- Parking
- Metered
- Typical crowd
- Steady
- Best for
- A break from downtown, Small children, Sunrise, Walking from the museums
- Facilities
- Restrooms, Showers, Playground and splash pad at the Pier, Restaurants at the Pier
Spa Beach is a compact stretch of sand on Tampa Bay next to the St. Pete Pier, and it is the only real beach in downtown St. Petersburg.
It is not a substitute for the Gulf beaches. The water is bay water, the sand is imported and the view is of the bay and the Skyway rather than an open horizon. What it offers instead is a swim you can walk to from the museums.
It sits inside the chain of waterfront parks that St. Petersburg kept in public hands rather than selling for development, which is the reason a downtown beach exists here at all.
What makes it worth the trip
Sunrise over the bay
This coast is famous for sunsets, but a bay-facing beach means Spa Beach gets the sunrise, and almost nobody is there for it.
The Pier next door
Marketplace, playground, splash pad, public art and a fishing deck, all a short walk along the water.
The museum district
The Dalí, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Chihuly Collection are all within walking distance.
Parking
Metered downtown parking and the Pier garage. Straightforward on a weekday, harder during downtown events.
Rates and hours change. Confirm the current cost with the city, the county or the state park before you go rather than trusting any published figure, including ours.
Crowds
Busy when the Pier is busy, which is most weekends. Weekday mornings are calm.
Rules
- No dogs on the beach.
- Watch the weather. The bay front is exposed and summer storms build fast.
- Swim only in the marked area.
- Glass is banned on every beach in the county. Cans and plastic only.
- Sea turtle nesting runs 1 May to 31 October. Fill in holes, knock down sandcastles, take gear home at night and keep lights off the sand after dark.
- Shorebird nesting areas are roped off in spring and summer. The nests sit on open sand and are nearly invisible, so stay outside the posted zones.
- Beach warning flags are not advisory decoration. Double red means the water is closed. Purple means dangerous marine life, usually jellyfish or red tide.
- Most beach towns clear unattended chairs, tents and umbrellas overnight. Take it with you.
Getting there
Second Avenue NE to the Pier approach in downtown St. Petersburg.
Good for
Photo: Florida Memory / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Source