Any Lincoln Road style areas in St Petersburg? (Miami, Tampa: appointed, 2015)

[Marguerite2015]

We briefly visited Dali Museum and Vinoy Park area last December. We usually stay in either Miami/South Beach or Sarasota/Lido Key area. We love Lincoln Road for its outdoor cafes open all day into the night. And St Adrmand Circle in Lido Key. We are middle aged - not partiers, and love the cafes and people watching.

We are pretty green about St Petersburg, but have decided to visit there for 8 days this Dec 2019. We are finding great airbnb listings in Historic Old Northeast but not sure where it best to stay for Lincoln Road type stuff. Somewhere safe at night as well as during the day.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Marguerite2015

We briefly visited Dali Museum and Vinoy Park area last December. We usually stay in either Miami/South Beach or Sarasota/Lido Key area. We love Lincoln Road for its outdoor cafes open all day into the night. And St Adrmand Circle in Lido Key. We are middle aged - not partiers, and love the cafes and people watching.

We are pretty green about St Petersburg, but have decided to visit there for 8 days this Dec 2019. We are finding great airbnb listings in Historic Old Northeast but not sure where it best to stay for Lincoln Road type stuff. Somewhere safe at night as well as during the day.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

If you compare Downtown St. Pete to Miami Beach, you will be pretty disappointed in Downtown St. Pete.

If you compare Downtown St. Pete to Downtown Iowa City, you will be pretty impressed with Downtown St. Pete.

There is nothing remotely close to Lincoln Road or South Beach anywhere in the entire Tampa Bay region. St. Armand's would be the closest. I don't think you will need 8 days to explore Downtown St. Pete. Maybe 3?

[Marguerite2015]

Thanks for the reply. I guess what we were looking for as noted was not so much a pedestrian mall stretching several blocks like Lincoln Road or Church Street in Burlington Vermont (though that would be nice) but an area with outdoor cafes and shops that is dense, walkable and hopefully safe day and night, that doesn't close at 6pm. Bookstores, cafes, small shops, not a lot of chains.

And yes, I know Lincoln Road is now full of chains, which is a shame. Lots of lovely cafes and outdoor seating, however, and great people watching.

Any suggestions for an area like this in St Pete?

8 days to explore a city is fantastic - try it sometime. We would also be exploring the whole area including beaches, with side trips maybe to Clearwater and perhaps Tampa, Terra Ceia, etc.

The vacation would be both a rest, and an exploration.

Thanks.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Marguerite2015

dense, walkable and hopefully safe day and night, that doesn't close at 6pm. Bookstores, cafes, small shops, not a lot of chains.

Lots of lovely cafes and outdoor seating, however, and great people watching.

Like I said, the closest you will come to that in Tampa Bay is Downtown St. Pete, and once you walk Central Avenue and Beach Drive, you are done with all the "lovely cafes and outdoor seating, and great people watching". Should take you about half a day. Tampa Bay is extremely deficient when it comes to these types of entertainment districts. We do not have any area that comes close to Lincoln Road. The closest is St. Armand's Circle, which is not even in Tampa Bay.

The nightlife districts in Tampa Bay are:

Downtown St. Pete
Ybor City in Tampa
Hyde Park Village in Tampa

Hyde Park is tiny and not even worth recommending.
Ybor City is disgusting and unsafe.
The only one to try is Downtown St. Pete.

If you are looking for these kinds of districts in your travels -- large blocks of streets with cafes, quaint shops, lots of people -- you picked the wrong region to visit. Also, be aware that many shops and restaurants in Tamp Bay don't even open on Sundays, something you would never see in Miami Beach's Lincoln Road for example.

[gypsychic]

As the above poster mentioned, Beach Drive and Central Ave. downtown St. Pete are pretty much "it." Very nice but there is not really a lot.

You mentioned St. Armand's, and that has a lot more actually, especially since it is just over the bridge to downtown which has more. So. St. Pete is good for a day or two, but that's probably about it.

[Marguerite2015]

Thanks to all for their replies. What do the locals do if St Pete is so deficient in things to do at night or places to wander? Do either of you live there? And there is apparently zero to see/do in Tampa as well? How about Clearwater? Nothing?

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Marguerite2015

Thanks to all for their replies. What do the locals do if St Pete is so deficient in things to do at night or places to wander? Do either of you live there? And there is apparently zero to see/do in Tampa as well? How about Clearwater? Nothing?

I am not saying there is zero to do. I am saying there is nothing like Lincoln Road, South Beach, Coconut Grove, St. Armand's in Tampa Bay. Blocks and Blocks of sidewalk cafes, bookstores, shops, restaurants. Central Ave and Downtown St. Pete have some of this, but it's not densely concentrated. It's scattered. And the shops and restaurants are there today, gone tomorrow. And many close early or on Sundays. For those in Tampa Bay who like these kinds of districts, they either get on an airplane to another city or drive to Sarasota or Miami or Orlando. There's an idea for you. Take one or two of those 8 days and go to Park Avenue in Winter Park in the Orlando area.

I spend a large chunk of time in Paris every year so I know what you are looking for. Tampa Bay does not have it.

[cjairo191]

Good people watching is Ybor during the day and evening. Nothing in comparison in florida as it has its own unique character. Restaurants and cafes but not on the level of Lincoln road which is overhyped at times. Rude boogie type and overpriced but it’s South Beach which to be honest has nothing on the southeast that is close to that type of show. Nothing else unique in Tampa to be honest beside ybor and our many waterways. Try hype park if you want to watch drunk college kids at night. But yeah st Pete central and beach in probably two days is enough.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by cjairo191

Good people watching is Ybor during the day and evening. Nothing in comparison in florida as it has its own unique character. Restaurants and cafes but not on the level of Lincoln road which is overhyped at times. Rude boogie type and overpriced but it’s South Beach which to be honest has nothing on the southeast that is close to that type of show. Nothing else unique in Tampa to be honest beside ybor and our many waterways. Try hype park if you want to watch drunk college kids at night. But yeah st Pete central and beach in probably two days is enough.

If the OP likes Lincoln Road and St. Armand's, she is going to think Ybor is the ghetto. Which it pretty much is.

[Trip Mcnealy]

Hyde Park Village isnt worth recommending? lol. HP Village is a great little area akin to Greenwich Ave/some of the leafy Northeastern suburban downtowns...