24 Hours in St. Pete

We recently revisted St. Petersburg, Florida. The town where we fell in love - always special, always changing. As part of a larger family trip, we just had 24 hours to explore.

Our focus in recent years has been downtown. For affordability and walkability, we continue to stay at the Hollander. It is convenient and comfortable, has a decent bar and displays some local history.

Enjoying the Florida winter weather, we took a lovely evening stroll from the hotel to Central Avenue. We grabbed a drink at Voodoo Brewing Co. along the way - a lively, large space with several fun drink options.

Central Avenue has changed so much over the years. Our earliest memories together include First Friday - closing down the street to pedestrians with live entertainment and lively bars (apparently this stopped and then restarted). Central still has numerous bars and restaurants, but it now extends northward several more blocks. The establishments come and go, so we were excited to have a date at the reopened Melting Pot (previously on 4th Street, now on Central).

The old location was more romantic, but the cheese and chocolate here is just as good. There is a neat outdoor option where you can belly up to the bar for your fondue (we sat indoors).

After dinner, we continued our nighttime stroll to Beach Drive. This street continues the party, with more bars and restaurants, positioned near the water. One of our favorite bars is the Flute & Dram, a chic champagne bar.

In the morning, with just a few more hours to spare, we attended the Chihuly Collection (on Central). This small collection is meticulously arranged through small and large rooms, allowing you to absorb the beauty and uniqueness of some of Dale Chihuly's masterpieces.

To round it out, Nikki had to try one of the new book shops on 1st Avenue. Tombolo Books has an interesting collection and vibe!

Downtown St. Pete is a gem. So much more to see, do and eat. We'll come back, again and again, even if only for 24 hours.