St. Pete Beach

Located near the Floridian city of St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach - also known as County Park Beach - is a large beach with soft white sand in Pinellas County. This beach is situated within a coastal city (also named St. Pete Beach) on a barrier island. St. Pete Beach was named as the best beach in the United States and the fifth best beach in the world by TripAdvisor’s Travellers Choice awards in 2021 and was also named one of the 25 Best Beaches in the United States by Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr Beach. In addition, the city of St. Pete Beach was also listed as one of the country’s top 10 beach towns by Parents magazine in 2013. 

St. Pete Beach has lifeguards on a seasonal basis. In addition, the beach and the area around it has many other amenities including restrooms, showers, boardwalks, and water fountains. Dogs are not allowed on St. Pete Beach. 

St. Pete Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, fishing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, swimming, surfing, paddle-boarding, kitesurfing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, boating, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, parasailing, and snorkeling. The clear water near this beach usually has gentle lapping waves, which makes it ideal for beginner swimmers, kayakers, and paddle-baorders. However, if you are planning to enter the water near St. Pete beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents. In addition, the water here is also known to have stingrays, which can inflict a powerful sting if disturbed. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near this beach including manatees and dolphins. In addition, sea turtles also use this beach as a seasonal nesting spot between May and October.

Getting to St. Pete Beach is easy - the main access point for the beach is located near 4700 Gulf Blvd and it is easily accessible from Interstate 275 and Florida State Road 682 (which is a part of the Pinellas Bayway). A large paid parking lot is also available near this access point.

There are many attractions near St. Pete Beach within a 20-minute drive. Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center is home to more than 180 creatures including lizards, rabbits, snakes, pigs, alligators, and fish. These animals are generally rescued and cannot be rehabilitated to the wild. The center also offers interesting educational programs that seek to raise public awareness about these wonderful creatures. Clam Bayou Nature Park is a 10-acre nature park/preserve based around the Clam Bayou Estuary of Boca Ciega Bay. This park has a vibrant landscape comprising many habitats including mangrove forests, upland vegetation, and marshlands. You can view many kinds of animals in the park including crabs, dolphins, manatees, and wading birds. In addition, the park has interesting hiking and nature trails, boardwalks, observation areas, and a canoe/kayak launching spot. If you like shopping, the nearby city of St. Petersburg’s Central Avenue has an interesting variety of shopping stores, art galleries, bars, and restaurants. In addition, interesting murals are also present on the buildings around this street. If you are looking for another attraction near St. Pete Beach, Maynard A Duryea Bay View Park is a beautifully landscaped waterfront recreational park that has many amenities including tennis courts, playgrounds, and picnic areas.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near St. Pete Beach. RumFish Grill is an upscale restaurant that has a beautiful underwater-themed ambiance along with a large aquarium. Visitors can also book a fun snorkeling tour of this 33,500 gallon aquarium, which is home to many kinds of fish including sharks, a moray eel, and trout. In addition, this restaurant is primarily known for serving amazing seafood. Crabby Bill's St. Pete Beach offers a pleasant oceanfront dining experience. In addition, this popular restaurant also serves amazing seafood along with steaks, salads, poultry dishes, burgers, pasta, and sandwiches. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near St. Pete Beach, The Drunken Clam is a restaurant and bar which is known for serving amazing chicken wings, burgers, and seafood. In addition, the restaurant also serves excellent hot dogs, salads, wraps, sandwiches, and fries. The Drunken Clam also frequently hosts live music performances.

If you are looking for a hotel near St. Pete Beach, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star The Don CeSar was built in the 1920s and it offers many amenities including a bar, a lounge, four restaurants, a local area shuttle service, two pools, fitness classes, a 24-hour gym, and a wellness spa. As an interesting fact, this popular hotel has hosted many renowned personalities including acclaimed baseball player Babe Ruth, writer F.Scott Fitzgerald, notorious gangster Al Capone, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (the 32nd President of the United States).  As another upscale option, the 4-Star TradeWinds Island Grand Resort offers many amenities including a spa, seven pools, and 11 eateries. In addition, the hotel also organizes fun water activities. The hotel also offers additional amenities for a resort fee including unlimited rides on the water slide and the use of paddle boats, the tennis courts, the fitness center, and beach cabanas. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Postcard Inn which offers many amenities including a pool, a restaurant that offers views of a beach, and a garden courtyard. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near St. Pete Beach, the 2-Star St. Pete Beach Suites offers many amenities including two pools, picnic areas with barbecue grills, and a terrace.