You want Florida, you want it all, and only want to unpack once. No problem! You want St. Petersburg & Tampa Bay!
There’s a sunny side to this West Coast community that makes this a true hot spot among the world’s destinations. Naturally there’s lots of water and sunshine. But you’ll also discover an area that’s full of rich arts, professional sports, sights to see and things to do, you won’t find anywhere else. Whatever your pleasure, you'll find it in the Bay Area!
Here, a single day's itinerary might include breakfast at a waterside cafe, a visit to Busch Gardens Africa, The Florida Aquarium, a streetcar ride, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, or Lightning game. Visit historic Ybor City where the Cuban sandwiches are hot and crisp, the cigars are hand-rolled, and the colorful streets are lined with fun.
What next? White, sugar sand beaches, sport fishing, jet skiing, parasailing, and join the party in January as rowdy swashbucklers invade Tampa Bay for the Annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
So pack your flip flops and sunglasses and prepare for an amazing getaway in fun-filled Tampa Bay! From the mouth-watering restaurants to the incredible entertainment, see why St. Petersburg & the Gulf Coast is such a popular destination for savvy travelers looking to get the most out of their Florida vacation.
St. Petersburg is home to an appealing variety of historic buildings, museums, and interesting sightseeing opportunities. Stroll through St. Petersburg’s sights on your own, or take a more organized approach by checking on local tours.
The Pier, an inverted five-story pyramid perched on a land bridge jutting into Tampa Bay is a must-see where admission is free. Families can go shopping, visit the aquarium and listen to live entertainment & eat great food. The Trolley offers transportation between the Pier and other sections of downtown St. Petersburg. Tropicana Field, the first domed stadium in Florida, is the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays and a location for other sports, concerts and special events.There are several museums in St. Petersburg. Families with children shouldn't miss Great Explorations, The Hands On Museum. This is a museum where kids don't just look at the exhibits. They touch them, move them, explore them, and in the case of the climbing wall, actually become part of the exhibit. Great Explorations is near the Sunken Gardens, which makes for fun exploration through lush vegetation, ponds, waterfalls, exotic birds and butterflies in a fresh setting five feet below street level.
Salvador Dali Museum features the world's largest collection of the Spanish artist's work. Several of Dali's paintings, drawings and graphics depict his characteristic melting watches and haunting landscapes.
Other St. Petersburg museums include the Museum of Fine Arts, which displays paintings by French impressionists, and the St. Petersburg Museum of History.
Close to everything, yet miles away. A beautiful Peninsula located on Florida's West coast, the area is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and by Tampa Bay to the east.
We offer 35 miles of white-sand beaches on some eight major barrier islands. We're within minutes of many popular Florida attractions: just 30 minutes to Busch Gardens & Lowry Zoo in Tampa and 90 minutes to Walt Disney World Resort, Sea World and Universal Studios Escape in Orlando.
In Pinellas County, you can find boat tours explicitly for spotting dolphins, sponge-diving demonstrations, parasailing, playing pirate, fishing, shelling, nature-watching, dining and ferrying to islands accessible only by boat: Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Anclote Key Preserve State Park, Caladesi Island State Park and Shell Key.
With that many choices, you're bound to hit upon something for every age group in the family. Grade-schoolers especially have a yo-ho-ho time on Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise out of Clearwater Beach. Energetic staff run a virtual day-care program on board with activities from squirt gun attacks on parents to dancing the Macarena.
Older kids, grades 3 and up, will benefit most from CMA's cruise from Clearwater Beach and St. Nicholas' Boat Line'sTarpon Springs.
As a third-generation sponge diver suits up in 12-pound boots and a 38-pound metal helmet - garb his ancestors wore on the job - passengers learn about sponges and the grueling occupation of harvesting them from the sea floor.
Back on land, families can learn more about the sea at Konger Tarpon Springs Aquarium and CMA's rescue and research facility, filled with fish, a stingray petting tank and pools where rescued sea turtles, dolphins and river otters cavort. Hourly demonstrations and feedings allow guests to watch trainers interact with the critters.
Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center in St. Petersburg interprets life along its nature trails and into its past tense, when native Americans settled the island and created intricate pottery. Interactive exhibits display replicas of archaeological finds from an early 19th-century Smithsonian Institution dig and reveal life in the mangroves. The preserve is one of several quiet, pleasant-surprise oases in the midst of big-city commotion.
Boyd Hill Nature Park attracts families with cool playgrounds, a butterfly garden, an aviary, shady picnic grounds and trails. The environmental education center introduces them to the local cast of characters, from baby wolf spiders that ride their moms piggyback to barred owls who ask "who cooks for you?"
To see local birds in the wilds, head south to Fort De Soto Park, where roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans and shorebirds enjoy another retreat from urban tempos.
Visit sick and injured birds on Indian Shores' beach at Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a rehab facility that, like the region's many nature-focused attractions, colors its eco-lessons in shades of green and blue, land and sea.
John's Pass, a recreated fishing village of weathered clapboard shops and restaurants, joined by a boardwalk, is the focal point of Madeira Beach. Shops sell pink flamingos and small bags of white sand.
Good seafood restaurants abound known especially for our local grouper, served in tasty salads, sandwiches and chowder. October 15 to May 15 is the best time for delicious stone crab claws and Florida lobsters.
From numerous open-air restaurants, you can watch pelicans dive off the pier and fishermen unload catches from their boats. The nautical atmosphere may even motivate you to rent a Seadoo and jet skis, board a deep-sea fishing charter or head out into the Gulf of Mexico on a cruise.
The Pirate Ship at John's Pass offers pirate stories, treasure hunts and dolphin watching, as it cruises through Boca Ciega Bay. Sea Life Safari Cruises picks up families at the Clearwater Beach Marina and Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Kids can see and touch sea urchins, crabs and sea horses. The two-hour cruise includes a stop at a barrier island so passengers can look for shells on the beach.More adventurous boaters may prefer the Sea Screamer, the world's largest speedboat, which brings passengers on nature cruises from the Clearwater Municipal Marina. Show Queen offers dinner, buffet lunch and sightseeing cruises. Departing from Clearwater Beach Marina, the Starlite Majesty Dinner Boat features dinner with dancing, sightseeing and lunch cruises.
Lot's to do here so come on down and have some fun!
