Island:
noun, naturally formed
area of land, completely surrounded by water.
Who hasn't thought about being cast away on a deserted
island and who we would bring with us? Islands have always
captured our imaginations, a timeless theme in literature
and film, from Robert Louis Stevenson's masterwork
"Treasure Island" to countless movies, including a 1948
classic called "On an Island with You" starring bathing
beauty Esther Williams, a movie with local provenance.
Although the story was set in the South Pacific, many of
the film's most spectacular exteriors were actually shot right
here on the Gulfcoast on what was then an unspoiled,
exotic paradise – Anna Maria Island – only 20 miles north
of Sarasota.
Anna Maria Island is the northernmost jewel in a dazzling
chain of island gems that hug the coastline between
Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Beginning
at the mouth of Tampa Bay, this gorgeous assortment of
islands and keys stretch to the south, hugging the shores
of Sarasota, winding their way down to Gasparilla Island,
Boca Grande and beyond, each of them with their own
distinctly different personalities.
Although exploring the islands from behind the wheel of
a convertible would be a blissful way to spend the day, and
probably the best way to experience the personalities of
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