St. Petersburg
St. Peterburg is a beautiful town on the Florida coast and we really enjoyed our time here. There are multiple beaches to enjoy nearby as well, making St. Petersburg a great destination to enjoy touristy city life or lazy beach days.
Our Favorite Things Near St. Petersburg with Kids:
St. Pete’s Pier - this is a really neat new addition to St. Petersburg that is fun for the whole family. It is enjoyable to walk the pier along Tampa Bay and take in the scenery. There are also a few restaurants on the pier, a rooftop bar, a cafe for coffee & ice cream, a souvenir shop and an amazing playground that our kids absolutely loved. We ate at Teak outside on the patio, which was a really nice spot for a warm, sunny day. The food was a little on the expensive side, which was to be expected, but honestly it was really delicious and overall we were pleased with our lunch choice. On weekends, the pier is also host to a variety of events, markets and concerts, so check out their event website before you go! *stroller friendly
DeSoto National Memorial - this national memorial pays tribute to Hernando de Soto landing in Tampa Bay in 1539 and his conquests that eventually shaped the history of America. This is a free site to visit and the trails are beautiful as they wind around Manatee River through white sand with interesting local flora. It is a really enjoyable place to spend a morning near St. Petersburg. Don’t forget to pick up a Junior Ranger book as you can earn a badge at this location!
*Although we did make it with the stroller, I wouldn’t recommend it. Some of the path is paved, but the most beautiful areas of the trail walk along the water and are sand.Anna Maria Beach - another adorable Florida beach town and beautiful beach! We were only in this area for a day, but it was definitely a worthwhile beach stop near St. Petersburg.
Where we stayed: Encore Terra Ceia in Palmetto, just 25 minutes outside of St. Petersburg. This is a Thousand Trails campground that has a brand new section that is really nice and spacious! There is a large heated pool, workout room, laundry facility and weekly scheduled events for campers. We enjoyed our stay here and our kiddos loved the pool. There were also lots of families here, so it was nice for our 5 year old to have other kids to play with as well.