Gulf Coasting: A Floridian's Day Trip Guide to St. Petersburg

At the start of the year, Michael and I made a resolution: visit one Florida destination every month.

Twelve months and countless adventures later, we still felt like we’d barely scratched the surface of everything the Sunshine State has to offer. Choosing our final stop was no easy task.

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We considered Key West—especially when cheap flights from Tampa popped up—but December hotel prices were steep. Daytona and Tarpon Springs were also on the list, but both felt a little too touristy for what we had in mind. Ultimately, we landed on St. Petersburg, an artsy, laid-back city just south of Tampa.

We’d been before, but only as a side trip while visiting its northern neighbor. This time, we wanted to give St. Pete the attention it deserved, dedicating an entire day to exploring at our own pace. With its vibrant mix of art, craft beer, and coastal charm, it turned out to be the perfect choice.

Here’s how we spent the day—and everything that’s worth your time (and money!) if you’re planning a visit.

THINGS TO DO IN ST. PETERSBURG

St. Petersburg offers loads to see and do, but with only one day in the city, you’ll want to choose places in close proximity to one another to get the most out of your day. We missed the city’s beautiful beaches on this trip (though I’ve shared more about the area’s beach scene here), but if you have time and great weather, don’t skip the Gulf Coast!

Saturday Morning Market

St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market boasts a large number of farm vendors, artisans, and prepared food trucks and stands. It beats our own town’s weekly market by a wide margin. Even if you’re not able to purchase anything perishable, come hungry and follow your nose. We had breakfast plans, but still managed to share a Liége waffle.

→Saturday Morning Market // 230 1st St SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

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The Dalí Museum

The Dalí Museum may not be a behemoth of a museum, but it houses an astounding number of works by the Spanish surrealist. And, as an exciting treat, our visit coincided with the opening of the exhibit Magritte & Dalí (now closed).

The exhibit featured the two artists’ work sorted by theme and displayed in stereo alongside each other. And, for the Instagram generation, there are a few interactive opportunities to discover and participate in.

→The Dalí Museum // 1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

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Sunken Gardens

I’m always intrigued by the nostalgia for Old Florida (see here, for an example). Sunken Gardens is more than a century old, and one of the nation’s oldest roadside attractions. We purchased a Groupon for our visit on the drive over and arrived about an hour before closing.

Except for a handful of visitors and a crew preparing for a wedding ceremony that would take place after closing, we had the place to ourselves. A visit here instantly slows your pulse and pours time back into your afternoon, and I can’t recommend a healing stroll through the gardens enough.

→Sunken Gardens // 1825 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704

WHERE TO EAT IN ST. PETERSBURG

The local cuisine of St. Pete is similar to what we have in our hometown of Gainesville, so we wanted to branch out and try their take on other cultures’ cuisines. Because our day started so late, we missed a chance to have a third meal in the city—but a good excuse to go back, no?

The Wooden Rooster

The Wooden Rooster is a counter-service restaurant and the crepe menu is a little overwhelming, so I highly recommend taking a peek at their menu before you visit to plan out what you’d like to order.

Are they as traditional as the ones in France? Perhaps not, but there is a lot of creativity and freedom to be found on their menu! From a cheeseburger crepe to a Philly cheesesteak-inspired crepe, there’s something for everyone on the menu. But if you can’t find a crepe to your liking, you can always build your own!

→The Wooden Rooster // 104 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

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Casita Taqueria

We’d planned to eat at the 4th Avenue location of Casita Taqueria after visiting Sunken Gardens, but we got a call from friends in the area and headed to their spot on Central instead. Go ahead, get the chips, salsa, guac, and queso, and then order two or three tacos per person to share. You’ll be like, really full, but it will be worth it, promise!

→Casita Taqueria // Multiple Locations

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Swah-rey (now closed)

The dessert bar trend has cooled but my sweet tooth doesn’t mind. Our last stop in the city was at this busy spot on Central (now closed). As we were hitting the road we passed on the booze (you can order a “hookup”—a mini dessert stacked on top of your favorite adult beverage), and went straight for the sweets.

→Swah-rey // Now Closed

ST. PETERSBURG BARS AND BREWERIES

If there’s one thing St. Petersburg does right, it’s beer. You could easily spend all day on Central Avenue, trekking from brewery to brewery. We didn’t have time for that (plus, we needed to drive back that evening!) so we picked just a few places to try different local beers throughout the day.

Park & Rec

Park & Rec is part video game bar and part oversized outdoor game bar. During the day it’s family friendly, so if playing giant beer pong with your ten-year-old nephew is your thing, you can do that here. We stuck to a few video games and some rousing rounds of Connect 4, the game where I always beat Michael. Feel free to mention it to him next time you see him!

→Park & Rec // 100 4th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

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Right Around the Corner

If you haven’t had your fill of video games, Right Around the Corner is well, right where you’d expect. This is the first video game bar I’ve been to that doubles as a brewery. Their selection is small and a bit IPA and sour-heavy—right up my alley.

→Right Around the Corner // 2244 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33712

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3 Daughters Brewing

3 Daughters Brewing is one of the more well-known St. Pete breweries, and it shows. The place was packed solid. Live music meant we couldn’t carry on a conversation with our friends, so while we couldn’t stay much longer than it took for us to finish one round, we did stop and check out their charming holiday train display before heading somewhere a little quieter.

→3 Daughters Brewing // 222 22nd St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712

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Cage Brewing

Cage Brewing gave us the quiet atmosphere we needed to catch up with our friends (though I don’t suspect it’s always that low-key), and we were able to enjoy the balmy December weather outside with a flight to share. No food is served, but there was a food truck onsite on the night we visited.

→Cage Brewing // 2001 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712

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The Dog Bar

We couldn’t muster up the courage to order a drink at The Dog Bar (it was a bit, well, chaotic on that night), but we enjoyed watching the good boys and girls who were hanging out and drinking with their human friends. If day drinking with your pup is your jam, just enroll your doggy in an annual membership so you can make it a regular thing.

→The Dog Bar // 2300 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33712

ST. PETERSBURG COFFEE SHOPS

I found the coffee scene in St. Petersburg surprisingly less robust than I expected. Still, I’ve got a couple of recommendations to help fuel your day:

Black Crow Coffee

Black Crow Coffee feels a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it’s definitely a busy shop. Parking was tough to find around this progressive shop; it’s clear that patrons enjoy relaxing all day in the space. We had places to be, so we took our coffees to go—and also grabbed beans for brewing at home.

→Black Crow Coffee // 722 2nd St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

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Bandit Coffee

We were pretty heavily caffeinated from our coffees at Black Crow, but that didn’t stop us from popping into local favorite Bandit Coffee for more beans for home. Prices for their coffee are a bit high; we like to enjoy mugs of this stuff on the weekend when we can savor the brew.

→Bandit Coffee // 2662 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33712

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO + FINAL THOUGHTS ON VISITING ST. PETERSBURG

Flying in? St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is located about 15 minutes from downtown and is served entirely by low-cost carriers (primarily Allegiant). Tampa International Airport (TPA) is just across the bay, about twenty minutes from downtown St. Petersburg, and is served by over twenty airlines. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) is another option for certain destinations and airlines, though it is about forty minutes south of St. Pete. While having a car is the best way to explore the city and its neighboring areas, rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are also available.

Of course, one day in St. Pete barely scratches the surface of what the area has to offer. Families with little ones may appreciate the Great Explorations Children’s Museum. St. Pete offers plenty of opportunities to get in touch with nature, particularly on the Gulf of Mexico, with places like Fort DeSoto, John’s Pass Village, and Pass-A-Grille Beach. The Florida Holocaust Museum offers an opportunity to reflect both on the past and the future. And of course, The Dalí is not the only place to get your arts and culture fix—The Museum of Fine Arts and The Chihuly Collection offer plenty for the art-lover.

Whether you’re here for the art, the beaches, or just a laid-back escape, St. Pete has a way of pulling you in—and giving you plenty of reasons to come back.

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Questions for you

Have you ever visited Florida’s Gulf Coast? Which city is your favorite?

Have you ever visited a dog bar?

Looking for more? You may enjoy these other Florida guides:

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3 Comments on “Exploring the Gulf Coast: A Day Trip Guide to St. Petersburg, Florida”

Jeff Douglas says:

July 23, 2019 at 8:47 am

Glad you had a good time in st.pete.what you didn’t let your reader know is its the most racist part of the state.cop don’t enforce laws like solicitation,loud music,homeless begging for money.you only touched on the good parts of Florida.why not let people know the truth.its corrupt,and isn’t a good place to live.

Running Betty says:

August 4, 2023 at 5:12 pm

Swah-rey doesn’t exist anymore 🙁

1. Alyssa says:
  
  August 11, 2023 at 11:38 am
  
  Such a sad loss!

Exploring the Gulf Coast: A Day Trip Guide to St. Petersburg, Florida