Like Key West Florida, Provincetown Massachusetts, Cape May New Jersey and Montauk Long Island this is the end of the road. Anna Maria town is hidden at the tip of a seven-mile long island with a five hundred year history. Ensconced at the private northern end of Anna Maria Island, this tranquil remnant of "Old Florida" is far away from high-rise condos, fast-food franchises and tourist traffic. Anna Maria's history begins in 1513 with a man and a tale familiar to us all - Ponce de Leon's quest for the Fountain of Youth. This mythical spring was reputed to have the powers to cure illness and to give eternal youth. As an added incentive to discovery, the fountain was supposedly surrounded with gold and silver. In that journey, he discovered Florida itself on Easter Sunday, naming it "Pascua de Florida" which means "Feast of Flowers", the Spanish name for this holy day. His quest continued as he journeyed up the Gulf Coast of Florida nearly five hundred years ago and named our small island Ana-Maria-Cay to honor the Virgin Mary and her mother Anne.