In 1967, the St. Petersburg Times ran a front-page story with a single sun icon and two words beneath it: “Another Sunny Day.” It was day 768 of continuous sunshine—an unbroken streak that would reach 768 days and earn the city a Guinness World Record.
For decades, St. Petersburg didn’t just celebrate its sunshine—it marketed it like a product. Retirees flocked here with beach chairs and bridge cards. Ads touted it as “America’s Healthiest Climate.” Even the town’s nickname, The Sunshine City, was trademarked.
But St. Pete wasn’t content with just being tan. Somewhere between the sidewalk shuffleboard courts and a certain Salvador Dalí mustache, the city began reinventing itself.
Today, St. Petersburg is a colorful collision of world-class art, freaky marine science, underground murals, and a downtown that feels like it was designed by a bicycle-riding botanist who also loves tacos.
And yes, it’s still really, really sunny.
Walk downtown and you’ll find a city that reinvented its bones. Once a sleepy snowbird town with more shuffleboard courts than nightclubs, St. Pete now hums with youthful energy. Microbreweries sprout from old warehouses. Mural tours crisscross alleys. Rollerbladers share lanes with art collectors.
The waterfront is the crown jewel—mile after mile of parks, banyan trees, fountains, and a pier that juts into Tampa Bay like a futuristic cruise ship.
At the St. Pete Pier, kids race pelicans to the end while their parents sip coffee under sculptural shade trees. A mini aquarium, splash pad, and open-air market round out the experience. Want to rent a swan-shaped pedal boat? That’s an option too.
But beneath all the sunshine, St. Petersburg has a quirky, even surreal side.
Enter the Dalí Museum, a mirrored mosaic of glass curves housing the largest collection of Salvador Dalí’s work outside Spain. From melting clocks to massive dreamscapes, it’s a head trip that even kids can enjoy—especially with the interactive digital exhibits and augmented reality installations.
Just a few blocks away, Fairgrounds St. Pete takes the weirdness further. This artist-made, immersive experience lets you wander through a “Florida-themed science-fiction narrative”—think technicolor swamp scenes, mystery vending machines, and interactive storytelling that feels like a love letter to Florida’s funhouse identity.
And then there’s the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, founded in 1924. It was nearly abandoned in the early 2000s… until young locals revived it as a Friday night party spot with food trucks, craft beer, and retro tunes. It’s now the largest and oldest shuffleboard club in the world—and yes, children are welcome to try their hand at the game once reserved for octogenarians.
If nature is calling (and it will), head to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, a 245-acre oasis where armadillos scurry through pine flatwoods and osprey nests crown the treetops. Families can take a tram ride or hike the trails through hardwood hammocks and lakeside boardwalks.
Want water? Weedon Island Preserve offers canoe trails through mangrove tunnels. Rent a kayak and glide over prehistoric middens and ghost crab burrows while herons fly overhead like lazy kites.
And don’t skip the Sunken Gardens, a century-old botanical hideaway smack in the middle of town. Flamingos, waterfalls, and a footbridge that feels lifted from a fairy tale. It’s like walking into someone’s very tropical dream.
St. Pete’s food scene is equal parts breezy and bold.
For a classic family meal, stop at The Chattaway. Open since the 1950s, it’s a pink bungalow with a British twist, tropical garden seating, and burgers that locals swear haven’t changed in 40 years.
Bodega on Central is a must for Cuban sandwiches, pressed to perfection, and tropical juices like guava-pineapple or cucumber-lime. Grab your food and sit under the painted chickens.
And if you’re craving something fancier with a view, Teak on the St. Pete Pier serves seafood towers and stone crab claws with panoramic bay views—and surprisingly kid-friendly portions.
Where to stay?
Families love the Hollander Hotel, a boutique stay with retro character, a courtyard pool, and casual, walkable downtown vibes.
For a more classic beach experience, The Don CeSar is the legendary pink hotel on St. Pete Beach. It looks like a palace, offers beachside cabanas, and has hosted presidents, poets, and pop stars since 1928.
Want something in between? Postcard Inn on St. Pete Beach delivers vintage surf motel charm with hammocks, food trucks, and direct beach access that’s pure Florida nostalgia.
Some sun-kissed stats:
- St. Pete averages 361 days of sunshine per year.
- The city has more mural art per square mile than any other in Florida.
- It’s home to the world’s first commercial airline flight—a 23-minute trip across Tampa Bay in 1914.
- Shuffleboard, yes shuffleboard, helped spark the downtown renaissance.
One local secret: if you visit between November and February, bring a light jacket and head to the pier just before dusk. The air will be crisp, the bay still, and you’ll likely spot a stingray gliding through the shallows as the sun sinks behind the Skyway Bridge.
In St. Petersburg, the sun is more than just a marketing hook—it’s part of the civic DNA. But the real light here shines in its surprises: a psychedelic museum beside a public park, a tiki bar tucked into a shuffleboard court, and a garden that bloomed in a drained lakebed.
It’s not just a beach town. It’s not just an art town. It’s not just a retirement town.
It’s all of those—and something else entirely.
