How to Spend One Day in St Petersburg, Florida -

St Petersburg, Florida, is in the Tampa Bay area and truly seems to have it all. A vibrant arts scene, multiple waterfront parks, history, and modern attractions. Oh, and several nearby beaches and nearly endless day trip options.

While you could easily spend tons of time here, it’s not always possible to get as much time as we’d like. So today, we’re going to cover how to see as much of St Pete as you can in one day.

This includes some of the best things to do in this wonderful city. One day is definitely enough time to fall in love and see why St Pete is so special to so many people.

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Key Takeaways

Best Coffee in St Pete

I always like to start my day with coffee. If you do, too, there are so many great places to grab coffee in St Pete. Some of the best coffee spots in St Pete are:

The Blend – famous for their coffee flights which change based on the season. The Blend is so loved that they now have multiple locations across Tampa Bay.
Black Crow – I describe Black Crow as cool and quirky. They are committed to no waste and I really admire that!
Paradeco – The best vibes with a retro feel. The owners take a lot of pride in their products and they have a great oat milk latte.
Patrona – Coffee served out of a cute food truck right on the water near the Gandy Bridge. Located in the same place as Urban Kai (kayak and paddle board rentals) in case you want to get on the water after picking up your coffee.

Best Breakfast in St Pete

There are some amazing spots for breakfast and brunch in St Pete. Here are some of my favorite options:

Social Roost
Trip’s Diner
The Library
Kissin Cousins
Noble Crust
Uptown Eats

outside of trip's diner with an old fashioned sign, white flower beds with tropical foliage, and outdoor seating

cinnamon swirl in french toast with whipped cream, strawberries, and berries

Pictured: Trip’s Diner, The Library, and Uptown Eats

Go Shopping on Central

Once you have your coffee and/or breakfast, I recommend going shopping on Central Avenue. Central Ave is dubbed as St Pete’s coolest street and has boutique shops, bars, restaurants, and galleries.

The Canary is a one stop shop for gifts. They have a little something for everyone.

Ashe Couture Boutique is a women’s boutique with boho vibes.

Book & Bottle could be listed under almost any category because it is a bottle shop, bookstore, coffee café, and a wine bar all in one.

ZaZoo’d has an awesome mix of eclectic and unique art pieces and home decor. They sell a little bit of everything, I especially like their local St Pete merchandise.

Brutique is a bar and boutique. You can sip mimosas while you shop for clothes. And in true St Pete fashion, they even have dog-friendly clothes!

ARTpool Gallery, best described as “funky”, has vintage clothes, vinyl records, and a beverage bar.

Tombolo Books is an Indie bookstore with a mix of new and used books. They also have coffee, tea, and pastries.

Chihuly Collection is a collection of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, one of the world’s most celebrated glass artists.

Sans Market is a zero waste store. Every time I visit, I’m amazed at how I can fine a more eco friendly way to purchase my household supplies. Lida’s Jungle also shares space here, which is a plant shop.

If you happen to be in St Pete on a Saturday, check out the Saturday morning market as well.

book shelf full of books with wine on the very top shelf and a white table with two chairs in front of it

Funky decorations like a disco ball and ornaments covering a black wall

Pictured: Book and Bottle, ZaZoo’d, and Sans Market

Lunch Spots in Saint Petersburg

After a morning of strolling, you might want to grab a bite to eat. St Pete truly has so many great options for restaurants. You could spend a month (or more!) here and still have places on your restaurant bucket list to try.

Because there are so many great places, it’s kind of hard to narrow it down, but here are some great lunch options:

Red Mesa Mercado – Probably where I eat the most. I highly recommend their shrimp tacos, they are so good. This is a quick spot to grab lunch, they also have a sit down restaurant, Red Mesa Cantina.

Mazzaro’s is an Italian market. Locals love it and it will be busy. I recommend checking out all their different spaces and rooms and you can get a sandwich to go.

Bodega has the best Cuban sandwiches. They also have food inspired by Latin America and juices.

The Lure is one of my favorite restaurants and would also be great for breakfast or dinner. They are known for their sushi and even have a breakfast sushi roll! I’ve ordered non-sushi items several times and everything has always been delicious.

The Hangar is located inside the Albert Whitted Airport, so you can watch planes come and go while you eat.

Pacific Counter has great poke bowls and sushi burritos.

Twisted Indian has some of the best Indian food around

outside order counter with a turquoise bottom, black chalkboard menus, and an order here sign

tacos on a corn tortilla with shredded chicken and radishes

Pictured: Bodega, The Lure, and The Hangar

Check out a Museum

If you like learning something new, St Pete is a great place to do that with one of their many museums.

The Dali Museum is a must for art lovers. It is an art museum dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí. It is probably the most well-known museum in St Pete. There is a permanent collection of Dalí’s work and there are typically traveling/temporary exhibits which are always changing.

The Museum of Fine Arts has art exhibits spanning over 4,000 years. You can tour with a guide or you can do a self-guided tour.

James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art was founded by businessman Thomas James and includes many personal pieces of his personal collection. The museum often has temporary exhibits as well.

The Sunken Gardens consists of 4 acres of botanical gardens in the Historic Old Northeast area. They are one of the oldest roadside tourist attractions in the United States and have existed for more than 100 years. You’ll find more than 50,000 exotic tropical plants and birds from around the world, including a flock of flamingos.

St Petersburg Museum of History was founded in 1920 and has tons of information on the history of the area. There is an odditorium, which has a pair of pajamas from former president Howard Taft. If you’re a baseball fan, you’ll like Little Cooperstown which houses the largest collection of signed baseballs in the world.

The Florida Holocaust Museum is a well-done, small museum dedicated to learning more about the Holocaust. They even had an interactive exhibit with local Holocaust survivors where they would talk more about their experience in the Holocaust.

box car from world war 2 in a museum with pictures of victims in the background

artwork of a bench melting with a clock on it also melting with water and palm trees in the background

Pictured: Holocaust Museum, The Dali Museum, and Sunken Gardens

St Pete Pier

There has been a pier in downtown St Pete since 1889 but has changed throughout the years. The current pier took around 3 years to build and opened in 2020.

There are restaurants, bars, a splash pad, and plenty of things to do around the pier. It’s a great spot to just walk around, people watch, and enjoy the day. If you’re with the kids, let them play at the splash pad or playground and if you’re with adults, grab a drink at Pier Teaki at the end of the pier.

I have a whole blog post on the St Pete Pier if you are interested in a more in depth overview of all there is to do there.

Dinner in St Pete

Of course, you need dinner! Here are some of the best restaurants for dinner worth trying:

Hawker’s serves Asian street food. We love to come here and order tons of different plates to share.

Good Fortune is a trendy restaurant with serving sushi, noodles, and good drinks. They also have a karaoke room.

Tryst looks like a bar but has a full restaurant with eclectic flairs on well-loved dishes.

Stillwaters Tavern serves upscale American food. They have a great patio area which I recommend if it’s nice out.

Bella Brava for great Italian food

asian fusion fried chicken in a turquoise basket

Pictured: Stillwaters Tavern, Hawkers, and Bella Brava

Best Evening Activities in St Pete

If you have time after dinner, find a unique and fun activity to do. Depending on the season, you could catch a Tampa Bay Rays game at Tropicana Field or a Tampa Bay Rowdies game.

Par Bar is a mini golf meets bar atmosphere. There is a mini golf course with 18 holes. They also have a ping pong table and giant beer pong.

LALA has private karaoke rooms that you can rent.

Fairgrounds St Pete has immersive art and technology. It’s one of those places that is so unique that it’s hard to explain, but each room is different and unique. It’s a great place to wander and there are tons of photo ops!

Best Dessert in St Pete

The Hyppo serves all natural, gourmet ice pops and have made over 450 flavors!

La Diperie started in Canada and just opened its first (and currently only) shop in St Pete. First, you pick the dessert you want to dip (like a cheesecake or ice cream cone), then you choose your dip, and finally your toppings (there are over 20 topping choices). These options give you endless combinations and if that is overwhelming, you can also choose one of their signature combinations. They also have cheesecake, cookie dough, donuts, and more. This is a sweet-lover’s dream.

Best Bars in St Pete to End the Night

If you want to end your night with a drink, St Pete is a great place to find whatever you are looking for. St Pete has it all. Breweries (tons of breweries!), speakeasies, cocktail bars, wine bars, pubs, and more.

If you want to save some money, check out the bars for happy hour instead of ending your night there!

When I’m in a new place, breweries are my favorite place to start. In St Pete, there is no shortage of breweries. So many that you wouldn’t be able to visit all of them in a day, but I definitely recommend checking out a couple if time allows.

Here is a large list of some of my favorite breweries in St Pete:

Cycle Brewing
Green Bench Brewing Company
Overflow Brewing Company
St Pete Brewing Company
3 Daughters Brewing
Bayboro Brewing
Cage Brewing
Grand Central Brewhouse
If I Brewed the World
Pinellas Ale Works
Dissent Craft Brewing Company

white brick wall with greetings from green bench painted

Pictured: Three Daughters, Green Bench, Grand Central Brewhouse

Floridian Social Club has a lounge as well as fun events and concerts. Note that it is closed on Mondays

Fergs – sports bar and grill, best place to watch the game with tons of TVs

No Vacancy – Unique, tropical-inspired drinks with a fun tropical atmosphere. They do have some spots inside, but the majority of their seating is outdoors.

The Canopy – Located on the rooftop at the Birchwood and best known for their amazing views and frosé.

Flute & Dram – Great for live music and cocktails and they also have upscale appetizers. Plenty of outdoor seating is great for people watching and they have some seating inside, too.

Park & Rec Downtown St Pete – An arcade + bar that offers plenty of games such as skee-ball, jumbo beer pong, pinball, pool and more.

The Saint and Dirty Laundry are both speakeasies with very different themes. The Saint is a sinners & saints theme and Dirty Laundry looks like a laundromat + coffee shop but is actually a Havana inspired lounge once you enter. Note that Dirty Laundry does have a dress code which includes no sandals.

I personally have not been to Mandarin Hyde or Copper Shaker yet but both are highly recommended by locals over and over.

Pour Judgment is a craft shot bar with over 250 shots to choose from.

The Dog Bar – a bar for the humans, a playground for the dogs. But if you just want to hang out with some dogs, you don’t have to bring a dog to come here!

Good Night John Boy is a 70s and 80s themed bar for every age

white historic building with a black sign saying the floridian and a marquee sign

disco ball and bright lights overlooking a dance floor

Pictured: The Floridian and Good Night John Boy

If you Have More Than a Day

If you are lucky enough to spend more than one day in Florida’s Sunshine City, here are some great options:

Take the SunRunner to the beaches. The SunRunner is a bus system that goes between downtown St Pete and the beautiful beaches in the area. It currently has stops in St Pete Beach but you can take the Beach Trolley anywhere from Clearwater Beach to Madeira Beach once you get there. These are both great options if you don’t have your own transportation. If you do have transportation, it’s just a short drive between downtown St Petersburg and the beaches.

Take the CrossBay Ferry to Tampa for the day. The Cross Bay Ferry is seasonal but it leaves from Downtown St Petersburg and goes to Tampa. It’s a great way to explore without having to worry about driving.

For thrill seekers, check out Busch Gardens in Tampa. It’s an easy day trip to ride roller coasters, see the animals, and so much more.

Where to Stay in St Pete

I have a whole post dedicated on where to stay in St Petersburg, Florida, if you want a more detailed answer. But here’s the quick version:

Hyatt Place in Downtown St Pete is my overall pick unless I’m looking for something fancy. It’s not overly fancy, but I love that I can book it on points, it’s easily accessible, in a great location, has free breakfast, and it is comfortable.

The Vinoy is a good option for something a little fancier. This hotel is more of an experience than the Hyatt.

pool on the 7th floor of a hotel building with tall buildings in the background — Photo: The pool at the Hyatt in Downtown St Pete, nice for relaxing in the hot summer months. Photo via Hotels.com

Closing Thoughts on Spending a Day in St Petersburg

As you can see now, there are so many things to do in St Pete but hopefully this guide helped you pick some of the best places for your trip! It really is a perfect place to stay busy while still having an overall laid-back feel. I hope you enjoy your visit to the Sunshine City (in the Sunshine State!)