A Relaxing Splash Just 15 minutes from downtown St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field, are stretches of soft white sand, blue-green waters, and the relaxing splash of waves along the shoreline. The Gulf beaches around the Tampa Bay area are ranked as some of the top beaches in the country, so take advantage of year-round warm and sunny days with a stay at a beach resort right on the warm Gulf of Mexico. St Pete Beach The closest beach to downtown St. Petersburg, and a mere 30 minutes from Tampa International Airport, St. Pete Beach has earned the coveted Blue Wave Award for beach cleanliness and safety. With plenty of shops, restaurants and beach bars, you’ll have no trouble finding something to do on the land as well as on the sea. Dolphin watch excursions, sunset sailing cruises, parasailing, and jet skis all afford magical days on the water. At the city’s public beach, also a wildlife refuge, you’ll experience and see various species of birds, Gopher Tortoise and Box Turtles. Call (727) 866-2484. 4700 Gulf Blvd., St Pete Beach, FL TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach is host to the St. Petersburg Bowl Beach Fan Fest, where fans can meet coaches, players and spirit team members, all at a beach cookout right on the beach with a giant 3 story waterslide, water trykes and more. Pass-A-Grille Beach Hop on a trolley that runs along the beaches from Pass-A-Grille – just south of St. Pete Beach – all the way to Clearwater Beach 26 miles to the north and enjoy beautiful Florida weather, restaurants and unique shops and galleries. Escape to this haven of artists and those that treasure a more tranquil life. Find a place to relax and enjoy the good life watching birds, bicycling along the beach, or simply relaxing in a beach chair enjoying the sun and gulf. Cruise over to the unspoiled Shell Key, a small barrier island offshore, or catch a deep sea fishing charter out of Merry Pier. Ft. De Soto Beach Voted America’s Best Beach in 2005 by Dr. Stephen Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach) and TripAdvisor’s #1 Beach for 2008, this amazing stretch of beach is just 10 minutes from St. Pete Beach. Ride, skate or jog on the 7-mile paved trail, canoe and kayak through lush mangroves, or fish from two free piers. Rover can roam at the Paw Playground and frolic in the surf at Dog Beach, while the kids explore the canons and jail cells of the old fort. Built for the Spanish-American War, the fort was finished after the war ended and never fired a hostile shot. Fort De Soto is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.