WATER & COAST
Coquina Beach
Manatee County · Gulf Coast
The long beach at the southern end of Anna Maria Island, between Gulf Drive and the Gulf of Mexico.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
This is the largest single stretch of sand on the south end of the island and the one with the most parking, all of it free, shaded by rows of Australian pines that make the lot bearable in August. The sand is flat and white and the swimming is gentle. Lifeguards are on duty every day, from nine in the morning until five between Labor Day and Memorial Day and until seven through the summer. Behind the beach are restrooms, outdoor showers, changing cabanas, picnic tables, grills, pavilions, a gift shop, a playground and the Coquina Cafe, which does breakfast, lunch and drinks with tables outside. A paved walking and cycling path runs the length of it and a nature trail crosses to the bay side, where there is a boat launch onto the Intracoastal Waterway. The southern end of the park borders the inlet at Longboat Pass, and people fish from the shore there. It is reached from Cortez Road, Manatee Avenue or Gulf of Mexico Drive
Not identified in this guide as an officially clothing-optional beach. This is a visit category, not a safety rating—check surf, lifeguards, water quality and posted rules.
BEACH CONDITIONS
Keep comparing