Active Pursuits in St. Petersburg, Florida

Biking, In-Line Skating & Hiking in St. Petersburg

With miles of flat terrain, the St. Petersburg area is ideal for bikers, in-line skaters, and hikers. The Pinellas Trail ★★ (tel. 727/464-8201) is especially good, as it follows an abandoned railroad bed 47 miles from St. Petersburg north to Tarpon Springs. The St. Pete trail head is on 34th Street South (U.S. 19), between 8th and Fairfield avenues south. It’s packed on weekends. The 2 1/2-mile-long Friendship TrailBridge, linking Tampa and St. Petersburg, is another popular venue for hikers, bikers, bicyclists, anglers, and in-line skaters, but be careful going up and down the steep center span, especially if you’re on skates.

Golf in St. Petersburg

Located on 180 well-maintained acres in Northeast St. Pete, the Mangrove Bay Golf Course, 875 62nd Ave. NE (tel 727/893-7800), hugs Old Tampa Bay and offers 18-hole, par-72 play. Facilities include a driving range. Lessons and golf-club rental are also available. Fees are about $53 with cart, $41 without, slightly lower during off season.

In Largo, the Bardmoor Golf & Tennis Club, 8001 Cumberland Rd. (tel. 727/392-1234), is often the venue for major tournaments. Lakes punctuate 17 of the 18 holes on this par-72 championship course. Lessons and rental clubs are available, as is an impressive practice range. Call for info on greens fees, which usually range from $39 to $109 depending on the season/time. The course is open daily from 7am to dusk.

Contact Tee Times USA (tel. 800/374-8633) to reserve times at these and other area courses.

For more area course information, go to golfstpete.com.

Sailing in St. Petersburg

Steve and Doris Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School (tel. 888/454-7015)  at The Hampton Inn & Suites, 80 Beach Dr. NE,  and the St. Petersburg Sailing Center, 250 2nd Ave. SE, St. Petersburg, (tel. 727/822-3113) will hoist up your skills. Various courses, lasting from 2 days to a week, are offered. Contact the schools for prices and schedules.

Tennis/Pickleball in St. Petersburg

You can learn to play or hone your game at the St. Petersburg Tennis Center, 650 18th Ave., (tel. 727/823-2225), which has 20 clay courts, 14 with lights, and is open to the public Monday through Thursday 8am to 8:30pm, Friday 8am to 7:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am to 2pm for a fee of $13 per person. Check the website for information on lessons, clinics, and matches. For tennis and pickleball, the Bardmoor Golf & Tennis Club, 8001 Cumberland Rd. (tel. 727/392-1234) has an impressive new pickleball center with 12 dedicated lit courts, ball machine rental, and more. Drop in fee is $10. There are also 14 Har-Tru clay and hard courts as well as instruction by experts such as Harry Hopman, who trained John McEnroe. Tennis fees range from $70 to $130.