Palmy days in the land of sea turtles and spider crabs

EARLY morning on St Pete Beach and we’re scanning the silver sands above the waterline for sea turtles. Our hosts at the Postcard Inn on the Beach have told us there’s a new nest just beyond the boardwalk, but our search is in vain. Instead we saunter along the shoreline for miles, basking in the unaccustomed warmth. After a delayed transatlantic flight and a late night hire car arrival on the Gulf Coast this is heaven.

For $80 combine your ox cheek benedict with tarragon caper cream, maple snickerdoodle pancakes, Nutella French toast, smoked salmon dip, bacon and breakfast potatoes

One of those generous American breakfast awaits us, but for the moment we are happy to splash among the shallows and watch the most skittish of birds, sanderlings, chase the ebbing tide like clockwork toys.

Ahead of us on its bluff rises a piece of Florida heritage, the restored Don Cesar Beach Resort, resembling some giant flamingo pink sandcastle. Back in the Jazz Age it hosted the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald. These days this jolly strip is less exclusive, decidedly built-up, but the manicured beach, regularly named one of the States’ top five, retains its allure and the sunsets are epic. 

A great place to take one in is another piece of heritage, Crabby Bill’s. Less the fish shack it once was - it now has its own merchandise shop - it’s still the place to go for legendary spider crabs and the obligatory margarita or two. After dinner there, the last rays ebbing away, we enjoyed a romantic stroll back along the beach to our base. At weekends the Postcard Inn is cocktail-fuelled party central, spilling over onto the beach. A Saturday wedding by the pool doubled the intensity, but it all felt joyous rather than rowdy. A big revamp will take the motel-style rooms more upmarket without spoiling the charm, I hope.

If this launch pad played up to expectations of the Sunshine State much of our road trip highlighted a more sophisticated side – groundbreaking museums, fascinating heritage districts and one of America’s finest ballet companies led by a Scarborough exile dubbed the real life Billy Elliot. Along the way we would visit St Petersburg, Tampa and, eventually Sarasota (check out parts 2 and 3 of our Florida Road Trip).

But first we headed north up Gulf Boulevard in search of an archetypal beach experience that also takes in the ecological strains along such a populated coastline…

Dolphin rehab and Sweet Caroline on Clearwater Beach

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is more than just a collection of aquatic viewing tanks; it is also a non-profit research facility dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals. Sea turtles like the one on St Pete Beach are among many creatures at constant risk – of being hit by boats or as victims of discarded plastic.

The Aquarium offers a fun family-friendly day out, but access to its operating theatres and conservation charts adds an extra dimension. Winter the bottlenose dolphin died a couple of years ago but her spirit lives on as emblematic of what they do. Back in 2005, as a youngster, she was mutilated after becoming entangled in a crab trap line and was fitted with the first-ever functioning prosthetic tail for a dolphin.

Just across the causeway is the Palm Pavilion Beachside Grille and Bar, bang on the beach since 1926 and a perennial winner of the region’s Best Beach Bar. On the vintage wooden verandah we couldn’t resist gator bites to nibble with our Green Bench Sunshine City IPA (St Petersburg’s finest) before tackling our 'Gulf Grill Combos' of blackened grouper and skewers of shrimp and scallops served over jasmine rice with chilli-lime hollandaise. 

After which it was time for a snooze under a Palm Pavilion beach umbrella to the lapping soundtrack of the Gulf of Mexico. Heading back, the joint was rocking to the strains of Sweet Caroline. Time for another Sunshine City, natch.

From St Pete Pier to the Wild West via an epic brunch

Our mooch around St Petersburg proper was very different but equally striking. This city, yoked to Clearwater, is shaking off an unmerited reputation as a staid retirement destination. The flagship for this reinvention is undoubtedly St Pete Pier, which has reclaimed 26 acres of waterfront. Check out Janet Echelman’s aerial sculpture, The Bending Arc. Composed of 1,662,528 knots and 180 miles of twine, its spans 424ft and rises to 72ft. At ground level, for the kids, there’s the marine-themed Glazer Family Playground (yes those Glazers, Tampa Bay grandees). We caught the cute free trolley to the pierhead for a breezy cocktail and cityscape views aloft in Pier Teaki.

There are retail possibilities aplenty along the Pier, but more my scene was the nearby Saturday Farmers Market – proof of the Tampa region’s rich foodie scene. Arguably the best brunch spot in town is The Library. Eclectically ‘inspired’ by the famous George Peabody Library in Baltimore, it is located inside the local children’s hospital. Here ox cheek benedict made its delicious debut in my life. For $80 combine it with tarragon caper cream, maple snickerdoodle pancakes, Nutella French toast, smoked salmon dip, bacon and breakfast potatoes – ie. throw the book at it!

That’s the ballast to set you up for visiting one of St Petersburg’s extensive roster of museums. The one with global fame is The Dali. It’s nothing if not comprehensive, home to 2,400 of his works plus Dalí Alive 360°, an immersive experience celebrating his outlandish genius.

A more intimate alternative is another pet project of an affluent local family. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art displays a modest 400 artworks relating to the history of the American West and the world’s wild animals, the former aspect particularly revelatory. Open just five years as a gift to the city, it champions contemporary artists in what had seemed a niche field but is full of insights into the legend and the reality of the Frontier. There’s more than just a touch of the surreal here too among its shamanic insights. A must-visit for Mary James’ native jewellery collection alone.

Why Grand Central District is St Petersburg’s capital of cool

Glass glitters strongly across the St Petersburg museum scene. The Chihuly Collection is a showcase for eponymous artist Dale’s spectacular crystalline sculptures and installations. We forayed a mile west down Central Avenue to visit the lower profile Imagine Museum, an eye-opening collection of contemporary glass art from around the world and found ourselves revelling in St Pete’s coolest strip.

The abundant street art provides the first clue. Diverse is the word – from the influence of the LGBTQ+ community 'gayborhood' hot spot of the pool bar at the Mari Jean Hotel to the parade of independent coffee outlets and bookshops, taquerias and taprooms (plus the off-the leash canine park at The Dog Bar). Added ambience too if you stray off the Avenue into a leafy burb of lawns and wraparound porches.

Finally at the end of our afternoon paseo we landed upon our favourite fish restaurant of the road trip – and there were some strong contenders along the way. Trophy Fish, shares the nautical stylings of competitors but they can’t match the fresh quality of the day boat catch and the cocktails served on Trophy’s walk-ins only patio. 

This quarter is awash with craft breweries, with Grand Central and Three Daughters in particular boasting impressive taprooms, but Green Bench, heading back into town, is my beer quality pick.  We also found time for a cocktail. In a city given its name in the 1880s, on the flip of a coin by its exiled aristocrat co-founder, it had to be a White Russian.

See what Neil got up to in St Petersburg on the second leg of his Florida road trip.