St. Pete Pier’s history goes deep — 130 years deep, to be exact — which means that even those lifelong residents who have aged to perfection will not remember the very first pier, as it debuted in 1889.
Over the years, Tampa Bay has seen the pier crumble, dust itself off and rise again with any number of eyebrow-raising attractions, including a casino and a literal upside-down pyramid. Without delving too deep into its colorful history, suffice it to say that the St. Pete Pier will continue its longstanding legacy of being St. Pete’s favorite public playground for all ages.
By 2006, a grand restoration project was announced for the pier, but then that project was scrapped. In 2010, it was decided the whole place would be demolished and resurrected. The City of St. Pete invested $92 million into its plan for the pier’s big comeback, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused yet another postponement. Yet at last, in July of 2020, history’s most resilient pier opened its doors to a very patient general public.
The new St. Pete Pier is replete with opportunities for food, lounging, recreation, education, exercise and shopping. The scale of what is available for the doing at today’s pier can hardly be overstated. Let it never be said that Tampa Bay locals and tourists are at a loss for things to do. This place has been bustling with activity since its latest and greatest reopening.
So what, precisely, does the St. Pete Pier offer folks of all ages? Here is the scoop — what visitors can expect, things to see and do and the full extent to which guests can have an absolute blast.
Recreation
Glazer Family Playground
The Glazer Family Playground was built to serve marine fantasy in whatever form a kid might imagine — featuring seashell caves, driftwood-esque jungle gyms, sea-blue turf and climbable rope weavings fit for a pirate. Other playgrounds can go straight to Davy Jones’ locker. Prying a kid from this pseudo-sea haven will result in many salty tears, which really just adds to the marine ambience.
Splash Pad
The St. Pete Splash Pad brings excitement and refreshment from that hot Florida sun for the kids and particularly overheated adults. The average splash pad is pretty self-explanatory, but this is no average pad. Between wild water jets and big-daisy flower showers, pier-going kids will be magnetically drawn from afar to this energetic splashtopia. Bring a swimsuit or prepare for a very soggy ride home.
Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center
If anyone thought they could escape St. Pete Pier without a little education, they were mistaken. That is because the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center is more than a mouthful — it is a brainful as well. At the discovery center, visitors will experience the story of Tampa Bay’s estuaries. It is a restored habitat and protected environment brought back from the brink by the center itself.
Through the center, thousands of volunteers pour effort into acts of environmental maintenance, such as coastal cleaning and salt marsh plantings. This may not be what most pier-goers will undertake during a visit to St. Pete, but visitors can enjoy the center’s indoor exhibit gallery, which features an estuary habitat containing numerous marine species native to the bay.
The center also accommodates school trips with its outdoor wet classroom. Dynamic lectures and demonstrations, coastal walkways and a kid-friendly observation deck will lodge firmly in a student’s memory. Perhaps one of the center’s biggest perks is the floating classroom, a water tour aboard a catamaran eco-vessel. An amphibious field trip sets the education-meets-fun bar pretty high.
Bioswale and picnic area
Looking rather like the expensive courtyard of a nobleman’s mansion, the St. Pete bioswale and picnic area are veined with a lovely walkway of clean white gravel. Shade and fragrant greenery abound in this startling little microcosm. It is a hidden pocket of beauty sure to inspire a casual stroll. If grassy seating amid floral elegance is not a visitor’s idea of heaven, there are benches aplenty on which to picnic as needed. Simple but essential.
Fishing deck
Fishers have been hooking prize catches by the pier since the 19th century. It is less of a free-for-all these days, but St. Pete Pier has remained true to the fishing community, carving out a special fishing platform. Patrons can haul their favorite gear to the deck or get spontaneous and shop for equipment at Gator Jim’s Tackle. This latter storefront just so happens to be conveniently located at the pier. Gator Jim, not to arouse concern, is hungry only for good customer service among his staff.
Marketplace
The pier’s marketplace is a whimsical canvas array of tent-based vendors offering curiosities, keepsakes and other charming souvenirs for the casual patron. Walmart this is not — local flare reaches a new height here at the marketplace. Local-brand bloody Caesar mix? Check. Handmade wood art and zany custom hats? Double check. Enter the marketplace with a bit of cash in pocket, a bit of whimsy in the heart and expect to be pleasantly surprised.
Restaurants and eateries
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille
Doc Ford sounds like a guy who supplemented his dissertation with exquisite home cooking, but after snacking on his seared tuna appetizer with chilled rice noodles and the signature Thai peanut vinaigrette, it is easy to see why. Mussels steamed in a roasted garlic broth? Hot chicken wings with buttermilk blue cheese dressing? The doctor is in, and thank goodness for that.
Pier Teaki
Pier Teaki’s charming wordplay summons dreams of old wood, tribal imagery and delicious grub. Why is it that aging woodcraft promises such savory flavor? Whatever the reason, this restaurant is entitled to spell “tiki” any which way, so long as they continue to serve sweet waffle fries with piña colada dipping sauce. Pair it with one of their pineapple and rum concoctions, and it is officially lunchtime.
Driftwood Cafe
If Tom Hanks had washed up on an island with a Driftwood Cafe, the sheer tastiness of the menu might have strengthened his sanity. Then again, some of the menu is just insanely good. Take the huevos del driftwood — tortilla chips, grilled potatoes, mushrooms and the cafe’s special salsa lathered atop over-medium eggs. The driftwood menu item — albacore tuna salad and cheddar cheese melted on sourdough bread — is the culinary equivalent of being rescued from a desert island by a passing cruise liner.
Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro
Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro offers hot lobster in a Hawaiian roll with drawn butter, or cold with celery, onions and mayo. Regardless of temperature, has a finer or tastier crustacean than lobster ever scuttled along the ocean floor? If this delicacy does not hit the sweet spot, there are always grouper tacos — loaded with blackened grouper, pico de gallo and sour cream in a corn tortilla. Is it medically advisable to live exclusively off seafood? Probably not, but the real question is whether it is doable. Fresco’s hints that it could be.
Spa Beach Bistro
Spa Beach Bistro specializes in pizza and fries — two staples of American comfort food, yes, but it is not all pepperoni and sea salt at Spa Beach. For example, take the sweet heat pizza drizzled in hot honey sauce and sprinkled with red onions and pepperoni. The range of fries travels well beyond what patrons might expect, with sweet potato fries, bacon fries, bacon cheese fries and even eggplant fries. Spa Beach Bistro is there when hungry patrons want the comfort of familiarity and the adventure of novelty at the same time.
Teak
Teak is St. Pete Pier’s go-to in upscale dining. This will be particularly evident when sampling the cheese and charcuterie board. This tantalizing entry includes chorizo, prosciutto, smoked gouda, bacon jam, pickled peppers (no Peter Piper jokes allowed) and more. That is just an appetizer, by the way. Visitors seeking the pinnacle of refined, yet masculine fare can try the 12-oz. New York strip with baked potatoes and roasted garlic — a literal meat n’ potatoes option.
Notable Artwork
Bending Arc
St. Pete Pier’s “Bending Arc” is a feat of floating geometry by renowned architect Janet Echelman. Just think of it — 180 miles of lightweight fiber studded with 1.5 million knots, dwarfing every known Cub Scout accomplishment by a long shot. The coolest part is how the wind alters the basic structure. Refusing to embrace a single form, Echelman’s masterpiece is a shapeshifter that remolds itself with every gust. Artificial projected light is refracted through the arc in different tones and hues, catching attention and inspiring visitors by the minute.
First Flight Monument
Commemorating the planet’s earliest commercial plane takeoff, sculpture “First Flight” is a glimmering steel snapshot of pilot Tony Jannus’ aerial cruise in a Benoist seaplane — a voyage that looked way, way down on Tampa Bay back in 1914. As a gesture to visitors pining for early American engineering, “First Flight” is masterfully sculpted to capture the boxy quaintness of a classic airplane. Being a huge metal statue, however, there is little chance this bad boy will hit the skies. For the curious, here is a bit of info documenting the careful process of bringing “First Flight” to life.
Myth
Nathan Mabry’s sharp monument is among the first works to impress pier-goers near the entrance with its clean, angular frame and striking monochrome. Exploring the contrast between symbol and symbolized, “Myth” is a sizable replica of an origami pelican topped by two realistic pelican statues. The pelicans are exchanging incredulous looks, marveling perhaps at the artistic liberties taken by their chosen perch. Of course, “Myth” is not true origami but a work of smooth metal in vital red.
Morning Stars
Laser-bright “Morning Stars” may be the delight of a visitor’s inner child. This crocheted mosaic-look banner is like spirographs writ large before a galactic, sun-soaked backdrop. Black lightning jets hypnotically form the white-hot center of the largest mandala — nestled in the corner, yet demanding the eye’s attention from the get-go. To thank for this mesmerizing wall-spanner is Seattle artist Xenobia Bailey, touting a name nearly as noteworthy as her unique style.
Olnetopia
Nick Ervinck’s liquid-in-motion sculpture of oxidized bronze, “Olnetopia,” could technically be described as a bronzed beauty. This explosive splash replica presents as tumultuous water physics frozen in time. Its cool teal exterior looks to have burst from an underlying concrete cylinder, charging the area with the illusion of kinetic energy.
