Voices from the Rod and Reel Pier Community
Discover the Heartfelt Stories
Explore genuine experiences and heartfelt testimonials from our cherished community members from all over the world, each sharing their unique experiences with Rod and Reel Pier.
What Our Community Says:
“After visiting the USA for many years, we found Anna Maria Island in 2001 where we felt completely at home. That’s why we have come here for a few months every year. Our daily highlight was a visit to the Rod’n Reel Pier. You could meet and get to know people from all over the world, as well as locals, passionate anglers of all ages, and staff. This also led to long-standing, deep friendships in our “corner” (next to the lower kitchen entrance) that you wouldn’t want to miss. Everyone could also be who they were and are. There was always laughter, even without alcohol…It was NEVER boring, there was always an interesting exchange of information! Not to forget nature, “Broken Leg” was able to survive because a local resident who fed her. The wild bird is still loyal to him today and flies over as soon as it sees him. There was always dolphins and all the fish of the Gulf of Mexico, and of course the manatees! The harmony between the visitors to the pier and the people on the pier’s crew, who were keen to work there and enjoy life in nature, is what made the old wooden pier so special. The loss of the pier feels like a person has died. But there is a happy difference: The pier can be rebuilt and perhaps bring back the familiar flair and spirit.
Wir vermissen dich Rod’n Reel Pier.”
Didi & Nati
Weimar, Germany
“The Rod & Reel Pier is our neighborhood hang out. We live a few blocks away and when our friends, family, & guests come to our house, the first thing they do is sort out when they can go to the Pier. Either that, or they don’t bother stopping at our place at all, they just ask us if we can meet them at the Pier. We met most of our island friends by hanging out at the pier while listening to whatever music the bartender had on, laughing with staff and friends, and consuming $2.50 drafts, clam strips and peel-and-eat shrimp. Simultaneously, we would be watching baseball, football, fishermen reeling them in, dolphins, sting rays, manatees, amazing storms moving across the bay, sunsets, sunrises, and other people – always straining our eyes to see who may be headed down the pier in our direction. They arrive on foot, on bicycles, in golf carts, and in regular vehicles – all dodging the infamous potholes in the parking lot eager to cross the pier; casually, stopping here and there to chat with friends seated on a bench or to watch the manatees and schools of fish below them before arriving at the familiar building at the end.
If you rebuild it, we will come. In the meantime, there is a huge hole in our hearts and a giant gap at the end of Alamanda.”
Dan & Goose Pekarek, Goose & Gander
Anna Maria Island, Florida
Brandy Kwasniewski
Anna Maria Island, Florida
“We got married on Siesta Key beach in 2008. Our family is blended, my husband has lost his first wife to breast cancer so we wanted it to really hit home to the kids who were both 10 at the time, that this is our new family. So we made sure our plans would include things the kids could do together. It was sometimes hard with a 10 year old boy who’s into sports and a 10 year old girl who is a dancer. On our first trip to Anna Marie, we had dinner plans at Sandbar the day after our wedding and a friend had recommend we bring the kids to the pier during the day for some fishing and fun. It was one of our favorite days of that trip! The kids saw a manatee for the first time in their lives while standing on that pier. We fished, had lunch and had the best day watching them bond as new brother & sister. Its a core memory for both of them and we were heart broken to see it wiped away after the hurricane.
We’re praying for you!”
The Schueneman Family
Naperville, Illinois
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