Bonita Springs, Bradenton, and Steinhatchee — Moving Through Florida
Not every stop on a road trip is a destination.
Some stops are just… the road.
Florida gave us a little of both.
Bonita Springs
We’d been heading south on I-95 toward northern Miami — and the traffic just didn’t let up. Bumper to bumper. We wanted out. When The Keys added insult to injury with no reasonable room rates anywhere near them, we made a decision.
Cut across Florida on I-75 and land somewhere quieter.
Bonita Springs it was.
The resort was lovely. We enjoyed nachos at the Lake House right by the pool and pond — a beautiful setting. And then, the next morning, we got a surprise right outside our patio door.
Ibis!
A flock of ibis on the resort grounds outside our patio in Bonita Springs.
A whole flock of them, wandering the lawn like they owned the place. White ibis with those long, curved orange beaks. We watched them for a good while.
White ibis up close — those beaks!
Right outside our patio door. Best morning wildlife viewing we didn't plan for.
Those beaks are so long. Wonderful, unexpected start to the day.
Bradenton and Anna Maria Island
From Bonita Springs we drove to Sarasota, then made our way to Long Boat Key and up the west side of Florida to Anna Maria Island.
Anna Maria Island has a special connection for us — Ben and Brenda spent a month there back in May 2011.
It was bumper-to-bumper traffic by the time we arrived. Very busy. We took it in and kept moving — on to Bradenton for New Year’s Eve, where we settled for two nights.
New Year’s Eve brought fireworks at midnight. Lots of them!
I got to sleep sometime after 1am.
We moved on up the coast the next day, stopping at Bayport Inn Cafe for lunch. There, we met a great egret.
Great Egret at Bayport Inn Café — not shy at all.
Steinhatchee
That night we stayed in Steinhatchee. The “cabin” we found in Steinhatchee sounded great on paper. Just the thing we needed…we thought.
It was a tiny home. And they had packed in as many units as possible. The cabin itself was missing some little things that would have gone a long way — hooks for coats, hooks for towels, a working heater in the living area, comfortable chairs. We had higher expectations.
Disappointment noted. We adjusted.
What did help: walking down to the boat launch area. Calming to be near the water, with so few other people around.
The Steinhatchee waterfront — quiet, calm, and exactly what we needed.
Steinhatchee is a fishing town, and it shows. The marina was lined with boats tucked away for the off season — stacked in open racks along the water, and more packed into covered dry-dock storage, row upon row of them just waiting for spring.
Boats racked up for the off season at the Steinhatchee marina.
Covered dry-dock storage — boats stacked high and waiting for warmer days.
Not every stop delivers. That’s just travel. We rested, recovered, and got ready for the next one.
More stops on our US adventure to come!