Bradenton Beach 4 Day Itinerary

Anyone who has traveled with kids knows it can be a challenge. I was dreaming of taking our family on a vacation somewhere with white sand beaches and clear blue waters but I was not feeling thrilled about long flights and passport applications. After doing a bit of research I found that Anna Maria Island in the Florida gulf was less than a 3 hour flight straight out of New Haven with Avelo Air. I could get all the palm trees, clear water and white beaches I wanted for an easy long weekend away without all of the hassle. I booked the trip and travel with kids has never been easier! We had the best time and I wanted to share our itinerary with you so can plan your own perfect tropical getaway, without the passports, for your family!

 Day 1

 We flew Avelo Air right out of New Haven’s Tweed Airport. I highly recommend avoiding the big NYC airports whenever possible. New Haven is less than 20 min from our house and getting through security with kids in tow took all of 5 minutes. The flight to Bradenton/Sarasota was under 3 hours and we were able to easily grab our rental car upon arrival and head to our hotel. We wanted to get a feel for Downtown Bradenton, so we stayed our first night at Springhill Suites. Once we checked in we were able to head right up Oak and Stone for a lovely dinner on the rooftop of the hotel. I recommend getting there for sunset and trying the pizza as well as purchasing a bracelet to sample their amazing tap wall. The bracelet that allows you to sample from over 50 beers and ciders, but the best part is that you only pay for what you pour!

 Day 2

The next morning, we grabbed coffee and breakfast at Kefi Streetside Café. I loved their Mediterranean inspired menu and the healthy options were just what I wanted after a day spent snacking on a plane. It was a fantastic location for kids with it’s fun colors and casual atmosphere. After breakfast we went for a stroll down the Riverwalk. The girls had a blast looking out over the water and playing at the beautiful playground. I was able to relax and take in the sights while I finished my coffee. After the girls got a bit of energy out on the playground, we headed to the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature. We found out it’s the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. We watched a show in their planetarium, the girls played in their tree house exhibit and we even got to meet some manatees at their rehab facility!

After the museum we headed to Mattison’s City Grille right on the Riverwalk for a delicious lunch. Their food was all incredibly fresh and hormone free. I had one of the best teriyaki shrimp wraps of my life and they had a great menu for kids that my girls loved as well.

 After lunch we headed across the bridge to Anna Maria Island. We arrived at our beach house rental with Once Upon a Beach and the second we walked in we instantly felt at home. Our house was called “Decked Out” and was the most charming little two bedroom home. It was the perfect size for our family and had a gorgeous private pool that was heated. Everything was immaculately clean and the decor was so charming. We also rented a golf cart to make it easy to get around the island which quickly became a highlight of the trip for our girls.  

 After we got settled in our new home away from home we headed over to The Beach House for dinner. I was not surprised to find out this is the #1 desitnation for beachfront dining. Our kids were able to run around and play on the beach while we enjoyed our meal. I would definitely recommend going for an earlier dinner to catch the sunset. We unfortunately arrived a bit late so we were not able to take in the beautiful view as long as we had hoped. The girls still had the best time playing in the sand and we enjoyed listening to the waves as we ate on the beach.

 Day 3

We started our day with breakfast at The Cheesecake Cutie & Café. I might fly back just to eat here again. They have incredible sweet and savory  breakfast flat breads (I had the blueberry thrill), breakfast wraps, specialty coffees and more. We also got a box of little cheesecakes to go and they were unbelievable!

 After breakfast we headed to the beach. A company called Beach Suites had set up the perfect stress free, luxury day on the beach for us and I can not tell you what a treat it was! No lugging tons of beach gear with kids in tow for this beach trip! When we arrived they had premium chairs, umbrellas, towels, blankets, blue tooth speakers and even games for the girls all set up for us! I love the beach, but all the work involved can often feel overwhelming. This was hands down the best beach trip ever and I 100% recommend using them if your traveling with kids (or alone for that matter!). We had lunch delivered to us by a local restaurant called Graze Street. The girls each got personally packaged boxes of PB&J’s with goldfish and a cookie while we had unbelievable sandwiches made on artisan baguettes. As if all of that was not enough to give our girls a memorable beach day we also had fun coconut waters delivered by AMI Coconuts. Ayla’s lifelong dream has been to drink a fancy coconut drink on a beach with palm trees (like Moana) so it was a really special memory for us to make that little dream come true for her.

 After our day at the beach we surprised our girls with a dolphin tour through Paradise Boat Tours. We were able to find a nursery group that had baby dolphins swimming with their mama’s and the “nanny” dolphins. It was incredibly special to watch and they even gave our girls a little dolphin key chain to keep to remember the trip. As if that was not memorable enough the boat captain even let Ayla “drive” the boat for a bit on the way back to shore! The boat docked right outside of Anna Maria Oyster Bar so we decided to stay for some fresh seafood for dinner. The stone crab was incredible and their shrimp dishes were fantastic as well! They had a great laid back atmosphere that was perfect for dining with our girls.

 Day 4

We decided to sleep in a bit and have a lazy morning at the house before heading to the Shiny Fish Emporium for one final surprise for our girls. The Shiny Fish Emporium is the cutest little eclectic boutique that offers sand dollar painting. After you paint your sand dollar they dust it with glitter and add a string making it the perfect Christmas ornament to remember your trip by! All four of us painted a sand dollar and my 7 yr old (who LOVES art) told me it was her favorite part of the trip.

 After painting sand dollars we headed back to our house and spend the afternoon swimming in the heated pool. An unexpected cold front had moved in over our vacation replacing 80 degree days with temps in the upper 60’s (we were there in November). While swimming on the beach was not in the cards for us on this trip the girls were so happy that the pool was warm and they could still get in the water. They swam for hours while Justin and I took turns packing to head out the next day. We decided to stay in and cook for dinner that night so we could get the girls to bed early before our flight the following morning.

 Our trip was so easy and absolutely perfect from start to finish. The only thing I would have changed was turning up the heat by a few degrees but we definitely plan to return in the late spring or summer when we know it will be a bit hotter out. Anna Maria Island is just one of those destinations that after you visit once you know you want to keep coming back to. I have a feeling we will be creating memories there for years to come!

 Happy travels,

 Kelly