Ohio Weekends > Florida > Saint Petersburg

We first vacationed in Tampa/St. Petersburg in late September 2000, during the middle trimester of our first pregnancy. We got a great deal from Delta Express, making it worth the drive to Columbus, Ohio to catch a plane to Tampa, Florida. We lodged at the Best Western Treasure Island, which was clean, affordable, and conveniently located across the street from the public beach access.

Most mornings began at the Waffle House, since it was located right next to the motel. In our quest to seek out local cuisine over chains, we drove north to the now-defunct Purple Pelican Cafe, a vibe-y cafe in Madeira Beach featuring breakfast, lunch, and arts and crafts from local artists. On the recommendation of the owner, we ventured further north to Indian Shores to visit the injured and orphaned native birds at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.

For dinner, we found Gigi's Italian Restaurant close to our hotel, with several locations in the Saint Petersburg area. A traditional Italian-American restaurant with several locations. If you're looking for more Italian and less American, drive north from Saint Pete Beach to Redington Shores, home to La Vigna Italian Ristorante. The wait staff was a bit aloof and cranky during our vist, but the husband-chef and wife-hostess served an evening of fine Italian dining.

No trip to Florida is complete without fresh seafood and we found ours at Leverock's. A bit tourist-y, but the kind of food you expect to find on the gulf, with beautiful waterside views. We saw dolphins on both our visits. There are several locations along the coast; we dined at the Madeira Beach location, just north of our motel.

When the weather was a bit rough in Treasure Island, we took a quick trip to Tarpon Springs, heart of the sponge-diving industry in Florida. We recommend an authentic Greek lunch at Hella's Restaurant and Bakery, in the shopping district. You can discover Tampa Bay's best ice cream at Strachan's in nearby Palm Harbor.

Finally, the Tampa-St. Petersburg area is rich with Cuban cuisine. We sampled ours at Tio Pepe, a richly furnished Spanish restaurant with Cuban flair.

Pictures from the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

Pictures from Tarpon Springs

Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary
see our pictures from the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary
18328 Gulf Boulevard
Indian Shores, Florida
(727) 391-6211

Gigi's Italian Restaurant
4399 Gulf Boulevard
Saint Petersburg, Florida
(727) 363-3344

Hella's Restaurant and Bakery
View pictures from Tarpon Springs
785 Dodecanese Boulevard
Tarpon Springs, Florida
(727) 943-2400

Leverock's
multiple locations, including
565 150th Avenue
Madeira Beach, Florida
(727) 393-0459

La Vigna Italian Ristorante
17807 Gulf Boulevard
Redington Shores, Florida
(727) 392-8001

Niko's Pizza & Seafood
3705 Tampa Road #5
Oldsmar, Florida
(813) 814-0907

Strachan's Homemade Ice Cream & Desserts
105 Palm Harbor Blvd. (Alt 19 N.)
Palm Harbor, Florida
(727) 781-0997

Tio Pepe
2930 Gulf-To-Bay Boulevard
Clearwater, Florida
(727) 799-3082

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
5250 Gulf Boulevard
St. Petersburg Beach, Florida
(727) 360-1811

Holiday Inn Hotels
11908 Gulf Boulevard
St. Petersburg, Florida
(727) 367-2761

Best Western Treasure Island
11125 Gulf Boulevard
Treasure Island, Florida
(727) 360-6971

St. Petersburg Times newspaper

Tampa Tribune newspaper

WMNF 88.5 MHz
Tampa public radio

WUSF 89.7 MHz
Tampa public radio

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