St. Petersburg Travel and Things to Do Guide

Dominated by Mediterranean-style homes, art galleries, antique stores, restaurants, a large pier with dining and entertainment venues, downtown St. Petersburg is a unique Florida urban experience with tropical flair and sophistication. A scenic bayfront setting, world-class museums, Major League Baseball and eclectic shopping and dining options are some of the appealing elements for meeting and incentive groups. Downtown St. Petersburg is located 10 miles from the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and 20 miles from Tampa International Airport. St. Petersburg's accommodations inventory comprises two major meetings-oriented properties; smaller chain hotels; and quaint boutique properties. Among the choices are the 361-room Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, with 40,000 square feet of meeting space; the 333-room Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, with 30,000 square feet of meeting space; and the 76-room Hotel Indigo, featuring 1,036 square feet of meeting space. Event venues in St. Petersburg include the magnificent, newly expanded Dali Museum that features 2,140 Salvador Dali paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings. The museum has several indoor and outdoor special event areas as well as a 96-seat theater. Mirror Lake Lyceum, a historic Mediterranean Revival-style structure overlooking palm-lined Mirror Lake, can accommodate 500 for a cocktail party in either its Grand Hall or main ballroom. For shopping, dining and entertainment, group favorites are Baywalk, a two-story, open-air complex with restaurants, boutique shops, and a Muvico 20 Theater; and the St. Pete Pier, which has an aquarium, specialty shops and restaurants such as Columbia, Fresco's Waterfront Bistro and Cha Cha Coconuts. Sports venues include downtown St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field, where the American League Tampa Devil Rays play a schedule of games from April to September against division rivals like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. For popular options for day trips, spouse programs and pre- and post-meeting entertainment, try Sunken Gardens, a 100-year-old botanical gardens park with waterfalls and more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers. Visits to museums such as the Dali, Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, Chihuly Collection and Morean Arts Center are also enjoyable.