It was a beautiful day on Anna Maria Island today. A cool north wind, but a beautiful sunny sky and temperatures in the 70's. This is about the biggest beach crowd I've ever seen here.
The traffic on Manatee Avenue heading west toward the beach was nearly gridlocked. And it wasn't even a weekend.
Even though the public beach accesses were very crowded, it was easy to escape the crowd by taking a short walk up the beach. I was looking for jellyfish, but didn't see any this morning.
Beach-bound traffic on Cortez Road was bumper-to-bumper. Here I'm heading off-island. Traffic going toward the beach is backed up for a mile or so. It gets worse on the weekend.
If you want to avoid traffic and parking issues, arrive at the beach by 9:30 a.m. during nice spring weather. It’s worth it!