One of my favorite Florida cities for a quick weekend getaway is St. Petersburg. I went on a whim for a weekend by myself to explore and hang out and had a really fun time! Here’s a quick rundown of what I did. (And a few extra things I didn’t do, but have read great things about!)
Pin me!
Where I stayed:
I stayed at the Mansion Inn, owned by The Ponce De Leon Hotel. It’s advertised as a bed and breakfast but is just an old house with rooms that have cheap furniture in them attempting to look vintage. Also, the breakfast part of the “bed and breakfast” was only served from around 8:00-8:30 am which seemed a little unreasonable. They had parking, but only 3 spots total. It’s reasonably priced and in a really good location, walking distance from the pier, so it’s good in that sense. I wouldn’t recommend it if you were looking for a nice place to spend some time in and relax, though.
Friday:
Friday was my first night and after checking into my hotel I decided to pick up some pizza from Gianni’s Pizza and head to the beach to watch the sunset. You know, hot girl shit. 😂 I ordered The 1889 Margarita pizza, “made with Fior di Latte Wisconsin mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and Pecorino cheese”. I would definitely recommend it! I parked at the Treasure Island beach and had my picnic. (11260 Gulf Blvd. St. Petersburg, FL 33706)
After the beach, I went back to my room and got ready to go out for the night. I was particularly looking forward to visiting No Vacancy for their fun, tropical vibe, but there are a lot of good places on Central Ave. There’s a speakeasy-type place I wanted to visit but didn’t get the chance this time called The Saint. You can find their weekly password in their Instagram stories and I fully intend on visiting next time.
Saturday:
I started the morning at the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market. Personally, I think if you’ve been to one farmer’s market you’ve been to them all. That being said, it’s a good excuse to get out in the morning and walk around and support some local businesses. I had fresh squeezed orange juice like the Florida girl I am and an empanada for breakfast as I weaved in and out of the various stands. They have over 125 vendors! This market is the largest one in the Southeast and one of the top 20 in the country, so if you are going to go to just one, this is a good one to go to!
Everybody else’s travel blog talked about how good Bodega was for their Cuban sandwich, and after that many recommendations, I felt like I shouldn’t pass it up. I was glad I didn’t! They also have fresh juices there and was just what I needed on a hot Florida day.
The rest of the day I scootered around the city, went back to my room to relax, and ended the day by watching the sunset again, but from the pier this time. I sat at Pier Teaki (the rooftop bar on the pier) as I watched the sunset over the water. It was really nice! I had salmon and oysters for dinner next door at Doc Ford’s and when I was finishing dinner there was a fireworks show. So yeah, I basically took myself out on a bachelor date. I asked someone nearby what the occasion for the fireworks was and they said it’s just a thing there they do on Saturdays. I took the little tram back to the other side of the pier because I had blisters leftover from my previous day’s exploration, and got some ice cream to distract me from them as I walked back to the hotel that night. I deserved it.
Sunday morning I went to Central Coffee Shop for breakfast on my way out of town. Despite its coffee shop name, it’s actually more of a diner vibe. (I love a good breakfast diner!) I walked in and out of some of the shops on Central Ave and grabbed an iced coffee for the road at Crislip Cafe.
Next time I visit I’d really like to visit the Dali Museum. I thought I would have done that Saturday afternoon, but I ultimately decided not to since I spent so much time at the market that morning.
It’s only a couple of hours away from where I live, so I hope to be back soon! Send me a DM on Instagram or leave a comment if you have any suggestions for my next visit!