Updated: December 17, 2025
This guide covers the area's thriving craft brewery scene with over 20 taprooms, Shell Key's remote island paradise accessible only by boat, a weekly farmers market that feels like a street party, and family-friendly playgrounds with waterfront views and live entertainment.
From beer to playgrounds, and everything in between, the locals in St. Pete Beach know a good thing when they see it.
Welcome to the "Gulp Coast," pun completely intended. Running from Clearwater to St. Pete, the Craft Beer Trails lets you explore more than 40 craft and small batch breweries. Twenty of these breweries can be found in St. Pete and St. Pete's Beach, including 3 Daughters Brewing, a warehouse filled with games like cornhole and live music which opened in December 2013.
Cage Brewing is another local favorite and one that I and my husband visit regularly, with up to 20 taps of craft beers and arcade games. Your trip along the Craft Beer Trail wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Green Bench Brewing Company, which opened in 2013 as St. Petersburg's first production brewery. Be sure to grab a 'Craft Beer Passport" and have it stamped at each stop and take notes on your favorites.
As the name indicates, Shell Key is the perfect spot for a quiet day of shelling, snorkeling, kayaking, and exploring. An unhabituated island between Fort De Soto and Pass-A-Grille, the only way to get to Shell Key is by boat. Shell Key, the main island, is 195 acres large and offers no amenities or facilities. The best way to get there is to kayak, and I love the experience because it gives me the opportunity to explore more of the island, but the Shell Island Shuttle boat runs daily if you prefer to use the boat instead. Bring all your own food, water, amenities and trash receptacles. And be sure not to miss your ride home!
The Corey Avenue Sunday Market features about 100 vendors, selling locally produced and sourced fruits, vegetables, and meats, homemade baked goods, jams, jellies, honey, and well as arts, crafts, candles, and other fair trade and eco-friendly products. Open every Sunday year-round, the Corey Avenue feels like a street party and makes shopping a pleasure and not a chore.
St. Pete's Beach has a ton of community playgrounds for when little ones need a respite from the sand and the surf. Horan Park, faces the water, has plenty of room for kids to run, and has concerts and entertainment evenings almost year-round. This playground is fully adapted for children of all abilities to play. So, bring a chair or a blanket, some snacks, and settle in for a great evening.
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