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sunning itself on a peninsula between
Florida's Tampa Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico is the city of st. Petersburg
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in the 1960s st. Pete registered 768
consecutive days of sunshine setting a
world record it still maintains today
earning the nickname sunshine City st.
Pete has long been viewed as a
destination for retirees dreaming of
warmer tomorrows but more recently a
younger crew has moved in intent on
getting their share of sunshine today a
fresh creative energy is making its mark
all over st. Pete especially on the
city's walls st. Pete's downtown has
fast become one of the world's mural
hotspots
download the interactive nap join on a
guided art walk or just keep turning
corners and let the artwork take you by
surprise
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soaking up all that color under the
Florida Sun can be thirsty work but
luckily there's a place to rehydrate
around every corner pull up a seat at
one of st. Pete's many watering holes
and share refreshing ales and
conversation with fellow beer lovers and
then keep walking because there are over
70 incredible murals to discover and if
you see a piece you love just type in
the tag to see even more of the artists
work online
once you've had your mind bent by st.
Pete's murals head inside to the Dali
Museum and explore the surreal works by
one of the greatest mind benders of all
time
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at the to hooli collection have your
mind pried open a little more by the
American Godfather of glass sculpture
then head all over to the Mauryan Arts
Center and feel the heat as master
blowers pushed this centuries-old craft
toward New Horizons st. Petersburg has
become something of a center for glass
sculpture
since this artform exploded onto the
scene in the 1960s at the imagine museum
experienced the newest wave of glass
expression from around the globe
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if you like your art a little more
old-school check out the Museum of Fine
Art which houses treasures spanning five
thousand years or step from Central
Avenue into the sandstone Canyon of the
James Museum which brings the Old West
to the east coast
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of course Florida's greatest creator is
the son whose warm rays bring out not
just the best in us but in nature too
a short walk north from st. Pete's
downtown are the sunken gardens one of
Florida's horticultural jewels
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while just a 15-minute drive further
north is Sawgrass Park where a mile-long
boardwalk crosses one of the largest
maple swamps on the Gulf Coast but leave
your towel in the car this is no place
for swimming
when it is time to hit the water you
don't have to travel far st. Pete's Gulf
Coast is paralleled by a 30-mile chain
of Sandy barrier islands each connected
to the mainland by bridges and it's here
just a 10 mile ride from downtown st.
Petersburg that you'll find some of the
best beaches in America
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cool off in the waters of st. Pete's
beach whose pure sands are caressed by
the same tides as Cancun and Havana
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for something quieter head south to Fort
DeSoto Park a nature sanctuary spread
across five island keys explore the
ramparts of the 100-year old fort where
according to historians the fiercest
foes the Garrison's ever faced
were the resident mosquitoes
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follow st. Pete's barrier islands north
to Clearwater whose worms shallow waters
and kid-friendly vibes have long made it
a favorite with families
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stop by the Clearwater aquarium and meet
folks dedicated to the rescue
rehabilitation and release of injured
marine reptiles and mammals
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then head to the marina and sign up for
a tour to see these incredible sea
creatures in the wild but there's more
to Clearwater than just it's brilliant
Clearwater the city itself offers plenty
of ways to cool your heels when you need
a break from the hot sands
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things are even more chilled out right
next door in the city of Dunedin with an
absence of chain stores and an abundance
of bike trails the living here is easy
especially when a cool ale from
Florida's oldest micro brewery is close
at hand
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whether it's sharing a craft beer with
locals leaving your footsteps on the
ever-changing canvas of the sands while
watching the Sun splash its evening
mural across the sky st. Petersburg man
its neighbors have mastered the art of
living and that as we all know is the
best part of all
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