NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 153
TRAVEL
For our first venture, we headed to Pine
Avenue, a heritage area that features shops,
1920s era cottages and the historic Anna
Maria Island Jail. Our stroll also took us
to the Anna Maria City Pier, which was
built in 1911 to accommodate steamships
and 776-foot-long paddle wheelers. At
the nearby Waterfront Restaurant (its real
name), we enjoyed a tasty Old Florida-style
lunch, while looking out at the calm water
from this charming converted home.
We stopped at the Olive Oil Outpost to
pick up some nibbles for the sunset cruise
we had booked to Egmont Key and the
south side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
The store’s owner Kelly Kary selected some
marvelous cheeses and other goodies and
introduced us to Tim Norwood of Sea Salt
Florida, who is harvesting sea salt from the
local waters. We then took our artisanal
snacks and some wine and headed to the
marina in Holmes Beach for a sail aboard a
catamaran. At sunset, we watched for the
elusive green flash, which failed to appear.
Perhaps we had not had enough wine,
either that or the atmospheric conditions
were not right. Either way, we docked
ready to dine at the Beach Bistro’s sister
restaurant Eat Here, where we delighted in
the innovative cuisine we knew we would
find there.
The entrance to the beach at the Tortuga Resort is built
in the style of the resort’s large pergola.
Anna Maria Island,
a little over an hour
from Tampa Bay, is
a relaxing spot for
a quick getaway.