by Deborah Cummings

Created on: May 02, 2008   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Anna Maria Island. This is could be a dangerous place to visit. Dangerous for your relatives or your other half, that is. You will phone your mother, your husband, or whoever you live with and tell them to just pack up your things and send them to you.

Once you get a taste of tropical living, you will be hooked. There is an overwhelming feeling you get when you cross the state line from Georgia to Florida or Alabama to Florida that is like crossing into a magical land. The palm trees seem to welcome you and say "glad you're back." Florida embraces you and beckons you home no matter where you may travel.

Anna Marie Island, south of St. Pete, Florida (St. Petersburg to those who havent been), is on the west coast of Florida. It has the best of both worlds when it comes to water. Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The sand is often referred to as sugar sand because it is so white and stretches for miles.

Looking out over the Gulf of Mexico, you will be overcome with the feeling of having been there before. Not a djvu feeling but a sense being home' feeling.

Natives of the area will enjoy your excitement at finding treasure. It is a given that pieces of shells are just as valuable to the first timer as a conch shell would be to a collector. You will pick up every piece you find.

If you take the time to learn a little about the area, you will be amazed at the history of this magnificent island. Anna Maria City is one of three areas of the island that you will want to see. Although it is mainly a suburban area, you will look in awe at the homes in this neighborhood.

Next stop, Holmes Beach. This is a mixture of the old and new. Because it was settled as a fishing village, the small town ambiance remains. Tropical flowers abound and you will forget you have ever lived anywhere else. If you come from a northern city where the wind blows 90 miles an hour most of the time and summer lasts about 3 minutes, you are in for a treat when you come to Holmes Beach.

This area of Florida is like crossing back in time. If you really want to experience how it used to be, stay in a villa. This allows you to have a taste of Old Florida, the way it used to be many years ago. Since fishing is such a big thing in Florida, you will have to try it here. Florida fishing is quite a bit different than in the northern waters. Go grab some squid for bait and get started right away. You may catch a dog fish. If so, throw it back. This is one of the ugliest fish you will catch and nobody eats them.

Fishing

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