WATER & COAST

Manatee Public Beach

Manatee County · Gulf Coast

4000 State Road 64 at Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach: soft white sand, and one of only three beaches in the county with professional lifeguards and medical rescue. Guards work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. most of the year and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe and a gift shop are on site. Restrooms, showers, changing cabanas, a children's playground, sand volleyball from sunrise to sunset, picnic tables and grills. Wheelchairs are lent free from the staff shed by the concessions, and a beach mat 100 feet long and 6 feet wide runs onto the sand north of the cafe. Open sunrise to 10 p.m. The lots can flood in summer.