Three weeks in St Petersburg (all children's) with kids- help :) (St. Pete Beach: renting, neighborhood)

[PGmom]

Hi everyone! I live in NJ. This weekend I am heading to St Petersburg for three weeks with two kids (girls ages 8 and 11). We are heading to All Children's Hospital for medical reasons, and will be staying nearby (RMcD house). The kids are healthy, and can participate in all activities.

Firstly- how is the neighborhood immediately around All Children's? (I have no familiarity with FL- so please forgive my questions). Is it generally safe to walk around during the day- how about the evening?

We may not have a car (debating renting)- are there any shopping areas close by? How is public transportation?

What should we do while there? My thoughts are to visit the Sunken Gardens, do some shopping (suggestions of areas with interesting boutique shopping?), consider the Dali museum (is it easy to avoid the grotesque paintings while there?), and take a boat tour to shell key. We plan to spend one of our weekends at the Tradewinds resort.

Oh- are taxis plentiful (like NY and DC)- or do they need to be called ahead of time....

Any and all thoughts and suggestions much appreciated!

[Kevin from Tampa]

There is a children's museum there that your kids would like

there's an aquarium at the pier

Rays baseball games would be fun

BEACH!! Also, take the ferry to Egmont Key

that's a partial list of some stuff to do there

[PGmom]

Thanks!

What is the area immediately around All Children's Hospital like?

Anything to walk to there?

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by PGmom

Thanks!

What is the area immediately around All Children's Hospital like?

Anything to walk to there?

The area immediately around the hospital is nice enough. There's a lot of medical building all around there...I wouldn't walk much to the southwest....stay north and west of Roser Park Dr.

Walkable might depend on how far you can walk...the pier is about a mile away from there, maybe. Baywalk about the same distance. There is a movie theater there, and restaurants all around both.

There is a Dale Chihuly collection somewhere downtown...if you google it, you'll find it...it's walkable from All Children's.

Tropicana Field is walkable, I guess.

Dali Museum is walkable.

And of course, the bayfront is walkable....straub park, that area...

There is a library in that area.

Hope that helps.

[ferret111]

Everything to the north and east of the hospital is fine. The area to the south and southwest gets pretty seedy, but you'd have no real reason to go in that direction since there aren't any attractions down there.

[PGmom]

This is SO helpful- thanks.

This trip came up last minute, I am usually a researcher - way in advance- so feel a bit unprepared

What is the difference between Edgemont key and Shell key? What is the best place for shell hunting?

Any spots for cute (not junky) Florida shopping? Independent boutiques, etc?

Any historic or old, charming sections to walk?

Restaurant suggestions?

Thanks for all of the help- esp. about the safety of the area. I am a NYer and lived in DC for several years, and LOVE cities- but with two kids in tow, wanted to have a basic guideline for where to avoid (on our own).

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by PGmom

What is the difference between Edgemont key and Shell key? What is the best place for shell hunting?

I haven't been to either (shocking, seeing as how I've lived here my whole life!), but Egmont Key has an old fort. I don't know anything about Shell Key except that I think the ferry leaves from Pass-a-Grille, which is the southernmost part of St. Pete Beach.

Any spots for cute (not junky) Florida shopping? Independent boutiques, etc?

Any historic or old, charming sections to walk?

Downtown St. Pete will have a lot of this. Not entirely sure as to how many boutiques there are (not really my thing), but there are a few. Just walking down Central Avenue allows you to see all the different styles of architecture. You could also walk around the waterfront and then up into the Old Northeast neighborhood.

Restaurant suggestions?

There are plenty of restaurants in Downtown St. Pete, but I haven't visited too many. One that you'd definitely want to check out is on 9th Street around 2nd Avenue North: the Coney Island Grill. It's mostly a hot dog place, and stepping inside is like you just entered a 1930s lunch counter. A friend and I went there and got two chili dogs, a Coke, and a sweet tea, and I want to say that the bill came out to around $6. Definitely pay this place a visit.

[PGmom]

Thanks!!

[Kevin from Tampa]

Egmont is a little more offshore and as above, has old civil war fort ruins and a lighthouse on it, plus some brick-paved trails. Either is great for shelling and especially for collecting sand dollars. Make sure you do the "stingray shuffle" when in the water.

[PGmom]

Ugh- I am thinking we will NOT be going in the water. I don't like to go in w/ the jellyfish- but in NJ we don't really have stingrays. Are they prevalent on all the beaches near St Petersburg?

If I tell my kids to do the stingray shuffle- there is NO way they will get into the water!