At the beginning of every travel year, The New York Times publishes a list of places you need to visit during the coming 52 weeks. A few years ago, the Times included St. Petersburg on its list; no, not the one in Russia but its Florida namesake. Really, I thought? Well, a few weeks ago, we spent a glorious weekend here and I can report that St. Pete should definitely be on your list.
Growing up in the Sunshine State in the 70s, no one ever said, “hey, let’s go to St. Pete for the weekend.” It was unflatteringly described as “God’s waiting room” for its near total lack of youth. Today, nothing could be further from reality. While St. Pete has always been possessed of many natural assets, it now offers an impressive menu of dining, entertainment, arts, culture and professional sports, all of which will leave you wanting to return. Today, this city of about 250,000 is a vibrant and sophisticated anchor of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to nearly 3 million people.
Water and the sun abound here. The city is magnificently situated at the entrance to Tampa Bay, offering both bayfront and Gulf of Mexico shorelines. It usually records more than 300 days of bright sunshine every year and there are miles of gorgeous, sugary white beaches. Plus, lots of small islands and interconnected waterways circling the city make for great boating, sailing and kayaking.
Several impressive museums have helped make St. Pete a real cultural destination. It’s home to the Dali Museum, which houses the largest collection of the Spanish artist’s works outside Europe. The Chihuly Collection features a good chunk of the famous glassblower’s works, while the Florida Holocaust Museum is celebrating 25 years of education and remembrance. Another cultural anchor, the Museum of Fine Arts, hosts frequent exhibitions from its downtown bayfront location, while the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement is slated to open later this year.
There are two basic lodging options when visiting St. Pete – downtown along the bayfront or Gulfside. Regardless of which choice you make, you’ll want to explore the other. We chose the beach option and one of the best hotels in Florida. The Loews Don CeSar Hotel is a giant pink palace built in the 1920s and perched on a spectacular stretch of beach. It features plush yet small rooms (ours came with a balcony), two pools, several bars and restaurants, a full-service spa and lots of gorgeous, art-filled public spaces great for just hanging out. When you consider that cocktails can be delivered to your poolside chair or beachside cabana, there really is no need to ever leave.
But, we did venture out and downtown for dinner. Beach Drive is the main drag facing the bayfront and the city marina. Its blocks are lined with restaurants, bars, art galleries, ice cream parlors and other local shops. Most restaurants have sidewalk seating and it’s a fun and boisterous scene at night with people of all ages out dining, drinking and strolling. For our first meal, Cassis American Brasserie delivered with tasty, classic French and American dishes. On our last night in town, we dined at Tryst, a loud, hip and self-described gastro pub. The drinks were strong and the Florida grouper sandwich was perfectly delicious.
The next morning, as we headed back across Tampa Bay to our flight home, I thought, “there’s more to see here.” Definitely the sign of a city that should be on your list.
