St. Petersburg: Recreation
Sightseeing
The center of St. Petersburg's tourist life is The Pier, five stories of shopping, restaurants, galleries, live musical entertainment, an aquarium, an art gallery, and a Children's Hands on Museum, right on the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg. The observation platform at the end of The Pier, which juts 2,400 feet into Tampa Bay, provides a panoramic view of the city. During the winter months, a replica of the H.M.S. Bounty is docked. At the Sunken Gardens, a city-owned park, thousands of plants and flowers bloom on four acres that also contain a tropical forest, butterfly garden, trails, waterways, and flamingos. Weedon Island Preserve occupies 3,164 acres of historic parkland featuring a boardwalk, hiking trails, and a 45-foot high observation tower. Close to St. Petersburg, the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores has one of the world's few "hospitals" for injured pelicans, seagulls, and other shorebirds and seabirds.
Fort De Soto Park, with a beach ranked among the top ten in the country, stretches across five islands (or keys) at the south end of the peninsula. Open from sunrise to sunset, the park offers opportunities for bird watching, picnicking, swimming, biking, fishing, in-line skating, and camping on 900 acres on the Gulf of Mexico. The actual fort, on Mullet Key, was intended for coastal defense during the Spanish-American War, but construction was not completed until after hostilities ended. The guns at Fort De Soto, facing south, have never been fired in battle.
On the south side of the city, Boyd Hill Nature Park is a precious oasis—245 acres of unspoiled land—with over 3 miles of trails and boardwalks that lead visitors through hardwood hammocks, sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, willow marsh, and lakeshore. On the other side of town, 400-acre Sawgrass Lake Park offers a one-mile elevated nature trail through marshland. Private operators offer boat tours on waterways around and through the city.
Docked in international waters just off the Port of St. Petersburg is the Ocean Jewel, a 450-foot-long gaming ship. The ship, which opened for business in October 2004, features eight decks of blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, sports book, and slot machines, as well as nightly entertainment and dining. Shuttles to and from the mainland are provided at no cost.
Arts and Culture
St. Petersburg citizens—both retirees and younger residents—are active in community theater and musical groups. While the city has a full year-round arts calendar, many of the nationally known touring shows and acts visit in the winter at the height of the tourist season. More than 800 events are scheduled yearly for 9 million downtown visitors. The American Stage Company, a professional not-for-profit organization, presents a variety of productions in addition to its annual "American Stage in the Park" offerings. Other theater groups include the St. Petersburg Little Theatre, Florida's oldest continually-operated community theater, and the Palladium Theater, a restored movie house, that presents a varied venue of music and comedy events. The nationally known Florida Orchestra performs classics and pop favorites at the Mahaffey Theater, bringing in guest performers and conductors in addition to its own musicians. The Bayfront Center hosts traveling ice shows and dance troupes, and popular musical entertainers, circuses, and sporting events.
St. Petersburg boasts the world's largest collection of the works of the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali. In a dramatic waterfront setting, Dali's sculptures, paintings, and other works, dating from 1914 forward, are discussed during regularly scheduled tours at the Salvador Dali Museum. The Florida International Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute that spans one-half of a city block, welcomes traveling blockbuster cultural exhibitions. Recent exhibitions include the The Cuban Missile Crisis, A Century of Jewels and Gems 1785–1885, and DIANA: A Celebration, a tribute to the personal and public life of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, with apparel, paintings, letters, film footage, and funeral memorabilia on loan from the Althorp Estate in England, the Spencer family's ancestral home. The St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, the only comprehensive art collection on the state's west coast, owns more than 4,000 pieces of European, American, Oriental, and pre-Columbian art, including works by Cezanne, Gauguin, and Renoir.
The St. Petersburg Museum of History features exhibits of Florida and St. Petersburg history and a Flight #1 wing housing a full-scale replica of the historic "Benoist" Airboat, which flew the world's first scheduled commercial airline trip in 1914. Great Expectations, situated adjacent to the Sunken Gardens, is a children's museum featuring a variety of hands-on exhibits. The Florida Holocaust Museum, located in the Tampa Bay area, honors the memory of the millions of innocent men, women, and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. Exhibits include artifacts, memorabilia, letters by camp prisoners, and an original boxcar from Nazi-occupied Poland.
Nearby, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a working aquarium that serves to educate the public as well as rescue, treat, and release sick or injured whales, dolphins, otters, and sea turtles. Visitors can observe the treatment and care of these animals, view sharks and fish in their underwater environment, and touch stingrays, starfish, sea urchins, and
Festivals and Holidays
St. Petersburg celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. each January in one of the nation's largest civic parades and festival of bands. The following months brings the Festival of Speed, featuring exotic cars, boats, and bikes from the past 100 years. The International Folk Fair Festival is the biggest event in March. This three-day event celebrates the many cultures in the area with entertainment, demonstrations, crafts, and cuisines from 40 different countries. Other events in March include the Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival, with 10,000 pounds of crawfish and Cajun, Creole, and Louisiana cuisine; the Abilities Wine & Food Festival, offering premium wines, gourmet food, and hundreds of silent auction items; the Festival of the Sun, a beach fest with reggae music and food; and the Butterfly Festival & Plant Sale, held at the Sunken Gardens.
Spring also brings the Festival of States, a decades-long tradition of parades, fireworks, music, and bicycle races. An Easter Egg Hunt is held each year, as is the Mainsail Arts Festival, considered one of the best fine art shows in the nation. Earth Day and Arbor Day are celebrated with the Green Thumb Festival, which features tree and plant sales, a plant diagnostic clinic, flower shows, and a children's plant fair. Teens enjoy Pierfest, a two-day event of extreme alternative sports, skateboard and wakeboard competitions, and rock music held at The Pier.
Food is the theme of several June events, including Taste of Pinellas, an annual food and music festival with the fare of more than 60 restaurants, and Real Men Cook, a Father's Day celebration that began in Chicago in 1989 and is now celebrated in a dozen cities around the nation. The Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival celebrates the islands' traditional food and Soca, Calypso, and Reggae music. American Stage Shakespeare in the Park presents the works of Shakespeare at Demen's Landing by the city's professional theater group. The Pier hosts an annual Fourth of July Celebration with concerts, activities, and, of course, fireworks.
SnowFest, held in November or December, features Nutcracker in the Park, the Santa parade, a Jingle Bell run, and a lighted boat parade. The annual Holiday Taste & Tour treats visitors to self-guided tours, music, and refreshments in area bed and breakfast inns. The First Night celebration, held on New Year's Eve, offers alcohol-free family activities in dozens of venues throughout downtown St. Petersburg.
Sports for the Spectator
Major League Baseball's (MLB's) Tampa Bay Devil Rays are based in St. Petersburg and play at the city's Tropicana Field. Spring training brings three other MLB teams to the area, the Philadelphia Phillies to Clearwater, the Toronto Blue Jays to Dunedin, and the New York Yankees to Tampa. The MLB Players Alumni Association hosts the Legends of Baseball, the nation's largest old-timers game, in St. Petersburg each year.
World-class auto racing arrived in the city in 2003 with the first annual Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The event takes place over three days in the spring on a waterfront circuit that incorporates part of a runway at Albert Whitted Municipal Airport. The Sunshine Speedway, located near the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport, hosts stock car racing every Saturday night. Greyhound racing is a big draw during the January-to-June season at Derby Lane; more than a million fans flock to the track to watch the races and dine in the Derby Club restaurant. The Tampa Bay Downs, located in Oldsmar, features thoroughbred horse racing from December to March. Each spring brings the Regata del Sol al Sol, an annual 456-mile yacht race from St. Petersburg to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Powerboat racing is the attraction in the St. Petersburg Offshore Super Series held each June, featuring 35-40 powerboats competing on a 5-mile race course.
For sports fans who are willing to travel a short way, Tampa is the home of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Tampa Bay Storm, a championship arena football team.
Sports for the Participant
St. Petersburg's sunny climate means year-round outdoor activities for the sports-minded. The city boasts that it spends more per capita on its parks and recreation programs than any other city in the country. Anglers can harvest more than 300 species of fish in the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay, and area lakes. Charters are available from boat captains along many piers, but shore-bound fishermen can still try their luck at Fort De Soto Park and The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg. Among the many annual fishing tournaments is the competitive Tarpon Roundup, held every summer from May through July.
The Pinellas Trail runs 45 miles from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg, linking parks, scenic coastal areas, and neighborhoods for bicyclists, pedestrians, and in-line skaters. St. Anthony's Triathlon, one of the nation's top triathlons in terms of prize money, attracts 2,000 athletes who compete each April in swimming, biking, and running events. The city provides 66 public tennis courts, 29 soccer/football fields, 42 baseball/softball fields, and 18 boat ramps. Golf enthusiasts can choose from three municipal courses, including Mangrove Bay Golf Course, which has been named one of the nation's best by Golf for Women magazine. St. Petersburg has 125 parks covering 2,400 acres. Sun bathers can enjoy 8 public pools and 5 public beaches stretching to Clearwater on 35 miles of gleaming white sand. The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club is the world's oldest and largest shuffleboard club, and is the site of the National Shuffleboard Hall of Fame.
Shopping and Dining
St. Petersburg combines shopping opportunities at regional malls and charming downtown settings. University Village, a 60,000-square-foot shopping center located downtown, opened its doors in 2004. Plaza Tower offers 30,000 square feet of retail space, and Tyrone Square Mall, anchored by Burdines, Dillard's, JC Penney, and Sears, features 170 specialty stores. There are more than two dozen art galleries downtown. The city hosts three antique malls: the Antique Exchange Mall, Fourth Street Antique Alley Mall, and Gas Plant Antique Arcade, the largest antique mall in Florida. Stylish Beach Drive has recently been joined by the revived Central Avenue district to offer even more restaurant, shopping, art gallery, and entertainment choices. The Pier nearby offers tropical clothing, shell crafts, and other regional specialties. Nearby Dunedin's restored Main Street offers seafood restaurants, art galleries, and quaint shops.
Dining in St. Petersburg ranges from fresh seafood restaurants with scenic waterfront views to ethnic cuisines from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Favorite local dishes include paella Valenciana, a dish featuring shellfish, chicken, vegetables and rice; smoked local mullett; and locally caught grouper either blackened, baked, broiled, or fried. The greater Suncoast area provides a choice of more than 1,500 restaurants.
Visitor Information: St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 14450 46th St., Ste. 108, Clearwater, FL 33762; telephone (727)464-7200; toll-free 877-352-3224; fax (727)464-7222; email info@floridasbeach.com. St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 100 2nd Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701; telephone (727)821-4069