You’ve planned your perfect vacation in paradise on Anna Maria Island. You’ve got your itinerary filled with lounging on the beach, warm swims in the Gulf, bike rides, shoreline strolls, fishing, and sunset admiring. Everything is perfectly planned out. And then… weather hits. You see a rainy day on the forecast and undoubtedly worry about your trip plans being ruined.

We’ll ease your mind with a couple of things: One, rain storms *typically* don’t last too long here in the AMI area. Two, the sunsets are always better after a stormy day. Three, there’s still so much to do in the Sarasota-Bradenton area even on a rainy day. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite rainy day activities here locally on our slice of the Sunshine State!

Visit Bradenton’s Village of the Arts

The Village of the Arts, a colorful, fun, and eclectic neighborhood not far from Downtown Bradenton and Lecom Park. The unique cottages and bungalows themselves are cute enough to make a drive to see but the offerings inside many of them are just as exciting. In the Village of the Arts you can find everything from award-winning restaurants to specialty shops, studios, healing arts, bakeries and some of Bradenton’s best art galleries.

Go Shopping

A rainy day is the perfect time to scour for souvenirs for your loved ones, send postcards to family, or treat yourself to a little retail therapy. Whether you’re looking to window shop some locally curated boutiques or wanting to make a day of it at the massive and award-winning University Town Center… You can shop til’ you drop in whatever fashion you like!

Check Out Florida Maritime Museum

Right nearby in Florida’s oldest fishing village of Cortez, is the Florida Maritime Museum. While the Florida Maritime Museum sits on four acres of stunning Florida greens, the bulk of the museum’s peculiar maritime artifacts are indoors. Head inside to see historic photographs, antique tools, boat models, and more.

Have a Spa Day

Self-care is important. Whether you’re aching for a massage, feeling a facial, or wanting to freshen up your look – AMI has some great options for day spas and salons of all kinds!No better way to forget a change in plans than pampering yourself with some spa services!

Go Bar Hopping

There are so many fantastic options to sip a drink, do some dancing, befriend some locals, or catch live music. In fact, you can find all of that and more at these nightlife spots on Anna Maria or very close by! Even better? No driving! The free trolley runs from 6am-11pm every day, but if you’re out past that there is always the Monkey Bus or Uber/Lyft rides are available as well! 

See Sarasota Museums

Sarasota, Florida is known for its emphasis on the arts. You could certainly spend multiple days just checking out the museums within 20-30 minutes of Anna Maria Island. There are so many things to do in Sarasota whether you’re heading out to visit a well-renowned museum or catch some live entertainment! 

As always, you can chat with our experienced team of locals for their favorite rainy day plans! When in doubt? You really can’t go wrong with supporting our local eateries, artists, and creatives in the Bradenton area. There’s always a Sunshine State of Mind here on AMI.

Photos Courtesy of Unsplash