St. Pete Beach

St. Pete Beach is a beach of white, powdery sand that crunches under your feet. At sunset, it is glorious, as the shore lights up orange, reflecting the sky. What magic! Kids love to build castles on the hardpacked shoreline as parents watch the day come to an end. Birds fly overhead and waves lap the shore.

Walk south down the beach and see the historic pink Don Cesar Hotel, built by Thomas Rowe in 1928 in a Mediterranean/Moorish style. It was built in honor of a Spanish woman that Thomas Rowe fell in love with while in London and named after Don Cesar, the hero in the opera where she sang. There is a replica of the fountain where they were supposed to meet and elope, a plan that was stopped by her parents.
Truly the best thing about the west side of Florida are the sunsets over the beach.
Beware the awful traffic though, with stoplight after stoplight and no freeway to relieve the congestion.
While in St. Petersburg, make sure you visit the world-class Dali Museum.

Directions

St. Pete Beach can be accessed at Pinellas County Beach Access Park, at 4700 Gulf Boulevard, Saint Pete Beach, FL 33706. There is a large parking lot and it costs about $1.50/hour to park. Pay at the machines.

Click on map for interactive view