The St. Petersburg and Clearwater region is a peninsula. The beaches are some of the best in the USA. They extend over a length of 56 km, and the sun is said to shine here 361 days a year! The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are considered calm and warm. The tourist hustle and bustle is also quieter than in Miami or the Orlando region, making the area particularly popular for family vacations. Accessible only by ferry, the 250-hectare Caladesi Island State Park northwest of Dunedin offers a pristine island paradise.
The Fort de Soto Park offers 500 hectares of almost untouched landscape (picnics, camping, cycling, and inline skating). Central Florida’s tourist attractions, particularly the theme parks in the greater Orlando area, are a 1.5- to 2-hour drive away for day trips.
Web story: Key Adventures: Camping Gems in the Florida Keys
Sightseeing features
Dali Museum
Great Explorations, The Hands-On Museum,
1120 Fourth St. South, phone 813-821-8885, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday A museum you can touch. Exhibitions include “Touch Tunnel,” “Think Tank,” “Phenomenal Arts,” “Body Shop,” “Explore Galore,” and temporary exhibitions.
Museum of Fine Arts, 225 Beach Drive NE, Tel. 813-896-2667, open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., tours Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
The Art Museum of St. Petersburg
shows masterpieces by European and American painters from the 17th to 20th centuries in a classicist villa. The collection of French impressionists (including Fragonard, Monet, Renoir, and Cezanne) is noteworthy. The collections of Far Eastern and pre-Columbian art are also of interest.
Florida International Museum, 100 2nd St. N., Tel. 800-777-9882, A museum with no permanent exhibits. The temporary exhibitions are generally worth visiting. Further information can be found on the museum’s homepage.
St. Petersburg Museum of History,
335 2nd Ave. NE, Tel. 813-894-1052, open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., admission $4, exhibits on the history of the area. The Flight One Gallery is dedicated to the birth of Earth’s first scheduled airline service, which originated in St. Petersburg in 1914 with a regular flight to Tampa.
Pier: St. Petersburg’s pier extends several hundred meters into Tampa Bay and houses a shopping center, restaurants, and a swimming pool in the upside-down pyramid at the end. There is also a small mini golf course and with a bit of luck, the Bounty (from the film with Marlon Brando) is on the pier.
Sunken Gardens, 1825 4th Street N., phone 813-896-3186. A small tropical paradise in the middle of St. Petersburg, the oldest botanical garden in Florida with an alligator and parrot show.
Web story: Exploring Greater Fort Lauderdale: 10 Must-Experience
Those are also interesting haunted tours through St. Petersburg. Two tours are offered to mysterious places in St. Petersburg for tourists equipped with candles: the Ghost Tour at Jungle Prada (2 hours, Friday 8 p.m.) and the Downtown St. Petersburg Ghost Tour (1.5 hours, daily 8 p.m.).
Exploring Miami Beach: Beyond Sun and Sand, a Cultural Haven
[…] is, of course, not to be despised. Cities like Miami and Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Petersburg have a significant lead over Jacksonville in terms of popularity. Why? To be honest, this is a […]