with kids! 
St. Petersburg was the most underrated place we visited during our Florida visit. We spent three weeks here, but that wasn’t nearly enough time to enjoy all of the wheelchair accessible St. Petersburg options for families. It’s situation between the Gulf and the Tampa Bay leaves you with breathtaking views everywhere you look, the city is thriving in arts and eats (a personal favorite), and there are endless options for fun for all ages. Here’s everything you need to know on wheelchair accessible St. Petersburg with kids!
When to Go
Welcome to the magic that is Florida: there’s no bad time to visit. Crowds grow over the winter holidays and spring break, but with good reason. It’s a great escape from the cold. That being said, it’s not as far south as other Florida beach destinations, so even in the peak of summer it stays mostly in the 80’s.
Getting There and Around
You can fly directly into St. Pete… but it’ll cost you. You can fly into Tampa, just across the bridge for a more typical fare. Or, make the hour and a half drive to fly into Orlando, if you’re looking for a budget trip.
We actually drove down from Pennsylvania. Parking with a handicap placard in Florida is free in all public spaces and lots, so it was fairly easy to go where wherever we wanted to go… and find parking. I know the traffic is too much for some people, but I didn’t think it was any worse than driving in Philly or another comparable city.
What to Do
There’s so much here that I’m going to break it into categories for you. This is a great destination for slow travel, as there are so many types of things to fill your time.
The Art Scene
Dali Museum
At the heart of St. Petersburg’s art scene is the Dali Museum, showcasing the life and works of Salvador Dali. As the most notable stop in the art scene, it’s also the hardest to get into with Covid regulations… we didn’t get to go! Make sure you book in advance, since admission is capped and the run out of tickets.
Central Ave
The good news is, this one has no admission cap! Central Ave, and the surrounding streets and alleys, are covered in art. Also, the places that are all painted up are shops, restaurants, and museums. You can wander through this art door gallery all day, if you’re up for it, and get all your meals, treats, and souvenirs along the way!
Morean Arts Center
The Morean Arts Center can be a stop along your tour of Central Ave. The main building offers free admission and features a variety of artists. One of the things we really loved here was the kids’ art features. They showcase a variety of styles and ability levels from kids that have done classes there. It was neat for my kids to see artwork, that was done at their ability level, showcased in a gallery. I think that inspired their desire to create more than anything else we saw.
Chihuly Collection
The Chihuly Collection is hosted through the Morean Arts Center, in a building across the street. Dale Chihuly was a pioneer in the world of studio glass, which makes this gallery a different experience than one filled with the typical paintings and sculptures. They do charge admission, but you can get in for $3 with your ACCESS card.
Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts is a more typical art museum, but I was impressed by both the diversity of the collection, and the names behind the masterpieces. I snapped a picture with one of my favorite Monet’s and enjoyed seeing famed modern art works in person. There were only a handful of people there when we visited, and the staff were welcoming and ready to answer all the questions my kids threw at them (even the new security guard).
Galleries
Go ahead and google-map “gallery near me”. You’re likely to find something you can walk to. There are galleries spotting every main street and shopping center. We enjoyed popping into a few near Straub Park.
The Outdoor Scene
You are in Florida, after all – of course there’s plenty of beauty and fun to be found outdoors!
Sunken Gardens
Is this place on your bucket list? No? Please, pause your reading and make a note somewhere that you want to visit here. The Sunken Gardens only made my list because my mom really wanted to go. It was so beautiful. There are no words. Think botanical garden meets history meets zoological park. The 100 year old gardens were planted in and around a drained lake, growing a lush and mystical forest of tropical plants below sea level. The campus has paved paths and is easy to navigate with a wheelchair.
Fort de Soto
Fort de Soto was not at all what I expected. I envisioned fort ruins strewn along the shore, uncovered to be explored only at low tide. It’s not that. It’s an old fort near the water; but, there is one small section of sunken walls in the water. The bigger find here was the wildlife. The shore was filled with living creatures from starfish and sand dollars to hermit crabs and octopi! It was incredible. I know people also visit for the birds and other sea life… but we were too distracted by all that was right in front of us to look much farther. Your handicap placard gets you free admission and parking at the park. Beach wheelchairs are available upon request.
Pier
The St. Pete Pier is the only place that we visited multiple times during our stay. Between enjoying the views of the pier, discovering wildlife at Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, doing wheelies in the pop jets (in the wheelchair – bikes not permitted in the jets), climbing through the playground, and strolling through the marketplace, there was always plenty to do.
North Straub Park
I have no idea why I wrote this on my original list, and boy were my kids disappointed to find I took them to a park with no playground! Instead, we found a great picnic space with impressive Banyan trees. The trees are neat to see, and directly across from them is Beach Dr. – a street with a boardwalk feel in the way it’s lined with stores, restaurants, galleries, and ice cream shops!
Farmer’s Market
Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete is no joke. The massive outdoor market is a great place to check out local goods, and sample local eats. If you’re in town long enough to need groceries, it’s also a great produce stop! We stuck with pies, empanadas, pastries, and… rocks… yeah… my kids are really into rocks.
The Beach
Make sure you catch a sunset.
The kids had a blast at Treasure Island, and they were certain there were real pirates lurking around every corner. Treasure Island also had a lot of the shops and restaurants of a beach town. That being said, any of the beach areas seemed equally beautiful in sand and water. You can’t go wrong – just head to the gulf.
The biggest downside in this corner was the lack of beach wheelchairs. You can rent them, but none of the St. Petersburg beaches had them for loan. Treasure Island has a MobiMat out to the shore, which makes it the most wheelchair friendly option. If you head north to Clearwater, they do have beach wheelchairs available.
The Play Scene
Ok, so it’s all been fun and games, but here are the real play highlights!
Great Explorations Children’s Museum
With climbing areas, sand pits, science corners, art centers, and a play grocery store, hospital, and firetruck, you can play all day. While mask-wearing and social distancing are required, we’ll enjoy this one a little more post-covid when there’s less anxiety about germ spread. Admission is $2 with your ACCESS card.
Playgrounds
In addition to the playground at the pier, we enjoyed Coffee Pot Park uptown and Champion Park in the center of downtown. Unfortunately, none of these playgrounds had a lot for wheelchair users. Check out the playground we found just north, in Clearwater if you need an awesome all-abilities playground.
More
I can’t imagine how you could possibly still be looking for more ways to play, but, if you are, here are some more ideas.
Dinosaur world is about 45 minutes east and offers lots of dino fun at a reasonable price. There’s a safari drive-thru just north of Tampa. Clearwater is about 20 minutes north and has enough attractions to last you another few weeks. LEGOLAND is an hour and a half, but absolutely worth the drive.
Where to Eat
Maple St. Biscuit Company
When I highlighted Maple St. Biscuit Company in my St. Augustine guide, I had no idea it was a chain! For my next road trip, I’m planning it around their locations… It’s a perfect blend of all things breakfast.
Columbia Restaurant
Columbia Restaurant looks like the type of fine dining establishment I would be nervous to take my kids into… but it’s a pandemic and take out is fantastic. Licked my plate… erm, to-go container… clean. If dinner is too pricey, they have fantastic lunch specials. Authentically Cuban, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world.
The Lure Ono
The Lure Ono is a different kind of stop with unique offerings right along your route in the art district. There’s a special for every holiday… and every day is a holiday! Why not try a Spam slider? It’s a thing.
Urban Creamery
Also a part of your art stroll on Central Ave., Urban Creamery provides the fresh, creamy ice cream you’d expect in my corner of the world (farm country). They even have a vegan menu.
Where to Stay
Because of some last minute Covid changes, we ended up hopping around a bit – which means we can give you a thorough review of the best (and worst) places to stay!
Where Not to Stay
Let me start here. This is a brand new category for me! It was bad enough that I feel travelers should be warned.
Airport Area
It’s not unusual for us to stay just out of town, closer to the airport. Typically, the hotels are more diverse and the prices are significantly lower. For these reasons, we booked a chain hotel that we’ve stayed with several times, in the airport region of St. Pete. If you need to know the hotel name, feel free to send me a message, but it’s best to avoid the area altogether. Our hotel was within walking distance from the homeless shelter and it was not uncommon for homeless men to wander in and out… or for an ambulance to be on site because of a drug overdose. We had to stop using the stairwell because of drug use in the halls. Pay the extra money to stay in town, or drive the extra 20 minutes to stay in Tampa. It’s worth it.
Fairfield Inn and Suites
While we were in the airport area and looking to find a better place to stay, I called Fairfield Inn and Suites St. Petersburg North to ask what they were doing for breakfast. When the manager heard about our current situation, and that all we were offered for breakfast was a cheap, prepackaged cinnamon roll and a mini bottle of water, she invited us over for fresh grits, eggs, and sausage. Obviously, we transferred to her hotel.
In addition to an impressive feast each morning (served up to take back to our room), we received the warmest customer service I’ve ever witnessed at a hotel. We were treated like family. I loved seeing the way the employees interacted together and with their management, and the way they welcomed us in as an extension of that. We were excited to come down to breakfast each morning and check in with our new friends. I wish we could’ve stayed here forever.
HomeExchange
HomeExchange hosted us in Madeira Bay, but they have several homes in the area… and most of them are on the beach! We went to bed with the sun going down over the ocean on one side of the building, and woke up to the sun coming up over the bay outside our window. If you haven’t looked into HomeExchange, it’s a neat way to travel, and surprisingly accessible. You can check out our review here. It’s a wonderful thing to feel at home… when you’re not at home.
Tru
If you prefer to stay right in the city – Tru by Hilton is the winner. Tru is right in the middle of the downtown art scene and within an easy range of all your wheelchair accessible St. Petersburg activities. This hotel is hip and fun… and will be AMAZING when this pandemic is over. The lobby is designed for community with free pool tables, shuffleboard, arcade games, and other great games and hang out spaces. It also has a couple of decks overlooking the city. Their parking is by valet only on weekends, which feels messy, but street parking is free with your handicap placard.
Wesley’s Review: I liked the pier, the Museum of Fine Arts, the kids’ museum, the fort, the Sunken Gardens, the house, and the food everywhere. I loved Treasure Island. It was all awesome.
Jaden’s Review: You should do exercise at All Children’s physical therapy. The popsicles were cold and I liked sitting in my wheelchair and getting sprayed in the pop jets. That was the crazy part.
Nella’s Review: I liked all the hotels. I liked when we went to the beach and the pop jets. I liked that and getting water on my feet at the beach.
