So last week I was minding my own business and cruising my Facebook page when I came upon an online trivia show hosted by Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands. Well, I decided to play along and ended up winning an echo dot.
Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands is the official travel planning resource for Anna Maria Island & Longboat Key. Their territory includes coastal companions Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch as well. We have visited the area many times and blogged about it. On Anna Maria Island there’s the Pine Avenue shopping experience, our dream condo experience as well as a number of eateries we’ve written about.
So I paused when I saw Jeremy hosting the Bradenton Area Trivia Time. He was having a bit of trouble with his equipment, which was pretty entertaining in and of itself. As I watched, he started the quiz.
These were multiple choice questions for the most part and I knew a lot of the answers. I was not always the first but I did get most of them right. It really was just a bit of fun and I didn’t think too much of it.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I got a message saying I was the lucky winner! To be honest, I did not know exactly what an echo dot was and decided to be surprised when it arrived.
What is an echo dot?
A few short days later the UPS man rang our doorbell and handed us the small brown box. Opening it up, we found not only an echo dot, but a personalized unit with “Bradenton-Anna Maria Island-Longboat Key” emblazoned around the top ring. Their trademark sun emblem in the middle.
This little hockey puck shaped device actually is a smaller version of the original Amazon Echo smart speaker. It has a few buttons on the top which control volume, mute the speaker and wake the device to listen for a question or command.
Actually, you don’t need to touch the Echo Dot to use it. it is designed to primarily respond to voice commands. In short – it’s a really nice prize. Not being real tech-savvy people, we are in the process of downloading the app and learning how to use it.
When we do, our first question will be “Alexa, tell us about Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands.”
Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands
If you want to play Bradenton Area Trivia Time, it airs Tuesdays at 6pm (Eastern) on their Facebook page. The host, simply known as Jeremy, asks some multiple choice questions. He also has a “Where Are We” segment for players to identify different area landmarks.
Probably the best part is to watch the ongoing commentary during the contest. There are great remarks to go along with those guessing answers to the questions. I myself added a few snarky remarks as part of the ongoing witty repartee which accompanied the game show.
Additionally, scrolling their Facebook page gives you virtual yoga and virtual kayaking experiences. There also are beach photos, pictures of sunsets and articles about local eats.
Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands also has a more comprehensive web page. They list places to stay, things to do and places to eat. There are listings of all the beaches, art and culture, sightseeing and shopping. There are 360 degree virtual tours and suggested itineraries too.
You can even put in for a Travel Journal if you like.
We have visited Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and have cruised Longboat Key. It’s a wonderful part of the Cultural Coast and a fun place to both visit and stay. And if you want the true ins and outs Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands can give you detailed information on this Florida playground.
