St. Pete and Clearwater split the job: Clearwater brings the country's most-decorated beach and a nightly sunset festival, St. Pete brings the Dalí, a downtown food scene in full sprint, and the world's oldest shuffleboard club. The clearest water in the area, though, is on an island with no roads. Here's the summer, ranked.
In this guide 11 sections
54° after dark, and the late list is open. Ordered for right now.
Clearwater Beach and the Pier 60 sunset festival
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP. The adaptation is released under the same licence.
The perennial best-beach contender: powder sand, bathtub-warm Gulf shallows, and a free nightly sunset celebration at Pier 60 with street performers and vendors. This summer it's all over social feeds again, aesthetic edits and all.
- Times
- 10am
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — Strolling the pier is free; the fishing deck costs $8 a day. Parking evaporates by 10am on weekends — arrive early or ride the Jolley Trolley.
The Dalí Museum
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP.
The largest surrealist collection outside Spain — 2,400-plus works — inside the building with the famous geodesic glass bubble. A $65 million expansion is underway toward 2028, and the museum stays fully open through it, immersive dome included.
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — The free-with-admission architecture tour explains the bubble; take it before the galleries and the building reads differently.
Caladesi Island by ferry
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP.
A roadless barrier island with some of the clearest water on this coast, reachable only by the Honeymoon Island ferry or kayak — the no-crowds island the videos keep rediscovering. Same sand as Clearwater, a fraction of the people.
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — The ferry line builds by mid-morning in summer; the first boats over get the shelling and the empty sandbars.
The St. Pete Pier district
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP.
The 26-acre modern pier is downtown's living room: a beach, splash pad, rooftop tiki bar, marketplace, and lawn — free to wander end to end. Perry's Porch is the district's new waterfront restaurant doing old-Florida coastal fare.
- Times
- sunset
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — The splash pad plus the pier's beach make it the easiest free kid afternoon downtown; evenings, the tiki bar's sunset line forms early.
Book the guided version
St. Pete Pier sightseeing and dolphin cruise
Best for: Visitors already downtown who want to get out on Tampa Bay from the pier district.
Sightseeing boat cruise around the St. Pete Pier and Tampa Bay waters with views of the downtown skyline.
Where: Departs from the St. Pete Pier marina area. Check your confirmation for the slip and boarding time.
Will we see dolphins? Dolphins are frequently spotted in Tampa Bay, but wildlife is never guaranteed.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates and price ↗Opens the product page on Viator. Wayfind may earn a commission, which never changes our picks or their order.
Central Park, the new five-story food hall
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP. The adaptation is released under the same licence.
Downtown St. Pete's buzziest 2026 opening: a five-story food hall stacking international vendors under one roof, with more restaurants and a rooftop still coming online. The single easiest way to sample the city's exploding food scene.
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — Floors fill top-down at dinner; lunch is walk-up easy on every level.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP.
The working rescue-rehab-release facility made famous by Winter the dolphin is leaning into manatees: an expansion around a manatee rehabilitation habitat was just announced, and three new patients arrived this year. Watching active rescue is the difference from a standard aquarium.
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — Feedings and care sessions run on a posted daily schedule — check it at entry and route the visit around one.
Sunken Gardens
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP. The adaptation is released under the same licence.
St. Pete's hundred-year-old tropical garden hides waterfalls, rainbow eucalyptus, and a flock of Chilean flamingos that own the local feeds. City-park-cheap admission for four acres that photograph like a private botanical estate.
- Times
- noon
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — The flamingos are most active at morning feeding; the shaded paths make this one of the few outdoor summer picks that works at noon.
Fort De Soto Park
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP. The adaptation is released under the same licence.
Five connected islands with quiet Gulf beaches, a historic fort, kayak trails, and a campground regularly called one of Florida's best. It's where locals go when Clearwater gets slammed, for the price of a small parking fee.
- Times
- sunset
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — North Beach's lagoon is the calm, shallow, kid-perfect water; the fort's top level is the sunset spot with a fraction of Pier 60's crowd.
Book the guided version
Fort De Soto guided kayak eco-tour
Best for: Paddlers who want a guided route through Fort De Soto's calm lagoons and mangrove edges.
Guided kayak tour in the Fort De Soto area with kayak, paddle and life jacket included.
Where: Check your confirmation for the exact Fort De Soto / Tierra Verde launch location.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates and price ↗Opens the product page on Viator. Wayfind may earn a commission, which never changes our picks or their order.
Shell Key Preserve
Photo details
Resized and converted to WebP; display may crop the photograph.
The undeveloped barrier island next to Fort De Soto: no roads, no snack bar, and the kayak crossing locals use when they want the Gulf without the park. You paddle or boat out from Tierra Verde and pack your own shade.
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — Fort De Soto is the drive-up day; Shell Key is the paddle. Launch early — afternoon wind on the bay chops the crossing.
Book the guided version
Shell Key Preserve clear-kayak tour
Best for: Visitors who want a guided clear-kayak crossing from Tierra Verde to the roadless barrier island.
Guided clear-kayak paddle through the Shell Key Preserve waters with kayak, paddle and life jacket included.
Where: Launches from Tierra Verde near the island crossing. Check your confirmation for the exact check-in spot.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check dates and price ↗Opens the product page on Viator. Wayfind may earn a commission, which never changes our picks or their order.
St. Pete's new fine-dining wave
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP. The adaptation is released under the same licence.
The renovated Vinoy now houses Elliott Aster under a Michelin-starred-background chef, and Chris Ponte's Olivia was just named the area's best new restaurant. The budget play: the Oyster Bar's two-dollar-oyster hour, four to five daily.
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — Elliott Aster books out weekends; bar seating holds a nightly walk-in allotment the dining room doesn't.
Shuffleboard Fridays at the world's oldest club
Photo details
Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP.
The world's oldest and largest shuffleboard club — founded 1924, 74 courts — throws free public play every Friday night, volunteers teaching newcomers, suggested two-dollar donation. The quirky retro-Florida night out that shows up in every only-in-St.-Pete reel.
- Times
- 7pm
- Where
- St. Petersburg
Insider note — Courts open at 7pm and the regulars adopt beginners fast — show up by 7:15 and you'll be mid-match by 7:30.
Live right now in St. Petersburg
$15 for $30 of pizza & more50% off4th Street PizzaBuy on Clipp, show it at 4th Street Pizza. Rotates weekly — can sell out.
St. PetersburgGet certificateEnds Nov 23- $10 for $20 of gourmet cinnamon rolls50% offCinnaholic St. Petersburg
Buy on Clipp, show it at Cinnaholic St. Petersburg. Rotates weekly — can sell out.
St. PetersburgGet certificateEnds Nov 23 - $10 for $20 of coffee & kava50% offLucid Coffee and Kava
Buy on Clipp, show it at Lucid Coffee and Kava. Rotates weekly — can sell out.
St. PetersburgGet certificateEnds Nov 23
Offers come from our own deal registry and are checked against their expiry before they render. Some links earn Wayfind a commission; it never changes what we list or the order.
Good to know
Clearwater Beach or Caladesi Island?
Clearwater for the full-service classic — restaurants, Pier 60's nightly festival, lifeguards. Caladesi for the same white sand with no roads, no buildings, and clearer water, at the cost of a ferry ride and carrying your own shade.
Is the Dalí Museum open during its expansion?
Fully — the $65 million expansion is under construction toward a 2028 completion, and the galleries, immersive dome experience, and waterfront grounds all stay open throughout.
What's free here?
A lot: the Pier 60 sunset festival every night, the entire St. Pete Pier district, Friday night shuffleboard at the world's oldest club, and the murals of the Central Arts District. Fort De Soto is nearly free at a few dollars' parking.
Fort De Soto or Shell Key Preserve?
Fort De Soto if you want a drive-up beach, the fort, and a parking fee. Shell Key if you want the undeveloped island next door — no roads, no concessions, paddle or boat out from Tierra Verde, and pack your own shade.
Wayfind may earn a commission, which never changes our picks or their order.
Keep exploring
Every one of these is a ranked list, not a directory page.
Know someone planning this too? Send them the guide.
One email with these picks, plus what changes in St. Petersburg — new openings, closures, and what locals are actually doing. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.