Me and the wife are headed down to Anna Maria Island for a week and thought about renting a bike for a day trip. I have never been to the Gulf side and know the Ocean side would offer a great ride down the coast on A1A. But, looking at the map from Tamp down just looks like highway. Is there a coastal road to ride down through towns and along the water over there??

Thanks

 

Stop and go traffic pretty much the entire way. Nothing but flat inland from there. Personally I'd enjoy the beach and forget riding.

 

Thats what it looks like. I think we will rent some jet skies and do some water riding!

 

Ask in the Florida forum.

 

I had a little vacation place there in the 80s / 90s but never went so I sold it (Bradenton). I admit Florida is NOT my 'thing'. Anna Maria is ok but small and probably built up since I was there. . . . the coast road from Anna Maria to the Sarasota area (Long Boat Key) is nice (or was back then) but that is about it (15 miles if memory serves). Pretty boring overall actually in that area for a bike and a lot of traffic on the other roads with nothing much to see or experience (bike-wise). To get fron Anna Maria to Tampa / St. Pete you would end up getting on some boring, commercial roads. Skyway Bridge to St. Pete is an experience, but that's about it. That whole area is not the best area for the west coast of Florida as it's really commercial with spotty areas that are nice. At least that is the way I remember it.

 

98 northwest of Tallahassee is a nice ride. A lot of it is right on the Gulf and there are some decent places to eat as well.

 

Hwy 41 runs close to the coast from at least Sarasota up to Tampa, then heads inland through Tampa northward. Once out of the Tampa area, both 41 and 301 go through some nice countryside (for Florida).

Unfortunately, most roads near the coast are going to run through heavily developed areas and have lots of traffic until you get north of Pinellas county.

 

The best riding in Florida is not near the water, it is inland.

If you do end up on 301, WATCH THE SPEED LIMITS, they change faster and more often than a woman's mind.

Be prepared for rain at any second too... especially in the afternoon

If you need a destination and want to come south 100+ miles, Muscle Car City in Punta Gorda is a GM gearheads paradise.

 

No, there is no beach road that is very long anywhere on the west coast. They are all stop and go traffic also. I live just north of Anna Maria. When I ride down there, I take 75 south to SR72 and head east from there out towards Arcadia and Sebring. 72 isn't a bad ride for Florida standards.

 

If you go to Arcadia, find the Pioneer Restaurant... greasy spoon good grub and biker friendly