Things To Do in St. Petersburg, Florida

Those interested in American design may want to make a trip to the tiny but interesting Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement ★ (355 4th St. N.; Tues-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; $25 adults, $23 seniors, $10 children). It’s the world’s only museum on this topic and has pieces by Tiffany, Stieglitz, and Stickley, among others.

As well, you can’t say you’ve been to St. Petersburg until you’ve set foot on the St. Pete Pier at 600 2nd Ave. NE. Opened in 2020, after 7 years of construction and a price tag of $92 million, this showplace park is 26 acres of fun. We’re talking handsome and (often) massive works of public art, an imaginative kids water park, a beach, a marine discovery center, and lots of places to dine, drink, shop, and soak in the views. 

Finally: make a trip to the post office! St. Petersburg residents don't have to go inside to get mail out of their boxes at St. Petersburg's open-air post office, at the corner of 1st Avenue North and 4th Street North. Built in 1917, this granite, arcaded Spanish Colonial structure is a local landmark and is often photographed by those enchanted by its charm.

Side trips from St. Petersburg

The scenic Pinellas Trail happens to run right through downtown Dunedin, a charming Gulf Coast town known for fishing, beaching, and the Toronto Blue Jays’ spring training. The 6-block downtown area is dotted with shops, restaurants, breweries, old-fashioned street lamps, and brick sidewalks, and it’s a world apart from neighboring big-city Tampa and St. Pete. Strachan’s Ice Cream & Desserts, 310 Main St. (tel. 727/733-3603), has the best ice cream in the state. Dunedin Mix, 990 Broadway, a brand new in 2024 food hall and retail space is garnering buzz for its rotating, 360-degree circular bar Circle 1852. Just off the coast are Honeymoon and Caladesi islands (see later in this chapter). For more information contact Visit Dunedin.

Drive north of St. Petersburg for an hour on congested U.S. 19, and you’ll come to one of Florida’s original tourist traps, the famous, and famously schlocky, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (tel. 352/597-8484). “Mermaids” have been putting on acrobatic swimming shows here every day since 1947. Whether you hate this spectacle, or think it’s the essence of a Floridian vacation, seeing them doing their dances in waters that come from one of America’s most prolific freshwater springs (pouring some 170 million gallons of 72 degree water each day into the river) is a definite experience.

And there’s more than mermaids here: there’s a “Wilderness River Cruise Ride” on the springs that runs between 9:30am and 4pm; and a flume ride at Buccaneer Bay, a rickety remnant of roadside America featuring a manmade beach and four waterslides, two that plunge you into the natural springs. You can also rent an inner tube and float on the actual lazy river, but be forewarned: there are alligators here, even though they seem to avoid the crowds. Admission to Weeki Wachee is $13 for adults, $8 for children 6 to 12. Weeki Wachee Springs is open daily from 9am to 5:30pm.

For more of a classic nature experience, you can rent kayaks and paddleboards on the Weeki Wachee River for $35 for a one-person kayak, $51 for a two-person kayak, and $35 for a standup paddleboard per day (tel] 352/597-8484).

From Weeki Wachee, travel 21 miles north to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, 4150 S. Suncoast Blvd. (U.S. 19), in Homosassa Springs (tel. 352/423-5600). The highlight here is a floating observatory where visitors can “walk” underwater and watch manatees in a rehabilitation facility, as well as see thousands of fresh- and saltwater fish. You’ll also spot deer, bear, bobcats, otters, egrets, and flamingos along unspoiled nature trails. The park is open daily from 9am to 5:30pm (last tickets sold at 4pm). There are also very educational, entertaining wildlife programs, including the alligator and hippo program and the manatee program. There’s also a boat tour along the park’s Pepper Creek ($3 ages 13 and up, $2 ages 6-12). Admission to the park is $13 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12.

About 7 miles north of Homosassa Springs, more than 300 manatees spend the winter in Crystal River. You can swim or snorkel with the manatees in the warm-water natural spring of Kings Bay. American Pro Diving Center, 821 SE Hwy. 19, Crystal River (tel. 800/291-3483 or 352/563-0041), offers daily swimming and snorkel tours. Early morning is the best time to see the manatees, so try to take the 6:30am departure. The trips range from $48 to $68 per person.

For those really into manatees, Three Sisters Springs (tel]352/586-1170), is the preferred winter retreat for them, and a boardwalk circling the one-acre springs complex allows you to get up close and personal with the mammals. It’s open from 8:30am to 4:30pm, with last entry at 3:30pm. To get there, head to the Three Sisters Springs Center, 917 Three Sisters Springs Trail, and hop on a trolley that departs every hour. Admission is $12.50 for adults in summer, $20 in winter, $12.50 for seniors in summer, $17.50 in winter, and $7.50 for children ages 6 to 15 year-round.    

Also check out the Weedon Island Preserve, 1800 Weedon Dr. NE (tel. 727/453-6500), in the upper Tampa Bay waters of Pinellas County, on the western shore of the entrance to Old Tampa Bay directly west of Port Tampa. The island was named for Dr. Leslie Weedon, a renowned authority on yellow fever, who acquired the 1,250-acre island in 1898 in what is now north St. Petersburg. Weedon had a fascination with Native American culture and developed a weekend retreat on the island, from which he began excavations that first revealed the importance of the site as an Indian burial mound. A Smithsonian expedition to the island in 1923 and 1924 further documented the importance, which is now managed as a 3,190-acre county preserve. Today it’s home to an assortment of fish, snakes, raccoons, and dolphins. Rent a canoe to explore.

For more information about the area, contact the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, 915 N. Suncoast Blvd., Crystal River (tel. 352/795-3149).

The Bar, Club & Music Scene in St. Pete, Florida

The Performing Arts in St. Pete, Florida