What a great way to experience the easy breezy lifestyle of Ana Maria Island, Florida with their 26th Annual Tour of Homes! AMI for short, is a 7-mile strip of sandy beaches that sit in between Bradenton and the Gulf of Mexico. We were excited to experience the island’s famous laid-back and beachy scene during the tour. My hubby and I met up with my mom, my aunt, my cousin and her friend at the Center of Anna Maria Island to kick off the day of touring fun. We checked in and were directed into the Center Bazaar where local artisans and vendors had tables setup. After purchasing a really beautiful essential oil diffuser bracelet from one of the vendors, we headed out on our way!

A Chauffeured Tour

Although we were discouraged by staff from driving, we opted to all squeeze into my SUV and drive the tour route. We started with #5 on the tour, which was a brand-new build, and up for sale. This tends to be a double negative in my book as I tend to dislike it when homes for sale are included in home tours. I don’t like feeling as though I’ve purchased a ticket to attend a sales presentation. I’m also not a huge fan of newly built homes as they tend to lack character and charm. But I was happy to learn that this home was the only one on the tour up for sale, and it turned out to be a treat to see! The home was professionally decorated, and featured a beautiful ground-floor outdoor area with pool, hot tub and seating area. The only thing the home was missing was a view, so we set out for the next home on the tour, my husband our chauffeur.

From Modesty to Grandeur

The next home had a beautiful story behind it, and was the most modest home on the tour. The 1960’s block home was purchased by it’s existing owners and completely renovated with an eye to their parents being able to live with them. The home sits directly on Bimini Bay, and features a jaw dropping view with a tropical backyard complete with citrus, mango and lychee trees. The third home we visited was an absolute showstopper! It certainly wasn’t for all tastes, as it was very very large and very contemporary. If the 8 balconies on the front of the house didn’t convey the size, then the two-story foyer as you walk in did. After balancing on each other to put booties on over our shoes so as not to damage the floors, we were led into the foyer where a docent explained the architecture and some artwork. It was tough to focus on the docent though because directly behind us was an infinity pool that seemed to spill out directly into the bay. This home was a statement in luxury, complete with a climate-controlled cypress wine room, a large exercise room, and rooms with private balconies. There were also some unique touches including the 14’ dining table that was created from a single slab of cypress that was under water for over 100 years. After stepping outside of this home, we all picked our jaws up from the ground and continued on.

Easy Breezy

Part of what we all really enjoyed about this home tour was the variety of waterfront homes. We had experienced two beautiful homes on the bay, and the final home we visited sat directly on the beach. We were ushered to the pool area first, which was a tropical escape complete with hammock and fire pit, all with amazing view of the beach and Gulf of Mexico. Tropical music played, and we could all envision ourselves sitting here with boat drinks in hand. Part of the pool area tour included a guest cottage, they call “the margarita room”, right off the pool that doubled as additional entertaining space when the Murphy bed was up. Next, we entered the house and were led up to the main floor which featured sweeping views of the beach and the Gulf. The unique thing about this home was that it was decorated completely in French provincial style. It felt a bit strange to have such amazing Gulf of Mexico views out each window, while being surrounded by furniture from the South of France, but hey….if I could afford a home like that, I would decorate it as I please as well!

Overall

That last home was a great punctuation to a really great home tour. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, great company and experiencing some really beautiful homes. We all felt that the tour was well-organized, and each home impressive in it’s own way. And at $25 per ticket, we felt that pricing was very reasonable. This is definitely a tour I would recommend, and plan to attend again in the future!

Other Ana Maria Island Activities

The Ana Maria Island Tour of Homes brought us south across the Sunshine Skyway bridge and into Ana Maria Island for the day. We met up with some friends and family members and really made a day of it!

After the tour we snagged a table at the very busy Skinny’s Place right on Gulf Drive. Seemingly contrary to the name, they are famous for their burgers so that’s what we had! It was an extremely busy place, and while we waited we sipped beer from old-fashioned frosted mugs. Later that evening, we enjoyed one of Florida’s most famous attractions, a beautiful sunset!

H4HT’s Disclaimer

The blog you just read and the few snapshots we shared cannot properly convey the experience we had. You couldn’t feel the beautiful bay breeze we felt as we toured home #3, or the awe-inspired glances we shared while standing by the pool at the last home. As was noted clearly on this home tour’s tour book, “pictures may not be taken at any of the Tour homes”, which is very common among home tours. The purpose of this blog is to share our experience at the tour in terms of planning, content and overall experience. But no opinion can replace first hand experiences! We recommend you experience a home tour for yourself. Be sure to visit our Home Tour database to find a home tour in your area, or choose a home tour in an area you have always wanted to visit. Use it as a reason to travel! Happy touring!