A visit to the vibrant city of St. Pete, Florida, often comes with a few surprises to the uninitiated. In recent years the city has shed its reputation of being a sleepy Florida town, and instead developed into the ideal city for creatives, foodies, families, and anyone who enjoys an active lifestyle. Creative and outward-thinking, it is certainly not your average Florida city.

 

LIVE

At the foundation of St. Pete’s renaissance is art and culture. The expansive art scene is noted as one of its most surprising and impressive features. Young creatives who grew up in St. Pete have stayed to make their mark on the city they love. Murals are transforming neighborhoods, and the annual SHINE Mural Festival will add an additional 20 or so murals to the existing 600+ around the city. With 11 museums around the city, including The Dali Museum, which houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali’s works outside Europe, a visit to St. Pete should be on every art lover’s bucket list. The food scene in St. Pete easily rivals the cuisine in larger cities, and locals and visitors alike enjoy a variety of craft cocktail bars and breweries, many of which are pet-friendly. Central Avenue is home to many of these restaurants and bars. Known as a “happening place” since the 1920s, it has a very local vibe and tons of character. Celebrated for its wide streets and sidewalks, restaurants boast outdoor seating right on the sidewalk, giving St. Pete an incredibly friendly and accessible feel. Take the Central Avenue Trolley from the bay to the beach and explore, eat, shop and gallery hop until you drop. Perhaps not as popular or wellknown as the expansive art scene, the music scene in St. Pete is equally impressive. Many of the breweries and restaurants feature live music, and St. Pete boasts an impressive listing of festivals and concerts.

 

THINGS TO DO

Saturday Morning Market
Visit the largest farmers market in the southeast to grab your local eats and fresh sunflowers - saturdaymorningmarket.com.

Museum Tour
Whether you’re exploring Dali’s largest collection in the U.S. or stepping back in time for Western history at the James Museum, there are 10+ museums to explore in St. Pete.

Central Avenue
The perfect place to experience the culture and vibrant vibe of the sunshine city. With coffee shops, boutiques, and more, there’s always something to do on Central Avenue!

Mural Tour
With more than 600 murals, St. Pete is basically an open air museum. Snap a cool pic in front of your favorite mural and add some pizzazz to your Instagram feed!

Craft Cocktails
Who can resist hand-crafted cocktails and carefully-curated wine and beer lists? With a wide variety of options, you’re sure to find your new favorite location for libations.

Local Breweries
With 11 amazing breweries in the downtown corridor, there’s always a new brew to try!

Local Food Scene
Check out Trophy Fish, Il Ritorno, or Bodega. Take a stroll and discover one of the many locally-owned restaurants loved by the locals.

Jannus Live
Everyone should see a show at Jannus Live. Check out the schedule here: jannuslive.com. 

WORK

A COMMUNITY SPARKING INNOVATION

The allure of a 100-hour work week is gone, and people everywhere are looking for balance. Even investors and founders of start-up companies. The perfect place for a start-up combines economy and culture to create a community where quality of life attracts talent, and St. Pete has mastered that perfection. Rachel Carpenter, founder and CEO of Intrinio, chose to start her business in St. Pete for these exact reasons in 2014. Initially she experienced push back from investors who didn’t understand why she wasn’t choosing a major city, but they quickly saw her vision. Rachel realized the importance of cost of living. In St. Pete that meant not pouring capital into high-rent office space and outrageous salaries just so employees can pay their bills. Instead, Rachel was able to put that money back into the company, growing it at a much faster rate. Plus the quality of life she could provide her employees meant being able to easily draw the talent she wanted. “It means you can still make it to your kid’s baseball game. And you can get home for dinner instead of sitting in Manhattan traffic for hours,” she says. “As a disrupter, one of our main goals is to lower cost and make information more accessible, which ultimately means we need to lower our own costs,” she explains. For Intrinio, that means building technology for enterprises and start-ups alike to access financial data. “To innovate, companies need data, but it’s largely controlled by five or so companies that own that market. Getting data to access points isn’t as direct as most people think, but without it these companies can’t innovate.” Rachel also points to the community as a strong draw for businesses and innovators. As owners of potential new businesses visit St. Pete, start-up founders will get together for tours and drinks. “A one-day tour is usually enough to attract them,” Rachel says, laughing. The community of startup founders is close-knit, providing support and advice.

 

PLACES TO WORK

The Penny Hoarder
Publishing multimedia content about different ways to make and save money.

Intrinio
Making financial data accessible to innovators.

Raymond Jones
Providing financial services to individuals, corporations and municipalities.

Power Design, Inc.
Providing an integrated approach to electrical design and construction.

Presence
Building the solutions to affordably and effectively help students and professionals be more successful.

Inside Out
Assisting high-growth companies with sales funnel optimization by igniting relationships with their target accounts.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Nationally ranked, Johns Hopkins is a children's medical and surgical facility.

Hype Group
Helping businesses of all shapes and sizes define their unique brand stories.

American Strategic Insurance (ASI)
Working hard to go above and beyond everywhere they offer homeowner coverage.

Jabil
Striving to be the most technologically advanced and trusted manufacturing solutions provider.

 

PLAY

Known as “an adventurer’s paradise,” St. Pete is a city designed for being active. With 250+ miles of preserved park land, anywhere in the city is walking distance to great outdoor space. Nature preserves provide canopy trees, trails for biking or nature walks, and ideal areas for kayaking. And with the entire city certified as pet-friendly, there’s no reason to leave Fido at home! The city government is invested in the health of its citizens, joining with community partners to provide free yoga and exercise classes around the city. With seven miles of preserved downtown waterfront parkland, a marina only steps from downtown, and perfect weather for kitesurfing, St. Pete is also a favorite for anyone who loves being on the water. The city has an active boating community and hosts numerous national and international regattas each year. If golf is your sport of choice, St. Pete is home to several public, semi-private, and private golf courses, including one of the best municipal golf courses in the state. And if you prefer to watch the activity, St. Pete is also home to two professional sports teams. Cheer on MLB team the Tampa Bay Rays or check out a Rowdies soccer game.

 

WAYS TO PLAY

Pinellas Trail
Grab your bike and explore the 37 miles of biking and walking trails!

Vinoy Park
Endless green space along the waterfront? Yes please! Have a picnic with friends or enjoy a music festival—whatever you do, the views are always good.

St. Pete Skate Park
The largest skatepark in the Southeast. Grab your board and go!

Yoga
On Saturdays in St. Pete; check out healthystpetefl.com for info about FREE yoga.

Boyd Hill
Walking trails + bird watching = the best afternoon for a family outing!

Tampa Bay Rowdies
A waterfront stadium and an afternoon cheering on the professional soccer team… no worries here!

Kitesurfing
Looking for a rush? St. Pete is home to some of the best kitesurfing in the world.

Mangrove Bay Golf Course
Grab your clubs and hit the links for one of the best 18-hole municipal courses in Florida.