Anastasia Island is a laid back beach town buffered by nature preserves and blessed with ocean breezes. You get there by taking the Bridge of Lions over Matanzas Bay. It’s a popular tourist destination, but it doesn’t get overrun.
You’ll find more mom and pop surf shops and classic roadside motels here than elsewhere in the city. Stretching from Anastasia State Park, with its more than 1,600 acres of unspoiled beaches and amphitheater, to the Matanzas Inlet, the 14-mile long barrier island also supports dozens of thriving residential districts and commercial corridors where you can get just about everything you need.