St. Petersburg Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why St. Petersburg

Situated on the Pinellas peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, St. Petersburg is a major coastal municipality in Pinellas County, Florida. Connected to mainland Florida to the north, the city is locally referred to as "St. Pete" or "the Burg" and ranks as the second-most populous city in the Tampa Bay area. Known officially as "The Sunshine City," it holds a Guinness World Record for 768 consecutive days of sunshine and averages 361 sunny days each year. Adjacent Gulf waters typically maintain a mild temperature near 76 °F (24 °C), making the area historically popular as a retirement locale while evolving to attract a younger demographic in recent years.

The region's history extends back to indigenous Safety Harbor culture communities, who built temple mounds throughout the bay area, including the prominent Tocobaga chiefdom. In April 1528, the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition landed along Boca Ciega Bay at the Jungle Prada Site, marking the first inland exploration of North America. Centuries later, John C. Williams bought local land in 1875, co-founding the settlement with Peter Demens, who extended the Orange Belt Railway to the point in 1888. Following a legendary coin toss to select names, the community was named after Demens's childhood home of Saint Petersburg, Russia, while the town's early hotel was named after Williams's birthplace of Detroit.

St. Petersburg was incorporated as a town in 1892 and as a city in 1903. Early commercial development expanded following deeper harbor dredging and the creation of local enterprises like the Hibbs Fish Company in 1899. The city earned the historic moniker "City of Churches" due to numerous early religious congregations constructing facilities near the civic center, including St. Bartholomew's in 1887 and Gothic Revival structures such as St. Peter's Cathedral in 1899 near Williams Park and Central Avenue. Historic downtown accommodations from this era include the 1892 Detroit Hotel, the Pier Hotel from 1921, and the Exchange Hotel built in 1926.

Civic growth accelerated in 1914 when Tony Jannus piloted the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line across the bay, launching the world's first scheduled commercial airline service. That same year, local leader Al Lang introduced spring training baseball, establishing the area as a destination for Grapefruit League sports. A boom in the 1920s brought Mediterranean Revival architecture to landmarks, office towers, luxury hotels, and Snell Isle residences, complemented by the opening of the Million Dollar Pier in 1926 and the Gandy Bridge in 1924, which directly linked the peninsula to Tampa.