Downtown

Downtown at night as seen from the pier.

Ideally situated on Florida’s Gulf Coast, St. Petersburg has long been known for its tropical weather and sandy beaches, but there is so much more to love, starting with Downtown!

Straub Park

The Vinoy Hotel

Downtown St. Pete is very walkable and is known for its seven miles of pristine waterfront parks. You can enjoy any number of waterfront cultural events throughout the year, go for a bike ride, walk or a jog, have a picnic beneath a majestic banyan tree, behold the beautiful Mediterranean architecture, or just take a stroll stopping in to the many unique shops, quaint restaurants, world-class hotels, and much more.

Looking for a U.S. city that embraces the LBGTQ+ community? Each summer, the downtown waterfront is ground-zero for St. Pete Pride. The largest pride event in the state of Florida, it is a multi-day celebration with concerts, street festivals, and a colorful parade. 

The Pier

Jutting out into Tampa Bay, the newest version of the St. Pete Pier is home to 26 acres of shops, restaurants, museums, educational venues, and much more. Visit Tampa Bay Watch's Discovery Center, the Market place, the Family Park, Splash Pad, Spa Beach, or just gaze in amazement at Janet Echelman's fluid light sculpture, "Bending Arc".

Bending Arc

The Dali Museum

Beyond the waterfront, busy Downtown is also home to major attractions and sports teams. The Dali Museum is the crown jewel of St. Pete’s museum scene. While the surrounding gardens and stunning waterfront views are works of art by themselves, the galleries, that host the largest collection of Salvador Dali’s work outside of Spain, and the museum building itself are what Conde Nast Traveler named “one of the most beautiful museums in the world”.

Museum of Fine Arts

If surreal art is not your thing, just walk up Bayshore Drive to the Museum of Fine Arts to take in the works of classical and contemporary masters like Renoir and Cézanne. History buffs can visit the nearby St. Petersburg Museum of History with an exhibit on the beginning of commercial air travel.

Downtown’s Central Avenue corridor is home to several more museums and galleries. Browse affordable works by local artists at Florida CraftArt, which also offers tours of the city’s “outdoor museum” of 500+ murals. Just one block south is The Florida Holocaust Museum, a must-see for its poignant presentation of Holocaust history.

Aside from the museums & galleries, Central Avenue is also the hub of nightlife in St. Pete and is a nice spot to spend the afternoon outside. Along the strip there are craft cocktail joints, dive bars, “foodie caliber” restaurants, unique shops & plenty of boutiques.

Looking for fresh produce and artisanal crafts? St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market, the largest weekly fresh market in the Southeast U.S., is a popular attraction. Here you will find 130 vendors offering everything from fresh produce, arts & crafts, and ready to eat foods & beverages, all produced locally.

Tropicana Stadium

When it comes to sports, the locals in St. Petersburg have a lot to cheer about. The Tampa Bay Area is home to a team for practically every sport. Two of these teams can be found right in downtown St. Pete. The Tampa Bay Rowdies play at the Al Lang Stadium, along the waterfront, and Tropicana Field is home to the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team. St. Pete also hosts the annual Firestone Grand Prix, with Indy cars zip through city streets at 200mph! Just across the bay, the city of Tampa is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

With so much to offer, it is no wonder that Downtown St. Pete has become a popular destination for people to visit, live, work and enjoy the Florida lifestyle!