Bradenton Holidays

Located just south of the Tampa Bay area in growing Manatee County, Bradenton is a fabulous place to explore art and historical attractions, have fun in the sun enjoying the beach and all types of water and boat adventures, plus, its a golfers paradise! Bradenton is home to numerous businesses, including nationally known Tropicana Products Inc., the famous juice maker, and Champs Sports, and plays host to many fun family attractions and events, including Winter Wonderland, Get Downtown Downtown, the Old Main Street Market and several other festivals along historic Old Main Street and beautiful Barcarrota Boulevard, the brick-paved street along the scenic Manatee River. Snooty, the oldest living manatee in the world born in captivity, calls the Parker Aquarium home, which is part of the museum. Make sure you take in a show at the adjacent Bishop Planetarium, which recently installed a state-of-the-art projector, found in only two other places in the world (Germany and the Queen Mary II cruise ship) that takes visitors on a journey through the galaxy. Then stop by in the evening for a spectacular light and graphics show set to rock music. Rossi Waterfront Park is ideal for a relaxing stroll along the Manatee River. The park stretches along the Manatee River and the City has recently improved it with lights, brick pavers and other new amenities, and additional plans include stretching the improvements further east! Bradenton also is the spring training home of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. In March, the Pirates play their spring training games at beautiful McKechnie Field, regarded by many as one of the best spring training stadiums in Florida's Grapefruit League. In an era where baseball teams and cities part ways quite frequently, the Pirates and the City of Bradenton have enjoyed a relationship stretching back to 1969. Bradenton has become increasingly cosmopolitan in character while retaining its small-town charm. The City is home to the Village of the Arts, a growing neighborhood of renovated cottages just south of downtown that provides homes, studios and galleries for dozens of local artists and other small businesses. And don't forget the new antiques district in east Bradenton, where shoppers can grab a bite to eat in one of the area's sandwich shops, then browse for antiques. Bradenton is a growing city. More homes are currently being built on a formerly vacant parcel of land along the Manatee River known as the Sandpile. Now called Promenade at Riverfront, this will be one of the hottest spots in Bradenton with new condominiums, offices, a hotel and other commercial opportunities, and it's also the future home of Manatee Players Riverfront Theater, currently located at the corner of Old Main Street and Barcarrota Boulevard.