Facing placid Old Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Florida, attracts visitors with a vibrant downtown of pastel art-deco buildings and cultural attractions such as the Salvador Dali Museum, Florida International Museum, the symphony at Ruth Eckerd Hall and theater at American Stage.
On the Gulf side of the peninsula in Pinellas County, Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach are welcoming swaths of Gulf water lapping at white sand, backed by restaurants, souvenir shops, and boogie-board-and-bikini boutiques. Caladesi Island, Honeymoon Island and Fort de Soto Park are all noteworthy Pinellas beaches.
The St. Petersburg downtown area, once sleepy and empty at night, has become revitalized thanks to BayWalk, an entertainment and restaurant complex, and an explosion of high-rise luxury condos. Also, boutique cafes and restaurants are springing up along Central Avenue (the core east-west route from bay to Gulf) for about two blocks to the north and south.
