Beach of the Week

Coquina Beach

Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria Island, Florida

The family-friendly heart of Anna Maria Island: a wide, powdery Gulf beach with lifeguards, a cafe on the sand, free parking, and a walking path through the dunes. September is the calm between seasons.

Water: mid-80s° Gulf temps

Free parking + island trolley

Lifeguards, cafe, nature path

01 — This Week

Week of September 8, 2026

About Coquina Beach

Coquina Beach is the island largest public beach, a broad, powdery stretch of Gulf sand at the south end of Anna Maria Island beside Bradenton Beach. It is where locals go for a full-service beach day: lifeguards, restrooms, showers, picnic tables under the midden trees, a playground for kids, shaded pavilions, and a cafe right on the sand. A paved walking and nature path runs the length of the beach, making it an easy bicycle ride from Bradenton Beach or Holmes Beach.

What Makes It Special

Coquina is the family-friendly heart of Anna Maria Island. It has the same sugar-white sand and clear Gulf water as the famous stretches, but with room to breathe and the island's best amenities: lifeguards who actually watch the water, free parking in the island's largest lot, a cafe for lunch, and showers for the ride home. It is a full beach day with no hassles.

Local Tip

Arrive before 10 AM to claim a spot on weekends and bring cash for the cafe. If the main lot is full, the free trolley runs along Gulf Drive and drops you at the beach entrance. Pack water and sunscreen, keep an eye on the sky for afternoon showers, and check the Sarasota County beach flag system before you swim.

Official Info Directions

Current Conditions

A wide, powdery-sand Gulf beach that is generally calmer and quieter than nearby Manatee Beach, with gentler surf, great shelling, and the occasional fossilized shark tooth. Lifeguards are on duty in season, there is a paved nature and walking path behind the beach, and a wheelchair-accessible matting onto the sand at the main entrance. Water temperatures are still in the mid-80s through September.

Best Time to Visit

September is shoulder season here: the summer crowds are thinning and the snowbirds have not arrived yet, so it is one of the calmest windows of the year. Mornings are best, with calm water, cooler sand, and the easiest parking. Go before mid-morning on weekends. Afternoon thunderstorms are common and it is peak hurricane season, so always check the forecast before you head over.

Parking Tips

Coquina has one of the largest free parking areas on Anna Maria Island, with multiple lots and overflow spaces along Gulf Drive. The lots still fill on busy weekends, so arrive before mid-morning or hop the free island trolley, which stops right at the beach. Restrooms, outdoor showers, picnic grills, and a cafe on the sand are all on site.

02 — Nearby Eats