Went up to the north end of the island this morning on the free trolley service. It;s a fun way to travel. Explored Pine Avenue and called in at the island's small museum near the old, now unused, tiny island jail. What a pretty avenue, The tiny old Roser church, the George Bean House and the beautiful Bay View Plaze.Stopped off Mama Lo's Coffee Shop, checked out Nantucket Bay, The Museum Shoppe and The White Egret, Two Sides of Nature and really enjoyed Chapae. Having "shopped 'til I dropped" I then went out on the Anna Maria City Pier to relax and enjoy the views over Tampa Bay. One of the shops looked after my purchases until I got back. Anna Maria Island is such a friendly helpful place to be.

I looked the history of this area on the internat and found some great info at http://www.amisland.com/

"George Emerson Bean,a world traveler from Connecticut, became the first permanent resident on the Island and homesteaded what is now the City of Anna Maria. He built his home near the present location of the Rod and Reel Pier in 1893 and homesteaded 140 acres, from the North Point (Bean Point) to what is now Magnolia Avenue."
quote from http://www.amisland.com/island.html