How to navigate St. Pete like a local

By Kyla Fields

So you’re new to St. Petersburg. 

There’s the heavy hitter landmarks that will be in any typical welcoming pamphlet, like the Dalí Museum, St. Pete Beach, Vinoy Park and the classic window-shopping stroll downtown – even when you don’t have any money to actually buy anything. 

But here are eight spots that will help you delve into the history and culture of this multifaceted, perpetually growing city. I’m not from here, but places like these have helped me love and understand the city like a native.  

The Blueberry Patch 

4923 20th Ave. S

The Blueberry Patch in Gulfport is a ‘Do-It-Yourself’ hippie wonderland that will welcome you with open arms regardless of who you are, what you look like, and whether it’s your first time there or you’re a Patch veteran. 

Operated by the nonprofit organization Sharevival, The Blueberry Patch is an outdoor music venue and gathering space covered in decades’ worth of murals, repurposed decor and communal art. It’s an inclusive space for all types of creativity, supporting artistic endeavours such as music, painting, dancing, artisanship and poetry. They have shows on the 1st, 7th, 11th, and 22nd days of each month, and following the performances, there’s a peaceful Ohm circle. 

Favorite memory: I wrote a story about the Patch for one of my classes, so I went to one of their shows for some field reporting. I interviewed three children, ages 8 to 10, and they all gushed about how much they loved the Blueberry Patch and how much they loved creating art and sharing it with everyone. It’s a place truly dedicated to art, community and expression — despite being lodged directly behind a Wells Fargo bank. Kind of ironic, right? 

Haslam’s Book Store

2025 Central Ave.

Haslam’s Bookstore, with its peeling beige paint, fading red letters and large posters has over 80 years of history behind its doors. 

Haslam’s expansive interior sells books and magazines — new and old — about every topic one can fathom. It’s another one of those typical, must-see places of St. Pete, but for a good reason. As the self-proclaimed “Largest new and used bookstore in Florida,” it’s a place to easily get lost in as you mindlessly browse the endless shelves of books you’ve never heard of. There’s also a local rumor that it’s haunted –– how alluring. 

Favorite memory: I went to Haslam’s a lot when I had more time to explore St. Pete but couldn’t afford anything. I should add that I mainly browsed and then camped in a corner to do homework. I would also bring treats for the resident Haslam’s cat every time I went, and it would often make my day. 

Second Saturday Art Walk

St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s Second Saturday Art Walk deserves a complete afternoon dedicated to its multi-venue arts showcase. Twice a month, the working artists of our city keep their studios and galleries open late to create an easily accessible art walk through the city, connecting must-visit art destinations throughout five districts of St. Petersburg (yeah, there’s a lot). 

The city also offers free trolley lines connecting the featured galleries and studios, so you don’t have to worry about the pains of downtown parking on a Saturday night. There’s no better way to start understanding the artistic culture of a city than to literally walk into an artist’s personal studio and strike up a conversation with them. Galleries usually reserve openings for new exhibits during a Second Saturday Art Walk, so you can get a first glance of the city’s newest art. 

Favorite memory: I love walking into an artist’s studio because it’s a casual, yet intimate glimpse into that person’s life, work and passion. They’ll sometimes take you around their studio and explain their pieces a little, even when they know you don’t have the money to buy a piece (aka me). 

Sawgrass Lake Park

7400 25th St. N

Sawgrass Lake Park is an escape from the bustle of downtown St. Pete: a 400-acre, swampy escape, to be exact. Featuring a mile-long boardwalk trail, half-mile dirt trail, picnic tables and outlook towers, this park is an ideal way to explore Florida’s natural habitat. It’s only 12 minutes north of campus, and a must-visit outdoor destination that isn’t the beach – if sand isn’t your thing – and allows more privacy than Vinoy Park. 

Sawgrass Lake Park was established in 1972 to provide flood protection to the Pinellas Park Area. It has since evolved into a relaxing getaway while still naturally enhancing the quality of water drainage throughout the Tampa Bay area. 

Favorite memory: It’s my favorite spot for strolling in the sun and journaling in the grass, with Maximo Park on the southside being an honorable mention. I have yet to see a gator, but there’s still time. 

Munch’s Diner

3920 Sixth St. S

This diner has not changed since the ‘50s, and it has the character to prove it. Its walls are adorned with old Lakewood Elementary School class photos (yes, before integration), fading metal signs, vintage posters with old-timey catch phrases, and even a giant poster of Guy Fieri from when Munch’s was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” 

This diner serves up all of the comfort breakfast foods and American favorites, including homemade milkshakes handspun by a tie-dye-wearing waitress who is most likely calling you “baby.” It’s a diner that is utterly old-fashioned and predictable in the most comforting way possible.  

Favorite memory: One time my roommate, her boyfriend and I went to Munch’s for breakfast. I assume our waitress didn’t appreciate her boyfriend’s hangover-induced lack of etiquette, so she smacked him lightly on the side of the head and told him “to say please next time.” So yeah, you better have your old school please-and-thank-you’s handy when you eat here. 

Fresh Start Drag Showcase

475 Central Ave. N, Unit 100

Every Wednesday night, around midnight in the basement of Iberian Rooster, is an eclectic portrayal of some of Tampa Bay’s hardest working performers — drag queens. Hosted by the most powerful – and most bearded – best friend duo, Aquariius and Adriana Sparkle, Fresh Start Drag Showcase is an open mic style drag showcase, where queens and performers can do (almost) whatever they want, including lip syncing, live singing, dancing, skits, improv and absolute debauchery. You name it, and you’ll probably see it happen in this dark basement, where the heels are high and morale is even higher. 

It’s free to attend, but you better bring those dollar bills to tip the performers. What else are you doing Wednesday night? 

Favorite memory: I spent my 21st birthday at Fresh Start Drag Showcase after taking final exams all day. I danced and sang all night like I was a performer myself, and the hosts invited me on the stage for a free drink. I felt 2-feet-tall next to them. 

Sunshine Thrift Store 

2808 34th St. N

Thrifting is cool again, perhaps because of the pro-sustainability wave and changes in fashion trends, and Sunshine Thrift store is where your St. Petersburg thrifting journey should begin. 

This secondhand store spans about 13,000 square feet, and its seemingly endless racks can lure you in for hours, especially with their low prices and consistent sales. All of the clothes are coordinated by colored tags, and at any given time there are two colors that are half-off, with one Thursday of every month bringing the craziness that is half-off all clothes. If you plan to shop on a half-off day, be prepared to throw some elbows because it gets cutthroat.

Favorite memory: I’ve gotten more compliments on clothes that I’ve purchased from Sunshine than any other store, brand new or secondhand. Prized knickknacks I’ve also found here include my favorite movies on VHS tapes and my prized Scooby-Doo bobblehead. 

Community Cafe 

2444 Central Ave.

Community Cafe, just west of campus, is a vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurant, coffee shop, board game destination, and most importantly, a gathering place for community events. 

With a weekly drag queen story hour, game nights, screenings of educational films, art shows, swap meets and LGBTQ+ coming out parties, Community Cafe is much more than a restaurant. Its eclectic, mix-matched decor contradicts the sleek coffee shops it shares with Central Avenue. It’s also open until midnight on weekdays and until 2 a.m. on weekends, so it’s a place for night owls to work late. It’s truly a collaborative, welcoming space that’s here to serve the community and fill their stomachs with homey, vegetarian food. 

Favorite memory: Community Cafe is where I have spent every finals week of college thus far. I’d get off of work at 10pm, change into sweatpants in the bathroom, and head directly to Community Cafe to grind until they closed, fueled by a $3 refillable hot coffee.