Vivid Memories
a mooring cleat on the St. Pete Pier
(perhaps from an earlier pier?)
It’s not just that “the best things in life are free,” but maybe also that the best things in life—or at least the most rewarding and memorable–are arduous. This is as true for family vacations and outings as well as the obvious clichéd things such as professional accomplishments. Isn’t it true that many, if not most, of the fondest times from our childhood, the scenes that are most firmly moored in our memories, our most cherished times, all involve a lot of sweat (both literal and metaphorical).
The St. Pete Pier provides ample opportunity for both (lots of fun in the sun, at no charge). If you haven’t been in a while (or ever), I suggest you plan an outing there. You won’t be disappointed.
Parking and the Trolley
St. Petersburg panorama as seen from the top of The Pier
BUT WEAR A HAT (and your sunscreen)! It gets really hot out there and it’s a long walk out the pier from the parking lots at the beginning of the approach ($3; $5 for special events). I tend to use the valet parking right at the doorway of The Pier building which is only $4 plus tip. (Yes, you can actually drive out on The Pier.)
The most fun way to get there, however, is the 25¢ Looper. I keep several printouts handy of the St. Petersburg city Looper page PDF map and brochure for myself and visitors. The “Discover Downtown, Official Guide for Downtown St. Petersburg” is an extremely useful map that I keep handy at home and in my car—it also has some good coupons. Discover Downtown has their own Looper map and schedule. The Looper is the best deal in town in my opinion. (I love trolleys!)
It’s also worth checking out the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership which gives more information on downtown parking and getting around town including the Looper and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) which has the “Beach TrolleySM that runs every 20 – 30 minutes from 5:05 a.m. to 10:10 p.m., Monday through Sunday, including holidays, with service until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Look for special trolley bus stop signs located frequently along the route. In addition to the services along Gulf Boulevard, connector routes run between the coast and downtown St. Petersburg. Click here for the trolley schedule.”
With walking, the Downtown Looper, the Beach Trolley, the regular PSTA bus system, and St. Petersburg’s abundant bicycle lanes and many bicycle rental establishments, it is very possible to enjoy yourself without a car in St. Petersburg as either a resident or visitor.
St. Petersburg Marina
St. Petersburg Marina panorama
Clustered along the north side of the approach to The Pier are the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of History, and Spa Beach. Along the south side of the approach is the South Straub Park and the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina on the Central Yacht Basin. A bit south of that is the South Yacht Basin with Demens Landing Park and Pioneer Park on the shore. North of the Museums and Spa Beach are North Straub Park, the North Yact Basin, the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, and Vinoy Park. While you are exploring downtown St. Pete and The Pier area, be sure to leave a day or two for the Vinoy, these museums, and the various waterfront parks. And, those parks are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to parks; St. Petersburg really is a city of parks.
Even though I’m not a boat person, I do have a fondness for marinas, especially those that have live-aboards, as does the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. I highly recommend you take a look at the marina…maybe dream a little. Listen to the sounds of the water and the boats creaking as they softly shift with the waves. Can’t you easily imagine being lulled to sleep with that every night?
Feeding the Pelicans
pier pelicans
The Pier Bait House is one of the original 1926 pier buildings and one of the first structures you’ll encounter when you reach the end of The Pier. For $5 they sell a bucket of fish to feed the pelicans who make The Pier home. Their PDF describes how feeding the pelicans these whole fish help to preserve their health since scraps left over from fishing are primarily bones and a diet of only bony parts has ill effects on their health in the long term. The Bait House has rods and reels available for adults and kids to fish off the pier. They also book full fishing charters. If you happen to be there when someone is feeding the pelicans I think you’ll discover that it’s a lot more fun to watch that you might guess. I get a real kick out of it.
Fishing from The Pier
panorama from the north side of pier
Non-Florida residents 16 years old and older DO need a fishing license to fish off the pier. I called The Pier Bait House to be sure of my understanding and this is what they told me: any child under the age of 16, whether or not they are a Florida resident, and all Florida residents, of any age, do NOT need a fishing license to fish off the pier. However, non-Florida resident 16 and older DO need a license unless they are fishing on a charter boat.
I trust their information and it coincides with my own reading of the relevant pages, but I would strongly recommend you read them for yourself since both the Bait Shop and I could be in error and, anyway, regulations might change.
Here are the current rates for 16 and older Non-resident Saltwater Recreational Fishing Licenses:
- Nonresident 3-Day Saltwater Fishing = $17.00
- Nonresident 7-Day Saltwater Fishing = $30.00
- Nonresident Annual Saltwater Fishing = $47.00
Restaurants on The Pier
Captain Al’s
There’s no shortage of food out on The Pier (for humans as well as pelicans), what with Cha Cha Coconuts and a food court called the Dockside Eatery, but my absolute favorites are Captain Al’s (for the ambiance) and the Columbia Restaurant (for the food).
The Columbia (here and here) is owned and operated by the 5th generation of the Gonzmart family. Most people are more familiar with the original restaurant down in Ybor City, over in Tampa. But, I’m partial, honestly, to the one out on The Pier. My favorite dish there is the “1905 Salad”—a signature salad that’s not exactly a diet salad, but is very delicious. The ingredients, texture, dressing, all a perfect blend.
Captain Al’s (here and here) has OK food, but the main attractions there, for me, are the beer and the bands. It’s an outdoor bar on the end of The Pier immediately adjacent to the area (Waterside Courtyard) where the bands play on the weekends. A great spot to sit, in the shade, have a brew, and listen to music.
Entertainment
side view of pier main building
Most events at The Pier, as well as The Pier itself, are absolutely free, such as the musical events every Saturday and Sunday at the Waterside Courtyard (outside on the ground floor at the very end of the pier next to Captain Al’s). Be sure to check The Pier Events link on their website for last minute information, but here are the musical groups featured this month: Blinky & Fritz (Saturday, August 02); the Big Daddy Band (Sunday, August 03); Bus Stop (Saturday, August 09); Giving Tree Music Drum Circle (second Saturday of every month from 5:00-7:00 pm); Saxophonist B.K. Jackson (Sunday, August 10); Charlie Hotel (Saturday, August 16); Tropigroove (August 17); Salsa En St Pete (Saturday, August 23); Lionheart (Sunday, August 24); and, the Mark Anthony Band (Sunday, August 31).
More free events are the free caricatures the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month and free face painting for the kids from 1:00-4:00 pm Saturdays and Sundays. Also free is The Pier light show: light emitting diode lighting system projects off the building Sundays through Thursdays from sundown until midnight. “…Friday and Saturday evenings at the top of every hour- PM, 8PM, 9PM, 10PM and 11PM-the building will have ‘Enhanced Lighting Displays’ with more rapid changes and lighting techniques…”
Be sure to check out the Suncoast 15th Annual “Vettes at The Pier” Corvette Show (Labor Day weekend, Saturday, August 30). The 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month the “Oldies But Goodies Dance” in the Dockside Activity Room is free and open to everyone.
Not free, but definitely worth considering is the “All You Can Eat Fish Fry” at Captain Al’s every Friday. Same for the “Carriage Rides at The Pier,” 1:00-9:00 pm daily, weather permitting (except Wednesdays when closed), a twenty-minute horse and carriage ride through downtown St. Pete. The carriage ride is found at the start of The Pier near the monument signs at Spa Beach. It’s $30 for two people, each additional child $5, each additional adult $10, seats six.
A very special event coming up is the Wednesday, September 3, breakfast at the Columbia Restaurant to kick off the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk.
Aquarium and Shops
first floor columnar water sculpture
The Pier website has a group of attractions on a page called Adventure which includes Boating at The Pier, the Dolphin Queen, Wheel Fun Rentals, Electric Marina Boat Rentals, and Weddings on Water. But foremost among those is The Pier Aquarium. At only 2,000 square feet, it’s obviously not a large aquarium like you might find at the Atlanta Aquarium or the San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay–their website’s flash intro is terrific. (That’s one gorgeous website.) But, The Pier Aquarium is a legitimate, albeit modest, educational effort. I do wish, though, that we had a large aquarium like Atlanta or San Francisco. Walking with the fish is very restful and puts one’s head in a very good place.
As of the writing of this article, the current exhibit at The Pier Aquarium is “Counting on Fish” about “the importance of sport and commercial fish and how research ensures the sustainability and stability of this industry.” Has “kid-friendly mini-lessons about fishing. Time: 10AM-8PM – Weekdays and Saturday – 12AM-6PM Sundays Cost: Admission to The Pier Aquarium $5 Adults; $4 Students (7+)and Seniors (65+); free to Children 6 and under. For more information please call: 727.895.7437.” Friday, August 01, 2008 through Sunday, August 31, 2008.
The Pier is also home to a number of commercial shops for Men & Women’s Clothing (Bay Breeze, Just Hats, Sunwatchers, The Hide Out), Specialty Food (Cafe Morrow Morrow’s, Peppers on the Pier, Pier Winery) and Specialty Shops (Lost in Time, Corner Cottage, Crystal Mirage Gallery, DD Collectibles, MJ Toons, Rainforest Gifts, St. Petersburg Candle Gallery). My own favorites are DD Collectibles and the Candle Gallery. Actually, all the shops out on The Pier are pretty good and when visitors want to buy a tchotchke to take home to family or friends, I always take them out to these shops.
The Best Things in Life…
We’ve had a rewarding, tiring day at The Pier that was lots of fun and didn’t cost even a fraction of what a day at a theme park might have. Could it be that the heat, the sun, the exhaustion, the walking, the messy fingers, getting tired, frayed patience are actually what makes the experience fun, memorable (in a good way)?! Probably. We seldom remember times of extreme relaxation unless they are on the heels of extreme exertion. So…glowing from our day, we now we take the trolley home (or to our motel) for a well earned nap, because the best things in life are free…and usually sweaty.
the trolley heads for home
(Captain Al’s)
(Columbia)
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember walking out on the St. Pete Pier when I was quite young. At the time, there wasn’t much more than a lot of old men sitting on benches, talking over old times. I’m so happy to see it come back to life, and your articles helps me to see that. Mahalo!
What a comprehensive look at The Pier that we all love so much in downtown St. Petersburg! GREAT review. Found it while Googling for something else and just read it today. (March 6, 2009).
Thanks, again!
Susan Robertson
Any photos of the old pier? I remember it looking like a castle.
As a little boy from Pittsburgh, PA visiting my grandparents, Frank Graham, the firstime I ever swam in saltwater was at the beach on the north side of the pier. One time accidentally swallowed water and immediately vomited. Pointed out the floating vomit mat but someonelse swam right through it – ah, the memories of a 6-year-old boy.
We went to a store which had mechanical mermaids you could talk to. I discovered the woman looking at us through a small opening in a wall behind us.
She could hear our questions and did the voice of the mermaids answering our questions.
Any photos or explanation?
Thank you.
Robert Gift
Posted from Yantai, China, 6 p.m. Monday, September 6th, China time = 6 a.m. Tampa time
Enjoyed reading your recollections! I, personally, don’t have any photos of the old pier, but I’ll bet there’s some online, somewhere. I’ll look around and post some links here in the comments for this post. There are a couple structures near the existing pier that I believe date from the time of the old pier and have the same castle-like, rough, formed-concrete look. One is an old, old round bathroom structure that bears an unfortunate resemblance to one of the old churches in town from that era. The other is the old “Fountain of Youth.” You might not know this if you’re currently living in China, but the St. Pete city council and major have decided to tear down the existing pier! There’s considerable community resistance to this (myself included). I hope it can be preserved. But, as things now stand, it’s to be replaced with some, unknown, structure. Thanks for commenting, Robert. I just checked Google maps to see where Yantai is; it looks like it must be a beautiful location with great seafood!
Thank you so much.
When I discovered the inverted pyramid monstrosity had replaced the pink fantasy castle, I was appalled. I recall it from late 50′s to early 60′s visits.
If they replace it, I hope it will have an area underneath in which people can sit in shade and enjoy the view and breeze.
Do they still have the famous green wood slat park benches?
My wife is from Yantai and was homesick to visit.
Hot and humid, dirty and NOISY. Cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and mopeds CONSTANTLY honking horns – not in anger but to warn, ‘I’m coming through’. 99.9% not needed. They even honk throughout the night when everyone has their windows open to admit cool breezes into their hot apartments.
And they all stick their chopsticks in the dishes of food and eat directly from the platters!! Yuck! (Before anyone contaminates the food, I place food on small plates.)
Soon, we return to clean, clear-skied, cooler andryer and quieter Denver.
Here’s a link to a postcard from the era of the “Million Dollar Pier,” which is the one I think you’re remembering (there were a couple previous incarnations–a fact I didn’t know until now): Million Dollar Pier, from Woodland Shoppers Paradise–Favorite Places Part 9.
Thank you.
My view was only from the pier. Not as I remembered which likely was embellished byouthful distortion and time. Were there not turrets in the west corners? I vaguely recall that pink building to the north.
Funny how they insert the boats into the “picture”.
Parallel to the road to the pier a railroad track headed eastowards the water.
At each grade crossing, a pipe extended up from one of the two crossing signals. A clear glass lamp topped the pipe.
What did that light do?
Near each crossing, on a pole I found a box from which a small wooden knob protruded. When there was no traffic, I pulled the knob not knowing exactly what would happen.
The signals operated! Thankfully no bells!
When the left red (o)”||”(o) illuminated, the white light lit. Curiosity and train buff satisfied, I quicky I turned the signals off.
Feelinguilty, I left the scene of the crime. But I could not resist waiting for another lull in traffic and turned on the signals at the next crossing.
What excitement for a young boy! (The light would indicate to a train crew thathey left a signal operating.)