Headed up by former Florida governor Lawton Chiles' son Ed, the restoration of Anna Maria's 'historic boutique business district' has the island abuzz. The renovated, brightly colored homes, boutiques, restaurants and galleries are delightful enough, but tourists will flip for the edible teaching garden out front, with 30 planter boxes filled with stuff like Ethopian kale and Chinese spinach. Delicious.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Anna Maria Island

1.46 MILES

The perfect antidote to party-loving Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island appears beached in a 1950s time warp, with sun-faded clapboard houses, teenagers…

2. Egmont Key State Park

4.48 MILES

Union troops were stationed on uninhabited Egmont Key during the Civil War, and you can visit Egmont’s ruined Fort Dade by ferry from Fort DeSoto Park…

3. Florida Maritime Museum

5.39 MILES

A tidy museum dedicated to how Florida's coast has defined its past and will shape the future, including a shell collection from the Gulf of Mexico, an…

4. Fort DeSoto Park

5.85 MILES

With 1136 acres of unspoiled wilderness, Fort DeSoto is one of Florida’s premier beach parks. It includes 7 miles of beaches (including a dog beach), two…

5. Longboat Key

9.5 MILES

Once a quiet fishing village, the 12 long miles of Longboat Key are now lined with upscale resorts and condos. A few teeny-tiny public parking lots don't…

6. Pass-a-Grille Beach

11.28 MILES

The epic sliver of sand that is Pass-a-Grille Beach is the most idyllic barrier-island beach, backed only by beach houses and a long stretch of metered…

7. St Pete Beach

13.4 MILES

Anchored by the huge, historic Moorish Mediterranean Don CeSar Hotel, St Pete Beach is a long, double-wide strand with parasail booths and chair rentals…

8. Ringling Museum Complex

14.81 MILES

The 66-acre winter estate of railroad, real-estate and circus baron John Ringling and his wife, Mable, is one of the Gulf Coast’s premier attractions and…