Downtown St. Petersburg combines the activity and access of a large metropolis with the open space and walkability of a small town. Centrally located along the city’s eastern coast, downtown enjoys a healthy balance of business and culture and education cradled by its waterfront parks. With an average of 361 days of sunshine each year, St. Petersburg earned its nickname as the Sunshine City with a Guinness World Record 768 days of sunshine.
Like any downtown, St. Petersburg has its share of commercial and municipal buildings which fill daily with residents from all over the TampaBay area. But unlike many downtown areas, it does not become a ghost town after business hours. From the luxury towers along Beach Drive to the mid-rise condominiums and student housing, downtown has a large and active residential population. The residents and the commuters mingle during and after business hours at the many restaurants, wine bars, cafes, and craft breweries. With an active independent business community, you won’t find many chains here. Most are unique to St. Petersburg or to the TampaBay area. From October to May each year, the Saturday Morning Market is one of the largest in the area with a great variety of local vendors.
Perennially named a top art destination of its size, St. Petersburg is a focal point for the arts in Florida. The world renowned Salvador Dali, the Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center and the Museum of Fine Arts are just some of the “must visit” places on any travelers list. Interspersed throughout are dozens of galleries and exhibition spaces for national, international and local artists to display their wares. Monthly “Art Walks” are popular among residents and visitors alike. Spring in St. Petersburg brings several different art festivals and the American Stage converts a local waterfront park to an outdoor theater for a fortnight.
With so much sunshine, St. Petersburg is a home to many outdoor activities and downtown provides an excellent venue with its waterfront parks. Extending along the entire coast of downtown is public greenspace with broad sidewalks for strolling and biking. There’s a public Arboretum, the municipal marina, even a small airport all along the waterfront here for the enjoyment of everyone. Any given day you can see people using the parks for yoga, picnics, sports, photography or any number of other ways to enjoy this unique city feature.
Whether you choose to live here part time, full time or just visit, downtown St. Petersburg has an appeal that very few places in Florida enjoy. Only 20 minutes to Tampa International Airport or 15 minutes to our lovely beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, it’s a treasure on Tampa Bay.