Beach Volleyball and Pickleball on Anna Maria Island

An earlier version of this site listed a beach volleyball tournament and a Gulf Coast pickleball championship. We could not find an organizer behind either one, and the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce events calendar listed neither when we checked it in September 2026, so both listings were removed and this guide replaced them. What the island does have is courts you can walk onto with your own group.

Organized tournaments are a different matter on county property. Chapter 2-24 of the Manatee County Code names organized sport tournaments, and individual or group instruction, as examples of special events, and a permit must be obtained for every special event held on county park property. The same definition sets special events apart from normal park and beach activities such as swimming, picnicking and sports.

Manatee County lists sand volleyball courts, marked for open play, at two of its beach parks on the island: Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach and Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach. The county gives the courts' hours as sunrise to sunset at both parks.

Both parks are lifeguarded beaches, and both list picnic tables, grills, restrooms, concessions and a trolley stop among their amenities. Manatee Public Beach puts its volleyball courts just off the parking lot. Coquina Beach also has pavilions you can reserve through the county, and the county's own description of it mentions tossing a frisbee or spiking a volleyball with friends.

Chapter 2-24 says no one in a county park may take part in games involving thrown or otherwise propelled objects, such as balls, except in areas set apart for that kind of recreation. The volleyball courts are set up for exactly that, so they are the place for a real game rather than a crowded patch of sand near swimmers.

The same chapter asks every visitor to follow the instructions of a designated public official about the playing of games. If an official asks your group to move or to stop, that instruction is the rule.

Away from the sand, the City of Holmes Beach has public pickleball courts at City Field on Marina Drive. The city describes its city park as having tennis courts, pickleball courts, a soccer field, a baseball field, shuffleboard, bocce ball and a skate park, among other facilities, so a sporty group can split up and still meet in one place.

The city has closed the pickleball courts in the past for resurfacing and repairs and announced it on its website, so check the city's news before you pack the paddles.

Manatee Public Beach and Coquina Beach share one set of posted county policies. They are short, and each one applies to a volleyball afternoon as much as to a swim.

The Sandbox is a two-bedroom cottage in Holmes Beach for up to 6 guests, one house off the beach with direct beach access and no road to cross. It has a private saltwater pool for cooling off after a game, and parking for 3 vehicles if your group arrives in more than one car.

Stays are 7 nights or longer in every season, which leaves room for a volleyball afternoon at a county beach park, a pickleball morning at City Field and plenty of quiet time in between. The free island trolley runs every 20 minutes if you would rather leave the car parked.