Pinellas County has five distinct draws within 45 minutes of each other: Clearwater Beach for Gulf swimming, the Dalí Museum for world-class art, the rebuilt St. Pete Pier for downtown waterfront, and Tarpon Springs for Greek sponge docks and an Orthodox cathedral. St. Petersburg is the natural hub — the Dalí Museum and St. Pete Pier are 0.3 miles apart on the waterfront, and both Clearwater and Tarpon Springs are easy day trips north.
Jump to: Beaches · Art & Museums · The Waterfront · Tarpon Springs · Planning Notes · Also worth visiting
Beaches
Clearwater Beach Must-see
Pinellas County · Clearwater
Clearwater Beach is a 2.5-mile barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico, 20 miles northwest of downtown St. Petersburg. The sand is fine quartz — the same silica-rich material found along much of the Gulf Coast — which stays white and noticeably cooler than Atlantic-facing sand on summer afternoons. Gulf water temperatures average 80°F in July and August. The main public beach at Pier 60 has free water access, lifeguards on duty daily 9:30am–4:30pm, outdoor showers, and metered parking at $3 per hour in the adjacent garage.
The Pier 60 Sunset Festival runs nightly starting two hours before sundown — street performers and artisan vendors gather at the end of the pier as the sun sets over the Gulf. Entry is free and the event runs year-round. Clearwater Beach Boulevard has watersport rentals, boat charters for dolphin tours ($25–30/person), and multiple casual dining options. The Suncoast Beach Trolley connects downtown St. Pete to Clearwater Beach along Gulf Boulevard for $2.25 per ride, making the trip car-free if you're staying downtown.
Art & Museums
The Salvador Dalí Museum
Pinellas County · St. Petersburg
The Salvador Dalí Museum holds 2,400+ works spanning Dalí's entire career from 1914 to 1970, including 96 oil paintings and his six largest canvases — the most complete collection of his work in the western hemisphere outside his foundation in Figueres, Spain. The collection was assembled over four decades by Ohio industrialists A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, personal friends of Dalí who began buying his work in 1942 and donated the entire collection to St. Petersburg in 1982. Admission is $30 for adults, $20 for ages 13–17, free for children under 6.
The current building opened in 2011 and was designed specifically to house the largest Dalí canvases — paintings that physically could not fit through standard doorways and were designed to be displayed here. The signature exterior feature is 'The Enigma,' a 75-foot geodesic glass bubble that protrudes from the concrete structure and floods the top-floor galleries with natural light. The museum is on the St. Petersburg waterfront at 1 Dalí Boulevard, 0.3 miles south of the St. Pete Pier. Closed Tuesdays.
The Waterfront
The St. Pete Pier Must-see
Pinellas County · St. Petersburg
The St. Pete Pier is a 26-acre waterfront park and 1,200-foot pier in downtown St. Petersburg, opened in July 2020 after a $92 million rebuild of the site. The pier extends into Tampa Bay with views back to the downtown skyline. Facilities include a family splash pad (free), fishing access open to the public, kayak and paddleboard rentals ($25/hour), a rooftop bar, and four waterfront restaurants covering casual to full-service dining.
Entry to the pier is free; the adjacent parking garage charges $2 per hour. The Dalí Museum is a 5-minute walk south along the waterfront promenade. The pier is open daily — 6am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, 6am to midnight Friday and Saturday. Fishing is permitted from the pier; Florida non-residents need a saltwater fishing license ($17 per week, available at the bait shop on the pier).
Tarpon Springs
Tarpon Springs is 28 miles north of downtown St. Petersburg — about 40 minutes by car. Greek sponge divers from the Dodecanese Islands settled here in the 1880s and built the largest natural sponge industry in the US. The Sponge Docks and St. Nicholas Cathedral are a natural half-day excursion from St. Pete.
Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks Greek Seafood Row Must-see
Pinellas County · Tarpon Springs
The Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks sit on Dodecanese Boulevard — a two-block waterfront strip of Greek restaurants, bakeries, sponge shops, and boat charter docks free to walk without admission. Sponge-diving boat tours depart from the docks ($15–20 per person) and include an underwater diving demonstration showing how natural sponges are harvested from Gulf seabeds, the same method Greek divers brought from the Aegean in the 1880s. The restaurants serve Greek standards: whole fish grilled to order, spanakopita, loukoumades, and traditional Greek coffee. Hellas Restaurant and Mykonos are both long-established anchors on the strip.
The Spongeorama Museum on Dodecanese Boulevard documents the sponge-diving history with vintage gear and photographs — free admission. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any US city. The best time to visit is January 6 for the Epiphany Celebration, when young Greek men dive into Spring Bayou for a golden cross in front of 15,000–20,000 spectators. Most Sponge Docks restaurants run 11am to 9pm daily.
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Epiphany Celebration) Must-see
Pinellas County · Tarpon Springs
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral is on Pinellas Avenue in Tarpon Springs, three blocks from the Sponge Docks. The current Byzantine Revival structure was built in 1943 with a green copper dome, marble columns imported from Greece, and interior mosaics modeled after those of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The cathedral is the spiritual center of the Tarpon Springs Greek community and is open to visitors daily, typically 9am to 4pm, at no charge.
The cathedral's Epiphany Celebration on January 6 is the largest Greek Orthodox Epiphany observance outside of Greece. The service begins at the cathedral and moves to Spring Bayou, 0.4 miles away, where the Archbishop blesses the water and young Greek men dive for a golden cross. The diver who retrieves it is said to receive a year of blessings. Crowds of 15,000–20,000 attend the bayou ceremony each year. Outside of January, the cathedral is a 20–30 minute stop alongside the Sponge Docks.
Planning Notes
Where to stay: Downtown St. Petersburg puts you walking distance from the Dalí Museum and St. Pete Pier and is the most central base for reaching Clearwater and Tarpon Springs by car. For beach-first travelers, Clearwater Beach hotels sit directly on the Gulf, 30 minutes from downtown St. Pete. Tarpon Springs is best visited as a day trip rather than a base.
Book ahead: The Dalí Museum sells timed entry online — book a few days ahead for weekend visits to avoid sold-out slots. The St. Pete Pier and Clearwater Beach require no advance booking. Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks restaurants are walk-in only; arrive before noon or after 2pm to skip the lunch rush.
Getting around: Downtown St. Pete is compact — the Dalí Museum and St. Pete Pier are 0.3 miles apart. A car is needed for Clearwater Beach (30 minutes north) and Tarpon Springs (40 minutes north). The Suncoast Beach Trolley runs between downtown St. Pete and Clearwater Beach if you want the beach trip without driving.
