Take the Plunge

This pleasure craft is a floating jungle gym—a two-story, anchored structure decked out with trampolines, jumping platforms, a water slide and a rope swing. Fun Life Entertainment owner Edwin Toro sets up in the inlet between Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Wednesday through Sunday (weather and waves permitting, of course), and is available for private parties, too. You might think it’s just for kids, but the joy of leaping into warm turquoise water on a sunny day never gets old. “We never have sad customers,” Toro says. (855) 438-6543, facebook.com/funlife4all

A Floating Picnic

Licensed under the same Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle regulations that govern food trucks, George Romano’s Boathouse Grill is, in fact, a food boat, a small craft that sustains an impressive professional kitchen with a gas grill, a flattop, sinks, coolers and more. “It’s better than some restaurants I’ve worked at,” Romano quips. He alternates between different sandbars and beaches in the area, posting on Facebook and Instagram where he plans to motor to the next day. Once on the scene, he cooks up burgers, hot dogs and chicken, and whips up subs and breakfast platters and hands them over to hungry boaters. Romano emphasizes using fresh, never-frozen ingredients in his dishes, but he did just purchase a freezer for the boat. Why? Customers keep demanding ice cream. facebook.com/boathousegril, instagram.com/boathousegrill 

Pedal Pushers

Brittany Orlando’s Sip-N-Cycle Cruises mix sun, stationary bikes and a “It’s five o’clock somewhere” attitude for a party boat experience that makes you feel virtuous while you’re tipsy. Here’s the setup. The cycleboat is decked out with two rows of eight stationary bike stations that face one another. You and your friends—after being instructed by the captain about how to stay safe—human-power your way down the Intracoastal while your beverages stay chilled in coolers. The pedaling powers the paddlewheel at the rear of the vessel. If you need an incentive to keep pedaling, Orlando promises you can burn between 200-300 calories (“If you pedal the whole time,” she adds). Bring your own beer and wine, and pace yourself. There’s no bathroom on board, although, thankfully, there’s a bathroom break halfway through the cruise. The cycleboat leaves from Pop’s Sunset Grill in Nokomis and Bayfront Excursions on Siesta Key. $40 a passenger. Group rates, too. 1-833-SIP-AWAY, sipncyclecruises.com