St Petersburg · Clearwater Area Florida Hotels, Lodging and Bed and Breakfasts

Florida’s Beach, as one imagines it, awaits on the Gulf of Mexico as St. Petersburg/Clearwater – Florida’s Beach. Thirty-five miles of Gulf of Mexico beaches sparkle in the unique setting that also features the resort communities of St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Dunedin, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs. Florida’s Beach is everything Florida, and a whole lot more. Reinforcing the beauty of area beaches “Dr. Beach,” Florida International University professor Dr. Stephen Leatherman, rates three area beaches among the nation’s finest. In his most recent survey, Fort De Soto Park is ranked as having the best beach in the United States, followed by Caladesi Island at #4. Clearwater Beach rated as the #1 city beach in the Gulf Region.

The Salvador Dali Museum contains the world’s most extensive collection devoted exclusively to this famous Spanish master. The Museum of Fine Arts is noted for its display of French impressionist paintings and other collections. There is also the St. Petersburg Museum of History, while Heritage Village in Largo offers historical exhibits, and a self-guided tour among the restored homes and buildings provides an insight into the lifestyle of Florida’s pioneers. The Florida International Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, brings world-class, Smithsonian exhibitions to St. Petersburg on a regular basis. FIM augments its collection with rotating exhibits from various lenders including the Smithsonian Institution, Mr. Cecil Stoughton, former White House Photographer and Mr. Robert Davidoff, Palm Beach Photographer. Past lenders for other exhibitions have included the Moscow Kremlin Museums, Greek Ministry of Culture, Fondazione Memmo, Rome and the National Institute of Peru. In the north end of Florida’s Beach, visitors will find Tarpon Springs — one of Florida’s most unique communities. It became America’s sponge capital when Greek sponge divers settled there in the early 1900s, and sponge boats still operate from its scenic docks. A visit to Tarpon Springs transports one to a small fishing village in Greece and the Greek heritage is maintained with religious, music and food festivals during the year.

Many properties in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area have turned to the Superior Small Lodging program in conjunction with the area’s Convention & Visitors Bureau for a new way to brand their properties. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater CVB this month released its 2004 Superior Small Lodging brochure and updated its Web site highlighting these unique properties. And in St. Petersburg, a group of Bed & Breakfast properties has joined together as the St. Petersburg Area Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns (SPAABBI) and teamed with an airline partner to market their properties.