When did a boat ride from Bridge Street to Coquina Beach become something you could buy a ticket for? On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the Downtown Duchess left the Historic Bridge Street Pier and crossed the bay to the Coquina Bayside South Boat Ramp. As the Anna Maria Island Sun reported, Capt. Scott Reynolds was at the helm, with six local media members aboard and no paid passengers.
Manatee County's ferry spent its first years as a way for people on the mainland to reach the island. The Coquina stop is the first piece built as a hop within Bradenton Beach, and it fits the rhythm of the south end better than it fits a day trip from downtown.
A Ticket That Starts on the Island
Since January 2024, the Gulf Islands Ferry has mostly been a ride from the Bradenton Riverwalk to the island. Earlier this year the county added the Manatee Belle to that route. It is the biggest boat in the fleet, with room for 91 passengers, an air-conditioned cabin, a restroom and open seating at the stern. In the Sun's account, the run from downtown to the Bridge Street Pier took about 50 minutes.
The Belle can't reach Coquina. Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the AMI Sun that "it's not logistically possible to bring the large ferry (the Manatee Belle) down to Coquina Beach." So the last stretch belongs to the smaller open-air pontoon catamarans, which went into service in 2024 and carry up to 48 people. The Sun timed the Duchess crossing from Bridge Street to the boat ramp at under 15 minutes.
The detail that matters most for anyone already on the island is the fare. A trip between the Bridge Street Pier and Coquina can be bought on its own, with no downtown leg attached. Adults pay $5 one-way or $9 round trip, according to Manatee County communications manager Keenan Singleton in the same Sun report. Coming from the Riverwalk costs more. The Sun put an adult round trip from downtown Bradenton to Coquina and back at $21.20 with tax. Riders 80 and older ride free. Senior, military and child fares on the Coquina leg vary from one published source to the next, so the official ticket page is the place to check before boarding.
Falcione has said plainly who he hopes will ride:
"I'm hoping that entices more residents to use the water ferry because in most cases, Coquina Beach is their beach of choice to enjoy."
He made that comment to the AMI Sun at launch, timed so the stop would be ready for Labor Day weekend.
Four Boats Out, Four Boats Back
For the Coquina leg, the timetable matters more than anything else. At launch the Sun described service as Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., weather permitting. The operator's ferry page now says the boats run Thursday through Sunday. A schedule listing checked at the end of September shows four Coquina round trips a day, each about 20 minutes each way:
| Leaves Bridge Street Pier | Leaves Coquina Bayside South Boat Ramp |
|---|---|
| 11:00 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Noon | 12:30 p.m. |
| 4:30 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| 5:30 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
The departures fall in two clusters, one around midday and one in late afternoon, with nothing in between. A round trip can be a quick midday visit, out at 11 and back at 12:30. It can also cover the whole afternoon, out at noon and back on the 5 or 6 p.m. boat as the light turns gold over the bay. A morning swim at sunrise or a late sunset on the Gulf side still means driving, biking or taking the trolley.
The Riverwalk boats keep their own schedule. Departures from downtown run from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the last boat back to the mainland leaves Bridge Street at 8:30 p.m. Visiting friends staying in Bradenton could take the Belle across, meet you at the Bridge Street Pier, and ride the pontoon to Coquina with you.
What Waits Across Gulf Drive
The boat ramp sits across the street from Coquina Beach, at the south end of the city. Several things on that side of Gulf Drive have changed this fall too.
The biggest is the Coquina Beach Market. WWSB reported that starting October 2, 2026, the booths would have a new location along the trail, beginning south of the trolley turnaround at 2650 Gulf Drive South. The station says the market runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market's own site lists the season as October 2026 through June 2027.
Put that next to the ferry calendar. Market days and ferry days overlap on Fridays and Sundays, and the 11 a.m. and noon boats land well inside the market's hours. With the 12:30 return, an hour at the booths and the trip home fit before lunch. On Wednesdays the market is open but the ferry isn't running.
Coquina Beach Cafe came back in January 2025 after storm repairs, WWSB reported. Its website lists hours and beach rentals from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but call ahead before planning around them.
The free Island Trolley connects with the ferry at both ends. Manatee County says it runs daily from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. along Gulf Drive between the Anna Maria City Pier and Coquina Beach, about every 20 minutes. If you're heading north, you can take the boat one way and the trolley back on a day the 5 p.m. return comes too early.
One nearby spot is still closed. Manatee County's page for Leffis Key Preserve says it is closed until further notice because of hurricane damage. In December 2025, the AMI Sun reported that the boardwalks needed FEMA review and a full redesign, and that a reopening timeline would come only after FEMA's decision.
Packing for an Open-Air Pontoon
The Duchess has no cabin, so the gear rules matter more than they do on the Belle. Here is what the AMI Sun reported at launch:
- Beach chairs, coolers and other beach gear are allowed on board.
- Bicycles and pets are not.
- A wheelchair lift is available at the Bayside South Boat Ramp, where the county also installed an ADA-compliant access ramp.
Weather can cancel service. The operator called off the ferry on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18, and posted the cancellation at the top of its page with a number to call or text, (727) 200-6487. With only four Coquina round trips a day, check that page before you carry a cooler to the pier.
Parking still affects the ferry. As of April 2026, Your Observer described the county's 857-space Coquina lot as free. In June 2026, WWSB reported that the county was studying paid parking at island beaches but had not brought any proposal to the commission. Each trip on the boat is one car fewer looking for a space in that lot.
Why the County Keeps Adding Stops
The Coquina leg builds on numbers the county already has. In 2025, more than 55,000 people rode the ferries, and the county estimates that kept about 23,000 cars off the island's roads. Both figures come from the earlier two-stop route, before Coquina opened, and there is no ridership count yet for the new leg. In the county's release, District 3 Commissioner Tal Siddique said the added stop "will positively impact the roadways running the seven miles of paradise on Anna Maria Island."
Who pays for it also matters to island homeowners. The Sun reports that the contracted service is funded partly by fares and subsidized with tourist development tax revenue, not property taxes.
The south end will have this stretch of water to itself for a while. Ferry service to Anna Maria stopped in October 2024 after Hurricane Milton destroyed the City Pier walkway. The Sun expects it to return in 2027 or 2028, once the pier reopens and a county-funded landing is built at or near it. Until then, Bridge Street and Coquina are the only two island stops.
Bridge Street on Halloween Weekend
This weekend gives the Bridge Street end a reason to stay after you get off the boat. Through November 1, the Bridge Street Merchants Association's "Bridge Street Bone Yard" fills the street with skeleton displays, including the city-owned pergola and clock tower at the pier entrance, according to the AMI Sun. The same group's Halloween Spooktacular runs Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., with local vendors, trick-or-treating, games and live entertainment.
One weekend plan uses both ends. Take the Friday or Sunday noon boat to the market, ride back on the late-afternoon pontoon, and walk up from the pier under the skeletons on the clock tower. If Saturday's weather holds, the Spooktacular will still be going long after the last Coquina boat docks at 6 p.m.
If you already know Bradenton Beach well and want to talk through how the ferry, the trolley and the beach lots shape everyday life at different spots along Gulf Drive, I'm glad to share what I've learned. Andrea Miller is happy to meet whenever it suits you. Book an Appointment.
