous water. It’s got that laid-back feel that some people prefer over the action at Manatee.
Bridge Street is right nearby with restaurants and shops, so you can grab lunch without driving across the island. If your crew likes spreading out without neighbors two feet away, Coquina is probably your beach.
Golf Cart Rules You Need to Know
Golf carts here are classified as Low-Speed Vehicles. That sounds fancy, but it just means they’re street-legal on any road with a 35 mph limit or lower. Since the whole island falls under that, you can pretty much go anywhere.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehiclesrequires LSVs to have headlights, seat belts, and turn signals. Rental carts already have all that, so you don’t need to worry about it.
A few things to remember:
- Stay on the roads. No driving on sidewalks, bike paths, or the actual beach.
- You park in normal spots, same as a car.
- One person per seat. Kids can’t sit on laps.
- Car seat rules apply here too. If your kid needs one in your car, they need one in the cart.
- You can’t cross the bridge to the mainland. The cart stays on the island.
Honestly, driving a cart just feels different. It’s slower, quieter, and you actually notice things you’d miss in a car with the windows up and the AC blasting. A lot of families say the cart becomes part of the vacation, not just transportation.
Tips for Easy Beach Days
A few small decisions can save you a lot of frustration. Here’s what actually works.
Arrive Early to Enjoy the Best Beaches AMI has to offer
This one’s obvious but people ignore it anyway. Beach parking Anna Maria Island visitors fight over fills up by mid-morning during peak weeks. If you’re at Manatee Beach after 10, expect to wait.
Coquina tends to have spots later in the day. Bayfront is somewhere in between. But across the board, showing up before 9 a.m. means you pick your spot instead of taking whatever’s left.
Pack Everything in One Trip
Forget walking back and forth from a distant parking space with armfuls of stuff. Load up the cart with chairs, the cooler, towels, sand toys, snacks, the umbrella, all of it. Drive right up to the lot, unload, and you’re done.
When the kids melt down at noon and need lunch or a nap? You’re back at the rental in five minutes. That kind of flexibility makes beach days way less exhausting, especially for parents with young kids or anyone hauling a lot of gear.
Take the Free Trolley Too
The island runs a free trolley that hits all the main beaches. It starts early and goes until late evening. Some families use it for beach trips so they don’t think about parking at all, then keep the cart for dinner runs, ice cream trips, or just cruising around.
Kids seem to love it too. There’s something about riding the trolley and waving at people that feels like vacation in a way driving doesn’t.
Pick the Right Beach for Your Day
Not every beach fits every mood. Bayfront works great when you want calm water and playground access. Manatee is the move when you want snacks nearby and don’t mind the crowds. Coquina gives you breathing room.
Switch it up during the week. With a cart, getting from one end of the island to the other takes maybe ten minutes. There’s no reason to hit the same spot every day unless you really want to.
Start Your Island Adventure
You’ve got the info. Now it’s just about booking your cart and figuring out which beach to hit first.
Anna Maria Island Golf Cart Rentals drops your cart off right at your vacation rental and picks it up when you leave. Every cart comes loaded with Bluetooth speakers, LED lights, and enough charge to cover the whole island multiple times over.
Contact us to grab yours and make this the easy, stress-free trip your family deserves.
