- Parking
- Metered
- Typical crowd
- Busy
- Best for
- Resorts and amenities, Sunset drinks, Watersports, Walking to food
- Facilities
- Restrooms, Showers, Lifeguards seasonally, Rentals, Bars and restaurants
St. Pete Beach is the resort stretch of the county. The Don CeSar, the pink Mediterranean-revival hotel that has stood here since 1928, is the landmark everyone uses to orient themselves.
The beach is wide and well kept, with the highest concentration of hotels, bars and rental operations south of Clearwater. If you want a beach where you can hire a chair, buy a drink and not think about logistics, this is it.
Upham Beach at the northern end is a separate character: a county-maintained stretch that has been the subject of long-running erosion control work, with distinctive groins holding the sand in place.
What makes it worth the trip
The Don CeSar
Open since 1928, visible from most of the beach, and worth walking through even if you are not staying.
Upham Beach
The northern end, with the erosion control structures that have kept this stretch of sand in place. Quieter than the resort core.
Everything within walking distance
Rare on this coast. You can park once and spend a whole day without moving the car.
Parking
Metered lots and street spaces, plus hotel parking for guests. Upham Beach has its own lot. Busy stretches turn over slowly in season.
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
Consistently busy, though it spreads along a long stretch of sand rather than concentrating at one point.
Rules
- Dogs are not permitted on the beach.
- Alcohol rules are set by the city.
- Watch for the flag posted at your access point.
- 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
Pinellas Bayway west from I-275, or Gulf Boulevard south from Treasure Island.
Good for
Photo: Beyond My Ken / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source