St Petersburg Tourist Attractions
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Top Tourist Attractions in St Petersburg
The city of St Petersburg, famed for its perpetual sunshine, lies on the Pinellas peninsula on the central Gulf Coast of Florida, between Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay. Off the peninsula is a chain of long, narrow islands. There are wide beaches and numerous marinas along this stretch of coast.HistoryThe town was founded in 1876 and named after the home town of a Russian businessman who was much involved in the enterprise. In the 1880s the Pinellas Sunshine Coast was already renowned for its healthy climate and attracted a steady increase in population, mainly older people.St Petersburg appeared in the Guinness Book of Records when the sun shone on every single day from 1967 to 1969. From 1910 to 1986 the local paper, the "Evening Independent", was given away free on any day on which the sun did not shine, and this cost the publishers only very small losses.
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Sunshine Skyway
Sunshine Skyway (I 275/US 19; toll). This multi-lane "highway on stilts", 12 miles/20km long, curves gracefully across the entrance to Tampa Bay. Its central feature is a 4-1/4 mile/6.8km long high-level bridge, the middle section of which is suspended from two gigantic pylons, allowing the passage of large ocean-going vessels. The old bridge was rammed by a cargo ship in 1980 and partly collapsed; several vehicles were hurled into the sea, and more than 30 people lost their lives. Parts of the old bridge now serve as piers for anglers.From the drive over the new bridge there are beautiful views out over the ocean. The bridge itself is also a beautiful sight and often photographed.
Fort DeSoto Park
Five different keys make up the 900-acre Fort DeSoto Park. There are numerous nature and recreation trails suited for hiking, biking, roller-blading and walking. There is also a swimming beach and two fishing piers.The park is named for the fort located on the southern end of Mullet Key. It was built in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, but never saw action. Remains of the fort can be visited and there are weekly guided tours.
Fort De Soto
Fort De Soto has the only four 12-inch seacoast rifled mortars (model 1890 mounted on 1896 carriages) in the United States. Also at the fort are two 6-inch Armstrong rapid-fire rifled guns (model 1898) which were originally mounted at Fort Dade, and are the last two guns of that model year in the United States.Fort De Soto was never the site of any major battle but it played a significant part in the evolution of modern weaponry.
Florida Holocaust Museum and Educational Center
Dedicated to the six million Jews and five million children, gypsies, mentally and physical disabled, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, political dissidents, and Resistance Movement members killed by the Nazis during the holocaust. The exhibits at the Florida Holocaust Museum and Educational Center document the past as well as explore the contemporary Jewish experience. One of the original boxcars used to transport victims to the concentration camps sits outside the museum entrance.
Boyd Hill Nature Park
Boyd Hill Nature Park is a 245-acre nature reserve containing more than three miles of trails and boardwalks located on the western shores of Lake Maggiore. The wooded area supports a variety of bird and animal-life including egrets, bald eagles, opossum, fox squirrels, turtles, frogs and alligators. There is an information center with interpretative exhibits.
Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts (formerly Bayfront Center)
Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts is a multi-use entertainment and convention complex made up of the following facilities: the Mahaffey Theater, the Grand Ballroom and the Bay View room. It hosts sporting events, theatrical productions, conventions and trade shows.
Science Center of Pinellas County
The Science Center offers a hands-on approach to the study of science through ongoing exhibits. Science laboratories, educational workshops, the marine room, field studies, an observatory and replica of a 16th century Indian village are some of the highlights of the Science Center.
Sunken Gardens
In 1903 George Turner Sr began planting as a hobby. Today, Sunken Gardens is a five-acre tropical garden filled with local and exotic plants, and flowers. There is a Japanese garden, butterfly garden, cactus garden as well as a walk-through aviary and wax sculptures of biblical characters in the visitor's center.
Kopsick Palm Arboretum
Kopsick Palm Arboretum is a botanical garden with over 500 palms representing more than 100 different species from around the world. Kopsick Palm Arboretum began in 1976 with 60 palms representing 10 species.
P. Buckley Moss Gallery
The P. Buckley Moss Gallery displays an extensive collection of work by P. Buckley Moss, who focused on Amish and Mennonite themes. The collection features oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, etchings, offset lithographs and porcelain items.
Florida Military Aviation Museum
The Florida Military Aviation Museum features aircraft, vehicles and artifacts that have been preserved to exhibit Florida's role in military aviation.
Map of St Petersburg Attractions
Map - St. Petersburg
