Anna Maria Island, Florida
So excited to share details of my last trip to Florida. I was supposed to go to AMI back in October, but the hurricane came through south Florida that same weekend. The devastation was heartbreaking and I am so thankful I wasn’t there during that time and that we could reschedule this trip
My whole reason for going was to attend the Joie Inn bi-annual block party that Ashley from Arrows and bows puts on and I figured why not invite my assistant Tiff and make a girls weekend out of it. We had such a good time shopping, eating at all the local restaurants, and laying on the beach for hours! We also threw in some heartfelt conversations, met some new people, and had a Facebook live all about how to become a virtual assistant. Heres how our trip went :)
DAY ONE: We Flew into Sarasota Bradenton airport and immediately grabbed Starbucks because we both had 5 am flights. We grabbed our bags and headed to the Avis counter. Shoutout to AVIS for the upgrade from a Ford Fiesta to a Mustang. We felt so bougie driving around the Island!!!
Our first stop was Jimmy Johns because we were starving. And it’s quick! We also had to stop by Marshalls to grab sandals and a few outfits to fit the Florida vibe more! (Bye bye Wisconsin and Missouri cold) Before checking into The Compass Hotel we decided to go to the beach! Our go-to spot is the 36th street beach access point on Gulf Drive. We put a few essentials in our Louie Sling fanny packs from @walkerfamilygoods took a long walk on the beach.
When Dan and I first started vacationing to Florida we would stay at a motel in Bradenton but one day we decided to splurge and stay at the Compass by Margaritaville. We’ll never go back to staying at a motel now. The Compass has the comfiest beds, the best food, and the nicest staff.
After check-in, we drove around the island and I showed Tiff all of our favorite places. One of which is The Smoke House! Our favorite things on the Menu were:
*Islander (House smoked and chopped chicken topped with grilled pineapple, shaved ham, pepper jack cheese & teriyaki mayo),
*Poutine Fries (Hand cut fries topped with fresh Wisconsin cheese curds & house brisket gravy) and
*Fried Brussels (The best Brussel sprouts you will EVER have)
We ordered food togo and headed to the beach to watch the sunset. And to end the night we went to Dips for their blueberry cheesecake ice cream. It was so cool to visit in December because they had all their Christmas lights up and it was GORGEOUS!
On DAY TWO we grabbed an amazing breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast potatoes, Bacon, and frittata, but we had to save room for the Avocado toast and the Jacaranda smoothie at the North Shore Cafe.
They also have chairs that look out into the canal which is so relaxing. And of course we snagged a pic by the ANNA MARIA mural they have. (See top picture)
Part of this trip was for content because Tiff needed some headshots for her business page and I needed some for this blog and my Vlog. We found a beautiful passageway to the beach that was perfect for pictures!
We headed to the hotel for a quick outfit change. Shout out to Jessica at the front desk of the Compass. My strap broke on my romper and she saved my day by having safety pins on hand! Off to the Joie Inn block party we went!!! There were so many great vendors like Carly Jean Los Angeles, The Fox Mercantile, and surfing coconuts! We had a great time shopping, sipping our coconut water, and downing some yummy tacos made by Dino Petrone himself! It was so good!
After that, we had to get Smoqe House for dinner. Again! We took it to the beach to watch the sunset with some heartfelt conversations! Apparently that weekend there was a boat parade on the other side of the island, but we had to get back to the hotel for our Facebook live! Tiff shared all about how to become a virtual assistant and we talked about what it’s like working together!
DAY THREE: We went to our favorite local church, West Church. Pastor Brian gave such a good message about the gift of God, the gift of Jesus, and the gift of the spirit! We always love being back there and seeing our Florida friends again.
After church, we grabbed a light lunch from the hotel and brought it to the beach! The Nachos and flatbread were sooooo good! And guess what… we went back to Dips because you can never have too much Dips ice cream!! The rest of the evening was spent at the beach, taking MORE pictures, and then back to the hotel for dinner. We ate tortilla soup, Caesar salad, hummus with pita chips, and had Pina Coladas from the Compass hotel Bar and Grill! Sooooo good!
Tiff and I didn’t waste any time! On DAY FOUR (our last day) we got up early, grabbed breakfast, wore our cute rompers for some more pictures, then headed to The donut experiment! You get to choose your glaze and your toppings! I got a glazed donut with graham cracker crumbs and raspberry drizzle and Tiff got the vanilla glaze with chocolate chips and a peanut butter drizzle!!! We sat outside, talked about our love languages, and found out both of ours is Acts of service! :)
After that we did some sight seeing and walked the pier. We had to stop and North Shore Cafe one last time for more avocado toast. It’s that good! And last but not least we spent the last few hours at the beach soaking in the sun before we had to head back home!
I hope you enjoyed hearing about all of my favorite places to eat and stay so that you can’t make your own trip to Anna Maria Island unforgettable! I know you’ll love all the restaurants and spots I shared just as much as we did! Like always, stay tuned for our next adventure and thanks for following!
-XOXO Sam!