Welcome to St. Petersburg

Published: 2021-07-12

St. Petersburg is a city on the Gulf Coast of Florida, part of the Tampa Bay area. It is known for the pleasant weather (which gives it the nickname "City of the Sun").

St. Petersburg is a city on the Gulf Coast of Florida, part of the Tampa Bay area. It is known for the pleasant weather (which gives it the nickname "City of the Sun"), making it popular for golf, sailing, fishing and beaches. Its coastal parks house the Dalí Museum, with surrealist works; the Museum of Fine Arts, with works ranging from the ancient to the contemporary; and the Mahaffey Theatre, home of the Florida Orchestra.

St. Petersburg welcomes you to enjoy one of America's most popular destinations, from the city's vibrant downtown filled with museums, art galleries, shopping, dining and major league sporting activities to some of the nation's top ranked beaches peninsular city with a subtropical climate, St. Petersburg is surrounded by 244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and intracoastal waterways. A boater's paradise, the St. Petersburg Marina is the largest city marina in the southeast with 610 boat slips. There are also nine boat ramp locations, open year round. Ft. De Soto Park, has traditionally been one of the nation’s top ranked beaches.

Parks
137 parks on approximately 2,300 acres of public land are dedicated to parks and recreation, including a seven mile preserved downtown waterfront -- the third largest urban waterfront park system in North America. Unique parks include the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, the botanical attraction Sunken Gardens, Treasure Island Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, and the historic Weedon Island Preserve. The Pinellas Trail , a 37-mile hiking/biking trail, connects St. Petersburg with central and north Pinellas County-the longest urban linear trail in the Eastern U.S.

Arts & Culture
St. Petersburg has been ranked the No. 1 Arts Destination for cities its size for three consecutive years. Visit St. Petersburg's collection of world-famous museums and galleries, including the Salvador Dali Museum , Museum of Fine Arts , The Chihuly Collection , St. Petersburg Museum of History , Great Explorations , and Florida Holocaust Museum , Florida CraftArt , American Stage , The Morean Arts Center , and the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum . In addition, St. Petersburg is home to the Florida Orchestra, and the Mahaffey Theater (a performing arts hall), the Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg Opera and residential theater companies including American Stage, freeFall Theatre, A Simple Theatre (at Eckerd College), and St. Petersburg City Theater.

Annual Events
St. Petersburg is home to more than 1,000 special events and festivals each year, including the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg , the St. Anthony's Triathlon swim/bike/run contest drawing ITU (International Triathlon Union) professional triathletes, yachting events, the Mainsail Arts Festival, Green Thumb Festival, Rifest, Blues fest, American Stage in the Park, St. Petersburg Pride, the Drum Major for Justice Dr. M.L. King Jr. Parade and related celebrations, the Miss Florida Pageant, Snow fest and First Night St. Petersburg.