St. Petersburg boasts stunning, award-winning beaches and is home to the famous Salvador Dali Museum, exceptional dining options, and the picturesque Fort De Soto Park. This waterfront destination is an ideal family retreat, offering a plethora of activities for everyone! This was a 4 day stop for us as we ended our Christmas visit here.
The newly developed 26-acre St. Pete Pier beautifully merges the serene blue waters of Tampa Bay with the lush greenery of downtown St. Petersburg’s parks, making it the perfect spot to walk, bike, eat, drink, shop, swim, and enjoy live music. We spent many a night here just walking and taking in the views, the sounds, and the occasional snack and drink.
Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg is celebrated for its warm climate and holds the record for the “most consecutive days of sunshine” with an impressive 2 years and 36 days!
The vibrant downtown St. Pete area serves as the city’s core, featuring fantastic shopping, dining, nightlife, and cultural experiences. After exploring the largest collection of Dali’s artwork outside of Spain, don’t miss the Chihuly Collection on Central Avenue, where you can marvel at stunning glass art. There were also many great restaurants and near by shopping centers, so if you are staying at a downtown hotel, the Publix range of stores is within a 10-minute walk of 2nd street.
Whether you’re relaxing on some of America’s finest beaches or soaking in the views of Tampa Bay from downtown St. Pete, you’re guaranteed to have a blast in the sun! We Did !
The Dali Museum
The Dali Museum is a must-visit for anyone who loves art. This place is all about the incredible works of Salvador Dalí and is likely the most famous museum in St. Pete. You can check out a permanent collection of his art, plus there are usually some cool traveling exhibits that change regularly. All I will say is that it is expensive. It is about $35 for admission and another $15 for the add-on 360 experience.
The Sunken Gardens
The Sunken Gardens cover 4 acres of beautiful botanical gardens in the Historic Old Northeast area. They’re one of the oldest roadside attractions in the U.S., with over a century of history. You’ll find more than 50,000 exotic tropical plants and birds, including a lively group of flamingos. We spent about 2 hours here and there is free parking and a great area for you to relax and enjoy nature.
Sunken Gardens St Petes FL
St. Petersburg Museum of History
Founded in 1920, the St. Petersburg Museum of History is packed with fascinating info about the local area. One of the highlights is the odditorium, which features a pair of pajamas that once belonged to former president Howard Taft. If you’re into baseball, you’ll love Little Cooperstown, home to the largest collection of signed baseballs in the world. It would be a great rainy day experience – if only we got rain here 🙂
St. Pete Pier
As for the St. Pete Pier, it’s been a staple in the downtown since 1889, but it’s gone through a lot of changes over the years. The latest version took about three years to build and opened in 2020. We spent many evenings here. It gives you a nice landmark area if you are new in the city. We did look at coming down to the New Year’s Eve entertainment but it wasn’t very well set up and we didn’t feel the vibe. We were in Tampa last year and it was much better there.
St Petes from the St Petes Pier View
Anyway, Around the pier, you’ll find restaurants, bars, a splash pad, and tons of activities. It’s a perfect place to stroll, enjoy some food and drink and then also soak up the sun. If you have kids, they can have a blast at the splash pad or playground, while adults can kick back with a drink at Pier Teaki at the end of the pier.
As regards places to stay in St. Petes, we stayed at the Hyatt and I will add my review here in the coming days
If you have any other St. Petes Must Do’s please leave a comment.
This is a rolling blog post so I will add more to this St. Petes Top Tips post in the coming days.
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