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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