St. Petersburg, FL

Some Florida vacations are about worshipping the sun. In St. Petersburg, the sun worships you. Perched between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, this town — with its 35 miles of sugar sand beaches, Florida’s largest Pride parade and an outdoor lifestyle revolving around staying active, engaging with the arts and live music, and festive eating and drinking — has the sun shining upon it 361 days of the year. St. Petersburg’s art scene is one of Florida’s most dynamic. Lovers of the surreal won’t want to miss The Dalí, the region’s most important museum and the largest collection of Salvador Dalí’s work outside of Spain. The museum’s Avant-garden, on the Tampa Bay waterfront, is a fever dream that includes a grotto, a labyrinth, a fountain of youth, and an homage to the Fibonacci sequence. At the Morean Arts Center, not far from the popular Edge neighborhood, the Chihuly Collection is a permanent exhibition of Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures. Come October, the entire city celebrates public art with the annual weeklong Shine St. Petersburg Mural Festival. The “beach to ‘burg” SunRunner, the city’s new rapid transit system that runs every 15 minutes during peak times, is currently free and can get you all around town. For a walkable experience, St. Petersburg’s laidback, hospitable vibe is in full effect at the casual, family-owned restaurants specializing in global street foods, and welcoming neighborhood bars around arty downtown districts like The Edge, Grand Central District, MLK North District, Deuces Live and the Central Arts District, as well as the waterfront destinations for tourists and locals that dot St. Pete’s Pier.