Bradenton is a place of off-the-beaten-path pockets. Some are more hidden than others, but any corner of the city will probably have a little something you don't expect.
Take the Village of the Arts, for example. Inconspicuously sandwiched between Ninth and 14th Streets west, just south of the downtown core, the artists' district is a place where people can live and operate an art gallery together in their own Florida-style bungalow. There are bookstores, cafés and art for sale by village residents and others. Since 1999, the offerings have expanded, and residents are working to improve the look of the village and proliferate its offerings.
The village is seen as part of the revitalization of Bradenton's downtown, an area on the verge of change as city officials and developers keep eyeing possible projects. The city's riverfront offers walkers, joggers and others a serene coastline teeming with birds in the evenings.
A brick sidewalk starts at the corner of 15th Street West and Barcarrota Boulevard and follows along the southern shore of the mile-wide Manatee River. Convenient walkways make it easy to pass under the two bridges connecting Bradenton and Palmetto.
Visitors to the waterfront will find the Twin Dolphin Marina, Mattison's Riverside, a park, an amphitheater and the South Florida Museum, all in close proximity to each other. Don't miss the planetarium at the museum, and make sure to visit Snooty, the resident manatee who usually has a second manatee living with him. Snooty allows rescued manatees in need of rehabilitation to live with him while they recuperate before returning to area waters.
Twelfth Street West hosts several restaurants, coffee shops, an antiques store and a thrift shop benefiting the Arthritis Foundation. On the third Thursday of most months of the year, Get Down Downtown takes over the street, offering free live music along with food and drink vendors.
Heading east, the Old Manatee area converges at the corner of Manatee Avenue East and Ninth Street East. Once the central location of the town known as Manatee, the area has seen a resurgence of shops and restaurants, an economic boost that city officials and local business owners hope to continue.
There's a pocket of future change at the corner of 13th Avenue and 25th Street East where the city, county and United Community Centers are working to revamp Norma Lloyd Park. Closer to the river, at the northern edge of 27th Street East, is Braden Castle, a gem of a retirement community where residents have made their mobile homes permanent and the ruins of Braden Castle attract visitors to the waterfront enclave. Headed west, a slew of neighborhoods dot areas north and south of Manatee Avenue all the way out to Palma Sola and Perico, the final stretches of the city before getting to Anna Maria Island.
Take the time to get to know Bradenton's pockets of Florida life. Near the water and away, the city lends itself to hidden jewels waiting to be discovered.
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