I grew up in Broward County, Florida on the east coast of the state. I hadn’t been over to the west coast in probably about 45 years. So I recently took a long weekend and went across the state to Naples and then further up to Anna Maria Island. We headed out around 9am on a sunny Saturday and headed across the state via Alligator Alley, picking it up in Fort Lauderdale about 45 minutes from home in Miami. Alligator Alley, or the old Route 84 and the now I-75, is a pretty easy trip across the state at a posted speed of 70 mph.
Traffic was pretty light on this Saturday morning and we arrived at our destination for lunch with a friend at Vanderbilt Beach in Naples in a little over 2 hours. Naples has turned into a beautiful lush town that seems to be significantly better off than I remember as a kid. Wide main streets with lots of palm trees and gated communities set back from the street hidden by large green hedges seemed to be the norm. Even the ubiquitous Florida strip malls were well designed and set back from the road. We had a great gulf-side lunch at the Turtle Club where Vanderbilt Beach Road meets Gulf Shore Drive. The Turtle Club is a old-timey small resort that has aged well over the years and now looks like new after a recent renovation, or as their website says, it ‘has come to represent perhaps the finest fusion of Olde Florida and New Florida in Naples’. Anyway it’s a nice place to have a relaxing lunch with a great view of the Gulf of Mexico.
Then on to Anna Maria Island just over the bridge west of Bradenton and just south of St. Petersburg – about a two hour drive north of Naples. The island is made up of three small towns - Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and at the most northern tip, Anna Maria, and can be accessed via bridges on the south side through the small fishing community of Cortez or on the north side directly from Bradenton. The three towns are densely packed with vacation rentals and houses, though I understand the tallest structure on the island is a mere six stories with a now newer height limit of only 37 feet or about 3 stories. These restrictions have given the area a cozy, comfortable feeling. Just to the south of Bradenton Beach is the more spread out, primarily residential Long Boat Key accessed by a bridge between the two islands.
Dinner one night was at the Waterfront Restaurant at the corner of North Bay Road and Pine Avenue in Anna Maria, a comfortable seafood house serving excellent fish. Directly across the street is the Anna Maria City Pier. Dinner the second night was at the more upscale Euphemia Haye restaurant on Long Boat Key. They have a great upstairs dessert room, with at least a dozen homemade desserts and along with live music is a great place to unwind after your large meal.
The next morning we headed back to Miami via the more southern Tamiami Trail. This is the road we probably took when we made the trip 45 years ago when I was a kid. The speed limit is 60 mph and is only two lanes for most of the trip. It’s a nice leisurely way to travel across the state with access to the Big Cypress National Preserve, camping sites and airboat rides.
