I’m not one to spend a day alone but I recently spent a day immersed in the arts in St. Petersburg, Florida and never once felt lonely. I like crowds and doing things with others but as part of my ‘year of self discovery’ I decided to venture out on my own and check out St. Petersburg. Every once in a while it’s a good to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone.
Downtown St. Petersburg is a hub of activity with its sidewalk cafes, shops, galleries, museums and green space with the third largest waterfront park in North America, making it the perfect setting for frequent art shows and concerts. Taking center stage since 1925 is the salmon-colored, elegantly imposing, Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, a 375 room luxury resort, the only luxury resort on the west coast of Florida. I like a she-she foo-foo hotel with all the bells, whistles and amenities, especially when travelling alone and the Vinoy has it all.
Make the Vinoy your home base and you are an easy walk from some of the best museums in the area. Depending on your fitness level and whether or not you are wearing comfortable shoes, everything is within walking distance. I have a habit of wearing shoes because they’re cute and have ended up buying sneakers on just about every trip we take. My suitcase is starting to look like Footlocker. It’s pretty hot here year round so stay hydrated, there are plenty of places to stop and quench your thirst along the way.
One way you can beat the heat and humidity is to ‘step inside’ and check out some of the areas world-class museums and exhibits in downtown.
I stopped at the Dali and knowing Rick’s quirky taste in art, I told him that he would love the Dali Museum. He then proceeded to tell me that he was a big fan of Dolly Parton and would love to shoot an episode of Midlife Road Trip at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was talking about Dali – not Dolly. Looks like a road trip to Pigeon Forge in the near future!
There is so much more to do in downtown than one day will afford. The Museum of Fine Art, galleries, shops, boutiques and cafes abound. Next time I’ll make it a long weekend, with comfy shoes.
What are your favorite things to do in St. Petersburg?
I love the Vinoy and the Dali, too! Other art-y things I recommend checking out in St. Petersburg are a stunning ‘poppy’ painting by Georgia O’Keeffe at the MFA, the Chihuly Museum of course, Duncan McClellan’s glassblowing studio and a live glassblowing demo at the Morean Center. With so much beauty around, art in St. Pete’s is a natural!
I love the chance to wander around on my own, especially when there are museums and galleries to enjoy! Dali and O’Keefe both in St. Petersburg? I’m in! And a foo-foo luxe hotel to lounge about? My so-much-better half will dive in, too. Thanks for sharing!
Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News.
Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Appreciate it
We have no idea how or why we were listed on Yahoo News …but we’re not complaining:) Good luck!
This was a really interesting post, thanks for sharing your travel experience.