Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Road Tripping: Miami to Saint Petersburg (Florida)

Miami and Orlando are probably the only two cities anyone visiting Florida ever bothers to visit. I love travelling the world, but I do call Miami home so I completely understand why people love Miami (and the Orlando theme parks for that matter), however, Florida is huge and there are a lot of other great cities worth visiting. 

Follow along my weekend getaway road trip from Miami to St. Petersburg:


ARRIVING
The driving time from Miami to Saint Petersburg is approximately 3.75 hours via the I-75 and I-275, but if you plan to fly into St. Petersburg, you have two options: Saint Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) or the larger Tampa International Airport (TPA) which is just 10 miles across from the bay.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge



EATING
After an over three hour drive, the only thing on the brain is as always, FOOD. We stopped for a nice brunch at URBAN Comfort Restaurant and Brewery (2601 Central Ave Saint Petersburg, FL). We dined at one of their outdoor benches, but the open concept of the restaurants (open kitchen, open door) means you’re essentially eating outdoor no matter where you choose to eat. As the only brewpub in town, you know the beers alone are worth it to make a visit, but the food is pretty incredible as well.

Chicken and Waffles, Wild Brunch


Another dining option suggested is Bodega (1120 Central Ave Saint Petersburg, FL), known for their Latin American inspired food. It is not as much a restaurant as it is a walkup counter (though there are some tables and chairs), but well worth it. Keep in mind however, it is pretty popular and you should expect a line and a bit of a wait.

Lining up for Bodega



DOING
My main interest in visiting St. Pete had to be the Salvador Dali Museum (1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL) which houses one of the largest collection of the artist Salvador Dali’s work.

Dali Painting


Besides Dali’s work, the building that houses it, it pretty impressive as well.

Dali Museum


It is located on the downtown waterfront between the Mahaffey Theater & Albert Witted Airport.

 Downtown Waterfront


While in St. Pete, you should also visit, the Sunken Gardens (1825 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL) and the Chihuly Collection (720 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL).

On a Saturday, please visit one of the outdoor markets.

Craft Fest Indie Market


Street Market


Lastly, if you are into art, there is plenty of street art downtown to be seen and enjoy.

Former Imagine School of St. Petersburg



SLEEPING
I have family in the area, so I spend their night with them, but as a fairly big city St. Pete has many hotel options from affordable to upscale, you just have to look for what suits you and your interest.


DEPARTING
Instead of heading directly to Miami, we made a couple of stops along the way. The first stop was Sarasota to visit the Ringling Museum (5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL).

Ringling Museum of Art

We were limited on time, so we decided again paying the admission fee and ended up just walking the grounds, since it takes at least an entire day to view the entire property as there`s a Circus Museum, the Museum of Art, a rose garden and Ca’ d’Zan Mansion. We will come back for another visit though, during a trip dedicated to Sarasota.

Rose Garden

For lunch, we headed to Lido Key. We ended up dining at Shore (465 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236). The staff was very friendly and accommodating but above all, the food was amazing and the seafood was unbelievably fresh and delectable.

Lemongrass Lobster Bisque, Fish Sandwich, Spaghettini Arrabiata

After another stop to visit friends and family in Port Charlotte, we were finally ready to head home, but not without one last stop. We decided Marco Island might be an interesting stop since none of us had ever been, but it was dead. I am not sure if it was an off-season thing or a Sunday thing but nothing was open. All we found to do was a driving tour of the houses in the area.

Waterfront Homes of Marco Island

We did find one restaurant that was open though called Lee Be Fish Company. They serve very fresh fish (only the catch of the day) and shrimp.

LeeBe Storefront

It is located in a small shopping complex that like much of the island, all of the shops were closed so I was surprised that is was open.

Closed Shops

From Marco Island, it was only a 2 hour drive back to Miami.

Leaving Marco Island

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