Updated November 3, 2026
The sun sets over the Gulf, so the beaches on Anna Maria Island get the real show. Inland, you get the afterglow instead. Here’s tonight’s time, a season-long table and the spots worth the drive, including the parks that lock up right at sunset.
Sunset: see the table below
Calculated for downtown Bradenton. The Gulf beaches are within a minute.
Plan around three times, not one. Be on the sand about 20 minutes before sunset, when the light goes gold. The sun drops fast here, about two and a half minutes from touching the water to gone. Then stay put: the sky usually turns its brightest pink and orange 10 to 20 minutes after sunset, and it’s fully dark about 25 minutes after.
| Date | Sunset | Last light |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Nov 7 | 5:43 p.m. | 6:07 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 5:39 p.m. | 6:04 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 21 | 5:37 p.m. | 6:02 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 28 (earliest of the year) | 5:35 p.m. | 6:01 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 5 | 5:36 p.m. | 6:01 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 12 | 5:37 p.m. | 6:03 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 19 | 5:40 p.m. | 6:05 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec 26 | 5:43 p.m. | 6:09 p.m. |
| Sat, Jan 2 | 5:48 p.m. | 6:14 p.m. |
| Sat, Jan 16 | 5:59 p.m. | 6:24 p.m. |
| Sat, Jan 30 | 6:10 p.m. | 6:34 p.m. |
| Sat, Feb 13 | 6:20 p.m. | 6:44 p.m. |
| Sat, Feb 27 | 6:30 p.m. | 6:53 p.m. |
| Sat, Mar 13 | 6:38 p.m. | 7:01 p.m. |
| Sun, Mar 14 (clocks spring forward) | 7:38 p.m. | 8:02 p.m. |
Calculated for downtown Bradenton using the NOAA sunrise/sunset method; “last light” is the end of civil twilight. Times can differ by a minute from other calculators.
A lot of the prettiest spots on the map shut their gates right when you’d want to be there. Check this before you drive.
| Place | Hours | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Manatee Public Beach, Holmes Beach | Sunrise to 10 p.m. | Best all-round pick. Stay through the afterglow. |
| Coquina Beach, Bradenton Beach | Sunrise to sunset | Watch the sunset, then head out. The parking lot itself closes at midnight. |
| Palma Sola Causeway Park | Sunrise to sunset | Go for the hour before sunset, not the afterglow. |
| Robinson Preserve | Sunrise to sunset | Golden hour from the towers, then walk back. |
| De Soto National Memorial | Grounds dawn to dusk; parking gates lock at 5 p.m. | Not for a fall or winter sunset: cars left after 5 are locked in. |
| Fort De Soto Park (Pinellas) | 7 a.m. to sunset | Parking changes Dec 1, 2026 to $3.50 an hour, $12 a day max. |
Hours from Manatee County park pages, the National Park Service and Pinellas County; Fort De Soto’s new fee from Fox 13 (Sept. 30, 2026). Coquina parking from Visit Florida.
01 · Holmes Beach · Open until 10 p.m.
The easiest Gulf sunset from Bradenton: drive straight out Manatee Avenue (SR 64) and it ends at the sand, at 4000 SR 64 where it meets Gulf Drive. It has restrooms, showers, a beach café and a trolley stop, and it stays open until 10 p.m., so you can watch the whole afterglow. No alcohol, glass or pets on the beach. Winter weekends fill the lot, so arrive 45 minutes early or take the trolley. Beach details.
02 · Bradenton Beach · Free parking
A long, wide Gulf beach at the south end of the island (2650 Gulf Dr) with free parking, pavilions and a concession stand. It’s quieter than Manatee Beach at sunset, but the beach itself closes at sunset, so don’t plan a long evening here. Beach details.
03 · Bradenton Beach & Anna Maria · Dinner
If you want a table instead of a towel: BeachHouse Waterfront Restaurant (200 Gulf Dr N, Bradenton Beach) seats you on the sand facing the Gulf, and The Sandbar (100 Spring Ave, Anna Maria) is the north-end favorite. Ask for a table 30 minutes before sunset. Skip Mar Vista for this one: it faces the bay, not the sunset.
04 · Cortez fishing village · Old Florida
One of Florida’s last working fishing villages, on the mainland side of the Cortez Bridge. Here the sun sets behind Anna Maria Island rather than into open water, but the color on Sarasota Bay and the fishing boats make up for it. Star Fish Company (12306 46th Ave W) is a cash-only seafood market and restaurant; hours vary by day and season, so check before you go.
05 · Manatee Avenue causeway · Free
A free stretch of bay beach along Manatee Avenue between Bradenton and the island, at 9500 Manatee Ave W, where you’ll sometimes see people riding horses in the shallows. The park closes at sunset, so come for golden hour on Palma Sola Bay and finish the night on the island, five minutes west.
06 · Northwest Bradenton · Free
Mangroves, trails and observation towers with views west toward Perico Island and the bay, at 1704 99th St NW. It’s open sunrise to sunset, so use it for the late-afternoon light and be walking back to the car as the sun touches down.
07 · Downtown Bradenton · Free
You won’t see the sun meet the horizon downtown, but the Manatee River is wide and still, and the sky over it after sunset is worth the walk. The Riverwalk runs along the river through Rossi Park, with Old Main Street restaurants a block away. Park free in the City Centre garage; see BradentonNow’s downtown parking guide.
08 · Tierra Verde · 40 minutes north
Across the Sunshine Skyway in Pinellas County, with long Gulf beaches facing west. Worth it for a day trip that ends at sunset, since the park closes at sunset. From Dec 1, 2026, parking is $3.50 an hour, capped at $12 a day.
Anna Maria City Pier: it’s being rebuilt after the 2024 hurricanes and hasn’t reopened yet. The city has targeted fall 2026, and the new restaurant will be called PIERadise. We’ll add it here when it opens.
Status from the Anna Maria Islander (Oct. 27, 2026) and AMI Sun.
Addresses, hours and rules from Manatee County’s park pages for Manatee Public Beach, Coquina Beach, Palma Sola Causeway and Robinson Preserve, checked November 3, 2026.
Times below are for a mid-November Saturday, with sunset at 5:39 p.m. Slide everything later as the season goes on.
Trolley hours from Manatee County Area Transit; free fare and frequency from the Anna Maria Island Chamber.
It changes daily. In November 2026 the sun sets between about 5:35 and 5:45 p.m., and in December between 5:35 and 5:46 p.m. This page calculates today’s time automatically for downtown Bradenton.
Around Nov. 28 to Dec. 3, when the sun sets at about 5:35 p.m. Sunsets get later through winter and jump an hour when clocks spring forward on March 14, 2027.
The Gulf beaches on Anna Maria Island, about 20 minutes west. Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach is the easiest pick because it stays open until 10 p.m.; Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach closes at sunset.
Not the sun meeting the horizon, but the sky over the Manatee River after sunset is colorful, and Old Main Street restaurants are a block away.
Coquina Beach, Palma Sola Causeway Park, Robinson Preserve and Fort De Soto Park close at sunset. De Soto National Memorial’s parking gates lock at 5 p.m., before fall and winter sunsets.