Gulfport Trolley Day

Gulfport Hideaway Apartments
 
A good friend recently bought a home in Gulfport, Florida. Attached to this home, in which she will be resident, are four apartments. She calls her complex the Gulfport Hideaway Apartments.
 
Her target clientele are seasonal visitors from abroad. She wanted to confirm that her visitors would not need a rental car, even to do their sightseeing in the Tampa Bay area, since (1) she provides transportation to and from the airport and (2) there is a good public transit system.
 
We set out to prove that to ourselves one day during the recent holidays.
 
If you’re a regular reader of Inkwatu, you’ll know I’ve written frequently about Gulfport:

• Gulfport Fresh Market
• Gulfport, Florida
• Geckofest and other festivals
• Before TV
• Thai-rific
• O’Maddy’s

Even though I live in downtown St. Petersburg, I love coming down to Gulfport. I think the reason I enjoy it so much is that it reminds me of the Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, and Point Loma of my early college days. It’s a quintessential beach town. But…back to our quest: getting places from Gulfport, only on foot or by public transit.
 
Gulfport is within Pinellas County. The entire county is serviced by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA). They have an excellent website utilizing Google Transit Trip Planner as well as PDFs of the various bus schedules. The regular PSTA bus system, in cooperation with a number of Trolley services, provides easy access to anywhere in the area.
 
Here’s a list of those services:

• The Gulfport Red Trolley services downtown Gulfport.
• The Gulfport/St. Pete Beach Connector Trolley connects Gulfport to the beaches.
• The PSTA Beach Trolley serves all the beaches on the barrier islands.
• The St. Petersburg Looper Trolley serves downtown St. Petersburg.
• The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) serves all of Pinellas county and interconnects all the trolley services.
• This might seem more complicated than it really is. Just hop on any bus or trolley and tell them where you want to go; the drivers are very friendly and helpful.

Gulfport to the Beaches

We began our trek by walking two blocks east from the Gulfport Hideaway Apartments (5620 29th Ave. S., Gulfport, FL 33707) and one block south to the corner of Beach Blvd S & 30th Ave S where we waited at the bus stop in front of the Peninsula Inn (2937 Beach Boulevard South Gulfport, FL 33707-5547).

interior of Gulfport Connector Trolley
 
We hopped on the Gulfport/St. Pete Beach Connector Trolley, which is the blue bus with pink flamingos on it. (Hey…we’re in Florida, right?!) This trolley takes you through downtown Gulfport, up past the Pasadena Shopping Center, then the Palms of Pasadena Hospital, on to Corey Ave & Blind Pass, to the bus stop where you catch the PSTA Suncoast Beach Trolley (75th Ave & Coquina Way) that takes you up and down the string of barrier islands and beaches.

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The signs on the left below, are the signs where we caught the Gulfcoast Connector Trolley. Notice that these stops are usually shared with regular PSTA bus stops.

left: PSTA and Gulfport Trolley signs; right: Suncoast Beach Trolley sign
 
The sign on the right, above, is at 75th Ave & Coquina Way where you make the connection between the Gulfport Connector Trolley and the Suncoast Beach Trolley. While there, be sure to check out some of attractions in the historic Corey Avenue shopping area, such as the Beach Theater or K. Kringle’s Christmas & Holiday Shoppe, (see interior shot below).
 
If it’s near breakfast time, be sure to get breakfast at the Frog Pond (7390 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach 33706; 727-363-7205; there’s another way farther up the beaches at 16909 Gulf Blvd., North Redington Beach 33708; 727-392-4117).

inside K. Kringle’s Christmas & Holiday Shoppe in historic Corey Shopping District

75th Ave & Coquina Way down to Pass-a-grill beach

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From this connection in the Corey Avenue shopping district, we caught the Suncoast Beach Trolley down to Pass-a-grille Beach. While you’re there, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, supper, or late-night snack, be sure to get something to eat at the Hurricane.


the Hurricane and trolley stop beside it
 
Across the street from the Hurricane is one of my favorite respites before the sun and the rest of the world is awake: a little park with a coffee shop, a few deck chairs, and steps down to the beach. (See Inkwatu: Pass-a-grille Beach.)


across the street from the Hurricane
 
The day we happened to take our trolley excursion there was an open air art show in that little public area by the coffee shop and beach access. Snapshots of that are below.


Pass-a-Grille open air art show
 

Pass-a-grille Beach up to Indian Rocks Beach

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Crabby Bill’s in Indian Rocks Beach
 
We hopped back on the Suncoast Beach Trolley in Pass-a-grille Beach and took it all the way up to Indian Rocks Beach. The trolley goes much, much farther, all the way up the island chain. The day of our trip, however, we decided to only go as far as Indian Rocks.
 
One stop on the way up to Indian Rocks beach that I highly recommend but which we did not make the day of our outing is the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. You won’t be sorry if you stop there. It’s a good place for the whole family.
 
If you should stop in Indian Rocks you might try some very touristy and very good crab at Crabby Bill’s (pictured above), or for really fine seafood, just a couple stops farther north but still in Indian Rocks, either Keegan’s Seafood Grille or Guppy’s on the Beach. (I’d have a hard time deciding between those two!)

Indian Rocks Beach down to John’s Pass

We were starting to tire so we caught the Suncoast Beach Trolley back down south to John’s Pass. For more information on John’s Pass, see Inkwatu: John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk (the Friendly Fisherman & Hubbard’s Marina). On the way there, we passed one of my favorite beach restaurants, Dockside Dave’s.

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The day of our trolley adventure there was an arts and crafts show at John’s Pass. A few snapshots from that are below. By now, we were definitely ready for some refreshment, so we hopped aboard the trolley back on down to the Corey Avenue shopping district where the connection is for the Gulfport Connector Trolley.


open air art show at John’s Pass

Heading home

Before we climbed aboard the Gulfport Connector Trolley to head on back to the Gulfport Hideaway Apartments, we decided to treat ourselves to a fine English meal at Madeleina Cottage Restaurant, which is practically across the street from the bus stop in the Corey Avenue shopping district.

exterior Madeleina Cottage Restaurant

interior Madeleina Cottage Restaurant
 
Madeleina’s is a very typical English pub/restaurant with an excellent menu and a full bar. Their bloody Mary was the best I’ve had in a long time. My friend had a cheese steak sandwich, pictured below.
 


cheese steak sandwich
 
And, I had fish and chips. (How could I not?!) Seriously, it was the best I’ve had outside of London.


fish and chips
 
I hope this post encourages you to try your hand at using public transit in Pinellas county. Future posts will cover bus trips from other locations to various highlights within the area. For all of these, the best deal is to purchase an all-day pass, called the Daily Unlimited GO Card, which may be bought on the bus. This pass allows the passenger to use any of the buses within Pinellas County for one whole day and to get on and off as often as desired. It’s $4 for an adult and $2 for seniors and disabled. Up to three children who are five years old or younger may ride free with an accompanying adult.
 
When purchasing any type of ticket on the bus, exact change is required. GO Cards may also be bought in 7-day and 31-day denominations. In addition to GO Cards, one-way fees may also be paid. For a full listing of fares and qualifications see PSTA Bus Fares. Your GO Card allows you to transfer to and from any trolley and bus within the county.
 
All of downtown Gulfport is within easy walking distance of Gulfport Hideaway Apartments. Gulfport is a pedestrian and bicycle friendly community. PSTA buses provide bicycle carriers which make combination bike/bus trips very easy.
 
Using either the Google Maps website or the Google Transit Trip Planner on the PSTA site, it is possible to quickly and easily plan your bus trip. Simply go to Google Maps (that’s my preference) and click on “Get Directions.” In the “From” field enter 5620 29th Ave. S., Gulfport, FL 33707, which is the address of Gulfport Hideaway Apartments. In the “To” field enter the address of where you wish to go. If you don’t know the address, you can also enter place names (like Beach Theater, Muvico Theaters, Sweetbay) or generic names (pharmacy, grocery). Google will show you some choices to narrow down which destination you desire. Then, select the means of transportation (by car, public transit, on foot), the approximate time you want to depart or arrive and click “Show Directions.” And…You’re done!
 
Below are a number of typical trips. You can click on them and see how the trip planner works. By clicking on “Show Options” you can change the departure times and pick alternate routes from the example trip. Give it a try. It’s fun. Remember, for some reason, Google doesn’t incorporate the Gulfport Connector Trolley so you’ll need to use the PDF of its map and schedule linked to above.

various barrier island beach locations

• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Beach trolley transfer station (75th Ave & Coquina Way)
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Pass-a-Grille Beach
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Indian Rocks Beach
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to John’s Pass
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Madeira Beach
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

various shopping opportunities

• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Walgreen Drugstore
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Sweetbay grocery store
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Publix grocery store
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Tyrone Square Mall
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Williams Park (downtown St. Petersburg) and St. Pete Pier

various entertainment venues

• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Beach Theater
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Muvico Baywalk Theatres
• Gulport Hideaway Apartments to American Stage
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to St. Petersburg Coliseum
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Palladium Theater
• Gulfport Hideaway Apartments to Museum of Fine Arts

Note: If you visited the Gulfport Hideaway Apartments website, you’ll notice that some of today’s post is quoted from that website. That was done with permission since I wrote the copy for and designed that website.

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Tagged as: attractions, favorite articles, Florida, Gulfport, Indian Rocks Beach, Pass-a-grille, Redington Shores, restaurants, St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg