St. Petersburg, sometimes known as St. Pete, is located on the Pinellas Peninsula on Florida’s central Gulf Coast, between Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay, and is recognized for its year-round sunshine. A network of long, thin islands with beaches and marinas lies off the coast of the peninsula.
With our list of the top attractions and activities to do in St. Petersburg, you can discover the best places to visit.
In St. Petersburg, there is a Dali Museum
With more than 2,000 works of art, the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg exhibits this Surrealist artist’s comprehensive collection of paintings. From his early work in Impressionism and Cubism to subsequent explorations in more “Classical” styles, Dali’s whole artistic career is included.
The shows include oil paintings, watercolors, original drawings, sculptures, graphics, photographs, and prints. The Dali Museum Library and Center for the Avant-garde are also housed here, which preserve books, magazines, newspaper clippings, and other important documents related to Dali, Surrealism, and Avant-garde influences.
Fort DeSoto Park has beaches, trails, and history
The 1,136-acre Fort DeSoto Park, Pinellas County’s largest park, comprises five separate keys. There are numerous natural and recreation trails for hiking, biking, rollerblading, and strolling, a lovely swimming beach, and two fishing piers.
This is a popular place for birdwatchers, as it is home to at least 328 different kinds of birds.
The park is named for the fort on Mullet Key’s southern tip, built during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Remains of the fort can be visited on a self-guided tour, and a small museum with historical information is located in the former Quartermaster Storehouse. Other buildings on-site include civilian quarters, barracks, the bakery, and the former hospital. Camping is also popular here. The park has 238 sites, just a short stroll away from the beach. Sites have electricity and water;
Clearwater Beach is a beach in Florida
Clearwater Beach is frequently ranked as one of the best beaches in Florida, if not the entire country. Tourists and local sunbathers flock to miles of immaculate white sand, and there is a diverse range of activities for couples, families, and everyone else. Some of Clearwater’s best resorts overlook this gorgeous beach.
The Beachwalk, which spans along the sand and is lined with tourist stores, restaurants, and other attractions, is Clearwater Beach’s coastal promenade. Pier 60, another popular destination, is a 1,080-foot fishing pier with several amenities, including a huge bait and tackle shop that rents out fishing equipment to tourists.
A large beach playground and weekly sunset celebrations with entertainment and vendors are family attractions.
Sand Key Park has both beaches and wildlife
Sand Key Park is located on the same-named barrier island and features a magnificent beach and a diversified natural landscape. The park is working with Clearwater Aquarium to protect the safety of sea turtles and their hatchlings as part of an ongoing project to establish an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sand Key Park is an excellent place to go bird watching, with herons, roseate spoonbills, great horned owls, anhingas, and common moorhens nesting and feeding in the salt marsh.
The park’s beach section has a variety of amenities, including lifeguards, concessions, and bathhouses during the summer months. There are plenty of rentals available, so you don’t have to bring your own — everything from umbrellas and cabanas to bicycles and kayaks can be rented.