Quirky art, cool neighborhood gems, and white sand beaches await in this Florida town.
It ’s tempting to keep St. Petersburg a secret . If late history tells us anything , as shortly as a city establish a burgeoning art scene or offbeat , creative places , the masses follow and it speedily becomes exaggerated and expensive . Portland , Austin , andNashvillecan all secernate you that account , but somehow St. Petersburg , Florida has continue under the radar .
Part of that might be because the metropolis sit down in the shadow of its across - the - Laurus nobilis neighborTampa , and under the looming cultural bearing ofMiami . But St. Pete ’s power to keep things low keystone has more to do with locals who take superbia in their neck of the woods spots . “ People really worry , the community of interests cares about culture , ” say Liz Dimmitt , the CEO of the city ’s immersive Floridian art showcase , Fairgrounds . “ People are invested in their Ithiel Town , and the ethnic setting has some activism to it , so people are gallant . ”
That pridefulness has yield the western part of Tampa Bay a true gemstone of a weekend pickup , a place to escape the state ’s hectic cities and meandering suburbs , and swallow yourself in unexpected art and quick - witted people . St. Petersburg is a place where you may lay on the beach all morning , peruse Dali ’s masterpieces in the good afternoon , and wind through graphics galleries at night . Then hit the hay to a rooftop bar atop a hotel that ’s been standing for 100 years . So fare along to the urban jewel of the Gulf Coast , and disclose why St. Petersburg is the Sunshine State ’s nerveless city .
Photo courtesy of Fairgrounds St. Pete
Travel time:
4 hours from Miami
If You Don’t Do Anything Else: Explore Weird, Wacky, Wonderful Florida at Fairgrounds
If one spot embodies all that is nerveless and originative about St. Petersburg , it’sFairgrounds . Not to be confound with the large parcel of land of land where 4H clubs mix with creepy carnies , the Fairgrounds is an immersive art and engineering take the air through a museum . Imagine the famedMeow Wolfset up store in a mid - one C roadside Florida motel , and you ’re get the melodic theme .
More than 60 different artists from locales that rank from down the block to the other side of the world help produce this neon - and - pastel playground . The premise go around around a young couple who checked into a soupy motel and on the spur of the moment disappeared . Clues dwell everywhere inside the Fairgrounds , from the eery stay - in desk to the couple ’s empty avant-garde , so node can gamify the experience by hunting for the pair . Or just research unusual photos of the Everglades and their dweller , and dally with a sounding board in a Twistee Treat whose inner looks like a starship .
“ We have touchable things you could touch and finger . There ’s a narrative you could investigate , and it changes over sentence , ” articulate Dimmitt . “ It has that authentic , local Florida feel and you get that the artists who made this quad love this quad . ”
There are also several photograph ops , including a novel room fill up with all varieties of gigantic shrimp sculptures . But make no mistake this is far from an Instagram museum , as you’re able to walk through fill nary a moving picture and still find the experience completely bewitching .
Fill the weekend with:
Arts and Culture in St. Petersburg, Florida
nontextual matter in St. Pete is far from a one - conjuring trick pony , and while Fairgrounds is a must - reach , the view throughout the urban center is what made the place potential . No head trip through St. Petersburg ’s art aspect is complete without a trip to theSalvador Dali Museum , which lately added Dali 360 , a 30 - ish arcminute experience where the artist ’s works fare to life inside a projection attic . TheChihuly Collectionis a lasting exhibition at theModean Arts Centerthat showcases large - scale employment by renowned glass creative person Dale Chihuly . The blocks around Fairgrounds are filled with creative person ’s studios where you could pop up in and out to get a sensory faculty of who ’s creating in this city , similar to Wynwood circa 2010 . EvenSt . Pete ’s iconic pierhas interesting artistic creation , highlighted by a net carving called “ Bending Arc ” from Tampa Bay aboriginal Janet Echelmen . you’re able to also chew the fat for the annualSHINE Mural Festivalin October , where artist occupy the city ’s streets to add to the over 150 mural the fete has created in its eight years .
Things to Do Outdoors in St. Petersburg, Florida
With all its far-out creativity , it ’s well-situated to forget St. Petersburg is still in Florida , so it also tender mi of soft white sand beach . St. Pete Beachis the gang favorite , so if you ’re attend for turquoise waters and toes - in - the - sand beach stripe , that ’s the place to go . But you could also channelise a little extraneous townspeople toFort DeSoto Parkand get that same aquamarine piece of heaven in a whole remote location . If you ’re more for watersports , rent a kayak and exploreCaladesi Island State Park , where uninhabited islands in Tampa Bay make you feel like an early Florida Internet Explorer . you’re able to also jump on two cycle and cycle per second along thePinellas Trail , a 45 - mile path from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs that takes you through small towns and undisturbed Florida nature .
Best Neighborhoods to Explore in St. Petersburg, Florida
As its ethnic panorama has formulate , St. Petersburg has also seen the maturation of vibrant neighborhoods . The most - know is theEDGE District , the historic blocks skirt ill - fated Tropicana Field . Once only home to pregame stalwart Ferg ’s , the bustle about street around Central Ave . N. will welcome a shine new Moxy hotel presently . It ’ll be flank by spots likeGreen Bench Brewingand its sunny out-of-door patio , thrift shops , Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails , andBodegaCuban culinary art . You ’ll also findThe Candle Pour , a craft - your - own redolent candle experience that ’s one of those thing you do n’t call back you ’ll love until you do it . And then you make for home a candle and do n’t shut up about how you made it .
A little further up Central you may pop into theGrand Central District , an LGBTQ - friendly part of town where rainbow flag delineate the street and drag queens in gamy heel tittup the sidewalks . It ’s home to the city ’s most provocative collection of mural , and theRight Around the Cornerpinball arcade . you may also essay some of the urban center ’s top tacos atCasita Taqueria , or start the day with vegan donuts atValhalla Bakery .
Eat, Drink, and Sleep
Best Bars and Restaurants in St. Petersburg, Florida
Eating and drinking is an equally creative experience in St. Petersburg , a story well told atCellarMasters . What attend like a converted automobile physical structure shop is really a personality - compact trip into a domain of hipster wine , where sign loudly declare you wo n’t chance Caymus ( “ Fake wine-coloured , terrible phratry ” ) , Meomi , or La Crema inside . It ’s decorate in detailed vintage piece of furniture and 20th century soda pop culture tribute , as stuffy to an angry hipster wine bar as you ’ll come up in Florida .
The fun continues atNo Vacancy , a Florida motel - themed bar with invigorated craft cocktail , flamingoes galore , and an outdoor patio with oversized games and an airstream dawdler . For something a little more serious ( and substantial ) , book dinner atBaba , a fresh Mediterranean spot in Grand Central where you could enjoy mezze and grilled seafood with a warm Florida breeze . Or sample distribution low plates atAllelo , which sits along the downtown waterfront and propose an impressive ingathering of wine to couple with each one .
you’re able to also strike theUrban Stillhouse , which in addition to distilling its own whisky has an all-embracing bill of fare of food for thought , and low - samara plate up one of the salutary brunches in the city . Or book a romantic board atThe Black Pearl in Dunedin , who ’s not overselling itself when it claims to have the “ good filet in Tampa Bay . ”
Photo courtesy of Fairgrounds St. Pete
Where to stay in St. Petersburg, Florida
If you ’re into old Florida luxury resorts , you already have a go at it aboutDon CeSar . The iconic resort hotel exudes bright - pink , over - the - top glam and puts you just maltreat from the sugary sand beach . That being tell , if you ’re look for that same fade of account within a three - stop walk to downtown opt for theVinoy . The 1925 castle was built for unadulterated Florida leisure time , arrant with a laguna puddle and patio restaurant . A 2d - floor mezzanine floor tells you the place ’s integral story , with artifacts from the ‘ 30s and ‘ 40s and card from old land dinners . A little magnetic north in Dunedin you could post up at theFenway Hotel , a stucco smudge that ’s served as home for everything from Pinellas County ’s first radio station to the headquarters of the Tai Chi Society of the USA , that now boasts a rooftop prevention with stunning views of the bay .
Photo courtesy of The Dali Museum
Pinellas Trail|Photo courtesy of Pinellas County Government
Photo courtesy of No Vacancy St. Pete
Photo courtesy of The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club
