St. Petersburg, long dismissed as a retirement home for Americans, now projects a younger, fresher image. The downtown activity revolves around a building shaped like an inverted pyramid, known as The Pier, which houses boutiques, restaurants and an observation deck. It towers majestically over the coastal city, affording a panorama that is particularly enchanting in the evening.

Around the peninsula occupied by St. Petersburg, five bridges link the mainland to a string of islands in the Gulf of Mexico. The exquisite beaches and crystal-clear waters of these islands, often called the Holiday Isles, have led to their considerable development. Vacationers of all ages are irresistibly drawn to this heavenly playground, where the most physically exerting activity is often building sandcastles.

The islands located in the extreme south of the archipelago are the least populated. North of the five islands, you come upon the village of Tierra Verde right before St. Petersburg Beach, where a carnivalesque, holiday atmosphere reigns. This sizeable beach features myriad water activities, but there are more sites waiting to be discovered along the sandbanks.