22 Best & Fun Things To Do In St. Petersburg (Florida)
1. St. Pete Beach
To the west of St. Petersburg is St. Pete Beach, which is close to the city.
Many of the beaches there have won awards and are now some of the most popular places to visit in Florida. The town is on a barrier island.
If you want beautiful white sand, water sports, and fish, St. Pete Beach has everything you could want.
You can spend your time here stand-up paddleboarding, kiteboarding, windsurfing, and skydiving, among other things.
You can also check out Pass-a-Grille Beach, a public beach that hasn’t been built on yet and has soft sand and warm, blue water.
If you want to take a longer vacation this weekend, St. Pete Beach has a lot of places to stay and eat that will make your time in the Gulf of Mexico even better.
It’s easy to see why this beach town is so popular with tourists!
Address: Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, FL 33706, United States
2. St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club
Did you know that the biggest shuffleboard club in the world is in St. Pete?
When the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club opened in 1924, it was a new place in the state. It quickly became a famous tourist spot.
The best things to do in St. Petersburg, FL, were mostly leisure and relaxing activities. Shuffleboarding was one of those activities.
With a cue, you slide disks along long, flat decks to play shuffleboard.
The idea is to get discs to land on the triangle at the other end. Most of the time, it’s a relaxing game, and it’s one of the ways to enjoy being outside while watching a sport that is more social than physically demanding.
Plus, the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club was beautiful to look at, with Spanish tiles on the roof and mood-setting lamplights hanging from the ceiling.
Poor St. Pete lost its appeal as the Great Depression got worse, which took away from the fun of the shuffleboard club.
Soon, it was known as a game for old people instead of a game for young people, and the city turned into a retirement community very quickly.
But things changed again, and now shuffleboarding is popular again, and the club is busy as ever.
The club isn’t as famous as it used to be, but on Friday nights, players can come in for free, and anyone who wants to join can do so.
Address: 559 Mirror Lake Dr N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
3. Jungle Prada de Narvaez Park
Some of the best secret gems in St. Petersburg, Florida, can be found in Jungle Prada de Narvaez Park.
The story is mostly about Panfil de Narvaez, who set sail with five ships, hundreds of men, and other people to discover the new world.
He set sail from Cuba, but his greed would cause him to fail at his goals.
Narvaez came ashore on Boca Ciega Bay after a storm damaged his ship.
He and his group went ashore and saw that the homes in a Tocobaga village were empty because the people who lived there had just left.
He chose to go further inland after finding gold.
He met a few native groups and was offended by each one. So, he insulted and hurt them until he and his crew were pushed away and had to build rafts to try to get home.
They failed.
Narvaez’s exploring party failed so badly that only four people made it back to tell the tale.
There is now a memorial sign at the spot where Narvaez first landed, and the area around it is called Jungle Prada de Narvaez Park.
Address: 8322 Elbow Ln N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710, United States
4. Museum of Fine Arts
One of the best places for art lovers to go in downtown St. Pete, Florida, when they’re looking for things to do is the Museum of Fine Arts.
It is right in the middle of downtown and shows off impressive art from the last 4,500 years.
It has been around since 1896 and has always been about motivating and teaching artists and showing off the best in the art world.
There are many important works of art in the Museum of Fine Arts.
There are paintings by Renoir and Monet, Stueben glass in the gallery, a sculpture garden inside, many pre-Columbian artifacts, impressionist paintings by French artists, and a show of 10,000 photographs on paper.
The museum has more than 14,000 items, not counting the pieces that are shown in traveling shows from time to time.
Address: 255 Beach Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
5. Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is one of the best getaway spots you can choose.
The Boyd Hill Nature Preserve of St. Pete is 245 acres big and has lots of fun things to do.
There are paths and boardwalks that go for six miles through beautiful natural scenery that will take your breath away.
This retreat is right on the shores of Lake Maggiore and has broad-leaved forests, sand pines, turkey oaks, and wiregrass that look like they belong in settings that are thousands of years old.
Many different types of ecosystems can be found at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. These include pine flatwoods, scrub sand trails, and swamp forests.
There are even willow ponds where beautiful orange dancing viceroy butterflies live in large groups.
You can see everything the preserve has to offer with the help of guided trips.
The Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is on the Great Florida Birding Trail, which makes it a great place for people who love to watch wildlife.
Picnics, outdoor sports, camping, and shelter are also possible, and there are playgrounds on site for kids to have fun.
Address: 1101 Country Club Way S, St. Petersburg, FL 33705, United States
6. Saturday Morning Market
Want to know what the best things are to do this weekend in St. Pete.
The Saturday Morning Market is in downtown.
This is the best place to buy gifts, fresh food, and tasty treats while listening to live music and being entertained by balloon artists, magicians, and singers.
From October to May, the Saturday Morning Market takes place every Saturday in the Al Lang Field parking lot. It has close to 200 registered sellers.
Some of the things you can find are cheeses, pickles, fish, ice cream, breads, pastries, spices, and meats.
A lot of the time, you can buy eclectic art.
The Saturday Morning Market has more than just handmade goods and food from Florida farms.
You can taste tasty ready-to-eat hot meals from an impressive 15 countries, such as Irish pies and Jamaican patties.
Address: Williams Park, 350 2nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
7. Great Explorations Children’s Museum
There are lots of fun things for families and tourists to do in St. Petersburg, and the Great Explorations Children’s Museum is one of them.
It’s the best learning center in the state, and kids will love the warm, friendly atmosphere and hands-on displays that will help them think, learn, and find through the many activities and displays.
The Pet Vet and the mini supermarket are two fun places for kids to play at the Great Explorations Children’s Museum. At the Pet Vet, they can learn how to take care of animals, and at the mini supermarket, they can “shop.”
Kids can use the BellaBrava Pizza Kitchen to make their own toy pizzas and learn about how kitchens work at the same time.
Build It lets kids build different kinds of buildings, and the Critter Cave lets them get close to amphibians and reptiles.
But wait, there’s more!
The play structure Longo’s Cove is based on the water and has its own beach-themed extra play area.
Kids can learn how to stay safe around fires at a firehouse.
Kids can also have fun and learn at the same time in art workshops, theaters, jungle gyms, climbing walls, and traveling exhibits.
The place is great for kids younger than 10 years old!
Address: 1925 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704, United States
8. Florida Holocaust Museum
With 27,000 square feet, the Florida Holocaust Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the country. It is one of the best things to do in Florida.
It is also one of the best places to visit in St. Petersburg, FL, if you are interested in history.
The sobering spot has one of the few remaining Nazi boxcars, which you can see in its proper place.
The History, Heritage, and Hope display is the most important part of the Florida Holocaust Museum.
It takes up the whole first floor of the museum and explains and gives information about what happened during the Holocaust in a way that is both clear and moving.
There are videos, photos, and objects that talk about life before World War II, the rise of Hitler, and the hopeful years after the terrible Holocaust.
A big part of the museum’s mission is to teach people about human rights problems in the present day.
It’s easy to get lost in all the information, but the exhibits are set up in a way that makes it easy to move from room to room.
There is also the largest library in the southeast of the United States about the Holocaust and other genocides right there.
Address: 55 5th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
9. St. Pete Pier
Even though St. Pete Pier is fairly new, it has quickly become one of the best places to visit in the area.
On its amazing 26 acres and 3,000 feet length, it offers a nice place to walk, a lot of things to do, entertainment, food, and a good night’s sleep.
A bus makes it easy to get from one end to the other.
Public art like the Bending Arc by Janet Echlement, the Benoist Airboat sculpture, and Olnetopia by Nick Ervinck make the view from St. Pete Pier much more interesting.
At the end of the pier, you can fish, go to the Splash Pad water park, or just relax in one of the many green areas.
There are six restaurants on the pier, so you can enjoy your meal while looking out at the water.
You can relax and enjoy a meal at Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro, grab a snack at Spa Beach Bistro, or have a fancy meal at Teak.
Address: 600 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
10. St. Petersburg Museum of History
It might sound like the St. Petersburg Museum of History is just another museum with boring old items and facts, but it’s actually a lot more fun and different.
Along with its 30,000 objects, it’s one of the few places in the city with this many strange displays.
The St. Petersburg Museum of History is right next to St. Pete Pier and tells you about the history of the city and the state that surrounds it.
There is a part about the Tampa Bay Rays, a mummy that is about 3,000 years old, a full-sized replica of the Benoist plane, and even a calf with two heads!
Nature lovers will enjoy the information on the environment of the bay, and history buffs will enjoy the many rare photos, original documents, and papers that have been carefully displayed in the building.
Address: 335 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
11. The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art
In 2018, the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art opened, adding something new to the culture scene in downtown St. Pete.
Some of the best things to do in St. Petersburg, FL, for art lovers and people who like unique shows are here.
The name comes from Mary and Tom James, who own the 400 works that are on show.
There’s more to the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art than meets the eye.
It’s a full experience meant to fully bring out the ideas and themes of the works on show.
The whole first floor is made to look like a canyon, with rock walls, sharp angles that wind around corners, and a beautiful fake waterfall.
On the second floor, the museum’s architecture continues to amaze.
Colors that are popular in Western art are used to separate each gallery by theme.
The event is truly one of a kind.
What kinds of things does The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art show?
The first gallery has a sand theme and has sculptures of different historical people as well as paintings of landscapes. It also has an orientation theater.
After, you’ll go to the Early West gallery with a rust theme. This gallery has works by Remington, Russell, and other artists.
After that, go to the blue-and-gray Native Life gallery to learn about the lives of Native Americans in the 1800s.
After that, you can go to the Native Artists gallery, which has a deep gold theme and a variety of native works that aren’t just standard ceremonial, bead, and mask pieces.
This is where you can find works by Earl Biss and the Jewel Box, which has beads made by Native Americans.
After that, there’s more: the Frontier gallery is colored in bright sienna, the Wildlife gallery is colored in moss green, and the last gallery is colored in sand and has Warhol’s art in it.
There are even controversial pop, modern, and cubist works that directly address the relationship between the government and indigenous people.
Address: 150 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
12. Skyway Fishing Pier State Park
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is what the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is named for.
This bridge lets you get from St. Petersburg to Sarasota, which is right next door. It has the largest fishing pier in the world.
You can probably guess that this is one of the most popular things to do in St. Petersburg for fisherman who come to Florida to rest by the pier and fish.
The fishing is good at any time of the day, and you can catch a lot of different fish, like spotted sea trout, tarpon, pompano, redfish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, snook, and more. You can buy food or bring your own.
Of course, the time of year and season affects the fish that are available, so make sure you plan ahead!
Even more fish come to the pier at night because of the lights, so you can enjoy catching many kinds of fish that only come out at night.
Address: I-275, St. Petersburg, FL 33711, United States
13. Imagine Museum
There is fun modern glass art on display at the Imagine Museum, which is 36,000 square feet in size.
From works made in the 1960s to more recent pieces, the museum’s collection of over 1,500 studio glass pieces includes over 500 on show at any given time. There are lots of interesting things to see.
Not a single other museum in Florida has as much to offer when it comes to the studio glass movement.
Each week, a different piece from the Trish Joy Collection is shown here in all its beauty.
As well as the 1,000 Buddha installation, you can look through other collections, such as the groundbreaking works of Labino and Littleton.
Imagine Museum has three free tours you can take.
The first one, called Journey of the Imagination, is a one-of-a-kind augmented reality experience that uses video to teach and give information.
The second, “Introduction to Studio Glass,” tells you everything you need to know about the background of the studio glass movement.
The third one, called “Introduction to International Studio Glass,” talks about how European glass work has changed over time.
There are lots of fun free things to do in St. Pete, and each tour lasts about 30 minutes.
Address: 1901 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33713, United States
14. Fort de Soto Park
There are five different keys that make up the huge 1,136-acre Fort de Soto Park.
It’s one of the best places to visit in Florida for nature and outdoor lovers because it’s close to St. Petersburg.
At the mouth of Tampa Bay, it gets about 2.7 million tourists a year, which is pretty cool.
Get away this weekend! You don’t need to look any further!
Fort de Soto Park has a beautiful waterfront for seven miles and a four-mile trail for skating and hikes.
There are many things to do there, like fishing off of the two fishing piers, visiting an old fort, and camping at one of the many camp and picnic grounds.
There is even a two-mile paddling trail that you can paddle along in a kayak or canoe that you can rent.
The Quartermaster Museum in Fort de Soto Park is one of the park’s more interesting spots. It has a lot of information about the Spanish-American War.
There are also 328 kinds of birds that live in the park, which is great for birdwatchers who like to use binoculars to see as many of them as they can.
Lastly, you can bring your furry friends with you because there is a very famous dog beach on site.
Address: 3500 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, United States
15. Historic Kenwood
Need to find something to see in St. Petersburg, Florida, that will satisfy your need to see old things?
This is the place to be: historic Kenwood!
It has a sweet, whimsical small-town feel that is both warm and classy, with lovely brick roads lined with trees that make you want to explore more.
Many of the homes in Historic Kenwood were built between 1912 and 1945. This means that they have a wide range of interesting and beautiful building styles.
There are houses with styles like Mission, Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Ranch, Prairie, and Minimal Traditional.
You can find what you’re looking for here, whether you like Mediterranean Revival, American Foursquare, or craftsman bungalow building.
Historic Kenwood is a beautiful place to visit, even though it’s only 375 acres in size.
You can look around in 2,238 historic houses.
Tourists love the area because the people who live there are nice and open.
Address: 9th Ave N to Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33733, United States
16. Fairgrounds St. Pete
It’s not too long since Fairgrounds St. Pete opened in St. Petersburg.
In the Warehouse Arts District, there is a modern art museum that is also a great place to hang out and connect with art.
Don’t miss this great St. Pete activity!
A huge neon sign that says “Mermaid Star Motel” meets you as you walk up to the 15,000-square-foot building.
But this isn’t a hotel at all; it’s the museum’s main theme for its shows.
The Mermaid Star Motel is a made-up place that can be used for an interesting artistic experience.
The Fairgrounds St. Pete is divided into many hotel rooms, and each one was created by one of more than 60 local artists to show a different side of Florida.
There are handouts for a lot of made-up tourist spots in the lobby of the “motel.”
From here, you can go to other rooms, such as the Lampscape Room, which has mirrors and bright lights, and the Mermaid Dressing Room, which is covered in seashells and has jewelry made from shells.
You can even go to a “pool” that doesn’t have any water in it; it’s just a projector-made image and some fake plants and furniture.
Address: 800 28th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712, United States
17. Weedon Island Preserve
For people who love nature, the Weedon Island Preserve is one of the best places to go in Florida. There is a train stop nearby.
That’s 3,190 acres, and the land and water are very different from one another.
Mangrove forests, tidal flats, and more can be found in this nature area and coastal system in Pinellas County, which is near Tampa Bay.
The Weedon Island Preserve has lots of things to do.
Boardwalks are great for long walks, and docks are great for fishing for snook, sea trout, and sheepshead. It’s always fun to watch birds.
Go swimming, have a lunch, and look for stingrays, oysters, and other animals.
You can learn more about the Weedon Island Preserve by going on walks with a guide, or you can just walk around by yourself.
The Cultural and Natural History Center is in the refuge if you go far enough. The room is 6,000 square feet and has displays that you can touch to learn about the surroundings.
Address: 1800 Weedon Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33702, United States
18. Mazzaro’s Italian Market
If you are in St. Petersburg, Florida, and you want to find good food, you should go to Mazzaro’s Italian Market.
People are always coming and going, and the place smells great because fresh food and fruit are made there every day for people to buy and eat.
Mazzaro’s Italian Market sells fresh-baked sweets and bread, homemade pasta and sauces, self-roasted coffee, and cannolis and sandwiches that are made right in front of you.
You can also get sauces, oils, salami, and ham from Italy right at the market, so you know you’re getting real Italian food.
There are lots of beautiful things to see, smell, and taste at Mazzaro’s Italian Market. You can buy hot meals to eat right away or handmade cheeses to take home.
Address: 2909 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713, United States
19. Mahaffey Theater
In the downtown area of St. Petersburg, the Mahaffey Theater is a culture gem.
Since it first opened in the 1960s, it has been home to many famous performers from all over the world.
The theater has 2,031 seats, so even the farthest back seats have good views and sound. This makes for exciting performances that aren’t too far away from each other.
Mahaffey Theater has been the home of many groups, from the Florida Orchestra to the Clifford the Big Red Dog show.
The Mahaffey Theater has a lot of events planned, so there is sure to be something for everyone. You can see comedy shows, dance shows, pop concerts, or Broadway shows.
Mahaffey Theater has private boxes that look like those in European theaters, which make for a classy and magical evening.
It also has a beautiful hall and beautiful views of the water.
Check out the Mahaffey Theater’s calendar if you want to know where to go tonight in St. Pete for a great show and a good time!
Address: 400 1st St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
20. Salvador Dalí Museum
The Salvador Dalí Museum has the largest collection of the late, great artist’s works that is not in his own home country.
The building that houses the museum is beautiful, and it is right next to the water.
Huge skylights and wall lights cover the outside of the building in bubble-like structures that let light in through 1,062 windows with strange geometric forms.
There are more than 2,000 different works in the Salvador Dalí Museum.
Each room is designed in a way that is true to Dali’s art. Waxy mustaches, horses with thin legs, stairs that swirl, big lips and noses, and clocks that melt add a fun, surreal energy to each room.
Dali’s seven most important works of art are kept at the Salvador Dalí Museum. These include The Discovery of America, Eggs on a Plate without the Plate, The Hallucinogenic Toreador, and more.
You can look through 96 oil paintings, as well as several books, unique drawings, sculptures, and prints.
Along with Dali’s work, there are also pieces by M.C. Escher, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso, who were also rebellious artists.
If you want to do something fun for free in St. Petersburg, FL, the Salvador Dalí Museum has tours of the many works on show that last an hour and are led by knowledgeable volunteers.
Address: 1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
21. Sunken Gardens
Four acres of land in St. Pete are the Sunken Gardens.
Even though it’s not very big, the lush greenery, winding paths through the trees, and large, open courtyards make it feel much bigger than it is.
Their home is more than 50,000 tropical plants, some of which are the oldest in the country.
The background of the Sunken Gardens is very interesting. They were built more than one hundred years ago.
A Florida plumber named Mr. George Turner, Sr. bought a piece of land in old St. Pete in 1903. At that time, there were only 1,500 people living there.
Turner was a keen gardener, so he knew that the four-acre lake on the property would probably have very rich soil at its base.
He chose to use his plumbing skills to drain the lake fully, which is probably something that would never be done now because it could be bad for the environment.
Turner started planting citrus trees and veggies as soon as the 15-foot-deep lake was empty. Over time, he added more plants and a few walkways, and the garden became one of the first popular places to visit in St. Petersburg.
In the 1970s, it was almost abandoned, but in 1998, the city named it a local historic site, which saved it.
They are now one of the most romantic things to do in St. Pete, and every year a lot of people come to see them.
As you walk around, you can see a lot of different kinds of gardens, like the Cactus Garden with tortoises, the Butterfly Courtyard, the Japanese Garden, and the Orchid Arbor.
You might even see a group of pink flamingos, koi-filled pools, and many other strange birds.
Address: 1825 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704, United States
22. Morean Arts Center
The Morean Arts Center is a one-of-a-kind, community-based organization whose mission is to teach and promote art awareness.
People of all ages can watch a lot of fun and interesting shows on it.
The Bank of America Children’s Learning Center is there, along with the Glass Studio and Hot Shop.
The 10,000-square-foot space has art from artists in Florida, the United States, and other places.
The Chihuly Collection is a popular attraction at the Morean Arts Center.
It has a permanent collection of works by Dale Chihuly, who was one of the first artists to work with studio glass.
The museum was built around this collection, which is why there is a 20-foot cerise rock sculpture to welcome you as you walk in!
The Chihuly Collection has a lot of glass art with lots of small details.
Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier, Ikebana, Persians, Mille Fiori, Tumbleweeds, and Macchia are some of the pieces.
There are also some paper works by Chihuly on show, such as pieces from his series on Venice and the sea.
You’ll also be able to watch an educational movie about the way the artist in question worked and lived his life.
Address: 719 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States