© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
LIVE BLOG: Updates on Hurricane Milton

A new ferry service will shuttle beachgoers to Anna Maria Island

 A man in orange shirt stands in front of the new ferry, which is a blue and white boat
Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
/
Courtesy
The new 50-foot boat is the new edition to Bradenton's Gulf Island Ferry Service.

The induction of the two new ferries marks the kick off of the long-awaited Gulf Island Ferry Service. It will launch later this summer.

Bradenton’s new Gulf Island Ferry Service is underway with the addition of two ferries.

The 50-foot catamarans, named Miss Anna Maria and the Downtown Duchess, are a part of a greater effort to connect Manatee County and reduce tourism traffic.

The ferries are expected to transport the public between Bradenton and some of the area’s scenic beaches on Anna Maria Island.

 One of Bradenton's new ferries is docked on the water next to a white boat
Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
/
Courtesy
The ferries have a capacity of 49 people,

“We look forward to continuing to provide easy, accessible travel opportunities throughout Manatee County,” Elliott Falcione, executive director of The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a press release.

The ferry service will begin operating in late summer. Price is $8 for a one-way trip and $10 for an all-day pass, with special prices for children and and senior citizens.

From Friday to Sunday between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., the ferry will make hourly stops between the downtown Bradenton Riverwalk and Anna Maria Island.

More information, as well as a map, are available at the ferry website.

Tashie Tierney is the WUSF Stephen Noble Digital News intern for summer of 2023.
You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.