What a cute museum and comical jail.

A great little museum and the lady did a good job at sharing the history.

Such a nice little museum! Though quaint in size, they have a ton of interesting pieces and information dating back to the prehistoric era. It's free, conveniently located, and it's a nice way to break up your (probably hot) walk up Pine Ave. Plus the "old jail" is located on the property, and that makes for great photo ops.

Visited November of 2021. Was passing thru Sarasota en-route to Ana Maria Island. On the 2nd day on the island me and my family visited the old city jailhouse, very much "still" intact. Highly recommend to visit this piece of history if in the area. Just make sure to bring yourself and an empty drive to take plenty of photos : ) And don't forget to walk past behind the jailhouse as you will find a different spot to take photos with your friends, family and loved ones.

Neat little museum that tells you about the history of Anna Maria Island. Free entry (donations accepted). A guide was there for questions. Really awesome collection of everyday artifacts from old island inhabitants. Could be a great learning opportunity for kids about how life used to be back in the day. Had a small souvenir/gift shop. The jail cell outside is a great photo opportunity. There is a small cabin next door too that is set up how it would have been in the past. Great stop for families or anyone interested in times past. Will put things into perspective on how far we've come when you're surrounded everywhere else by the commercial touristy aspects of the island.

Cool place to visit! Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great for kids as they do a scavenger hunt and win a small prize. Bonus.. it's free😊

Neat place. I love when you can find history and have fun at same time.

Cute little photo opp just for fun. Took my mom and we both enjoyed it

What a great tribute to the locals here. Old photos and historical clippings and bits of life on the island. So interesting. And it's staffed with friendly locals able to answer questions and share curiosoities about AMI. Keep it real and local team! Thanks for the great conversations!

Very nice little museum with lots of photos and artifacts from Anna Maria Island history. The little lady who was there when I stopped was very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. She dug for a book that I was looking for until she found it. Very interesting and worth the stop.

Check for the hours open. Comprehensive history of island life as it was in yesteryear. Terrific curated exhibits and a cottage that fell onto the bay and was transported to the island by barge. Fun learning island history.

Neat little museum is in walking distance or short car drive from many of the rental homes. Free admission; donations welcomed. Lots of information and relics inside the air-conditioned main building. Outside offers an old jail, garden, and 1925 house. You can tour the inside of house with a museum associate. House is 1 BR, but packed with lots of items, too. Interesting place to learn the beginnings of the Island. Staff is very friendly.

What a neat piece of history on the island. The home was once on the end of the pier. After the home was blown into the bay it was moved to another location on the island and remained for 75 years. Truly amazing for a wood structure. Then the community came to the rescue and moved it to its present location on N Shore where it’s available for viewing anytime from the outside or 3 hrs a day during the week. Lots of folks deserve credit for rehabbing the home. And the jail is original. Pretty cool.

This was a cute little free museum. Lots of artifacts and history. There is a tiny gift store, too. The volunteer working there was super friendly and helpful. She gave us tips on where to eat that paid off! The jail is interesting and offers free air conditioning! Oh and there are some movies that were in part filmed on Anna Maria Island. Might be fun to watch them for your trip. See photos for the movie names.

Cool free museum to learn a little history about the area! Very friendly tour guide.

Definitely worth visiting. Amazing complete history of the island collected in one place. Our volunteer was extremely knowledgeable of the history and was fun to listen to.

It was nice reading up on the history and the kids got to scavenger hunt in the museum.

This place is a not-so hidden gem. Best experience so far on our vacation. Admission is free, so we were more than happy to leave a donation. It was the least we could do. What a beautiful place. Enjoyed it very much.

The grounds were nice. Really would have liked to see it all. The sign on the door says closed September for cleaning. Reopening in October. This informational would be something to include on the website. Is this something that is done every September? I may try again next year.