Trip itinerary

St. Petersburg, FL

Day trip + 1 night 2 days · 1 night ~55 mi · ~1 hr from Mulberry Anchored by the Dalí Museum Dates flexible

Good to know

Book the Dalí ahead — timed entry Gallery admission runs about $32/adult and uses timed-entry slots, so reserve online before you go (thedali.org). The Dalí Alive 360° Dome show is a $15 add-on per person. Money-saver: Thursday evenings 5–8pm are just $10/adult walk-up (no advance purchase) — worth shifting the day if you're flexible.

Downtown is walkable — park once Beach Drive, the Pier, the Museum of Fine Arts and most restaurants are within a 10–15 min walk of each other. The Dalí is a short hop south along the waterfront. Stay downtown and you can leave the car at the hotel the whole night.

Saturday Morning Market is seasonal The big downtown Saturday Morning Market (125+ vendors) runs Oct–May at the Al Lang Stadium lot and pauses in summer for a smaller version. If your dates land Oct–May, swap it in for the Sunken Gardens morning.

Want a third stop? Easy swaps Within a few blocks you can also fit the Museum of Fine Arts (5,000 years of art), the Chihuly Collection (live glassblowing at the Morean), the Imagine Museum (glass art), or the newly renovated Florida Holocaust Museum. Pick one based on the group's mood.

Day 1

Drive Over, Dalí & the Waterfront

Sat, Aug 15

Late morning

Drive over from Mulberry

Head west on I-4, then south on I-275 over the Howard Frankland Bridge into St. Pete — about an hour door to downtown. Aim to leave by ~10:30 so you make a midday Dalí entry with time for lunch.

Drive ~1 hr · ~55 mi from Mulberry

Pre-book a Dalí timed-entry slot before you leave so the drive lines up with your reservation.

12:30 pm

The Salvador Dalí Museum

The anchor of the trip — the largest collection of Dalí's work outside Europe, housed in a striking glass-bubble "Enigma" building right on the bay. See the melting clocks, the room-sized masterworks, and the spiraling Avant-garden outside. Add the Dalí Alive 360° immersive Dome show if you want the wow factor.

On the downtown waterfront

Plan ~2 hours. Timed gallery tickets ~$32/adult; Dome show +$15. The gift shop and Café Gala (Dalí-inspired menu) are worth a look.

2:45 pm

Lunch on Beach Drive

Stroll a few blocks north to Beach Drive — St. Pete's leafy waterfront dining strip facing the marina. Plenty of patios; try a long, easy lunch before the afternoon.

Walk ~12 min along the waterfront

Beach Drive favorites include Bella Brava, Annata Wine Bar, and Café Bon Appétit-style patios — most are walk-in friendly midafternoon.

3:45 pm

The St. Pete Pier

Walk out onto the gleaming 26-acre Pier District — Tampa Bay views, the Marketplace, a tilted-lawn park, public art, a splash pad, and the Pelican statue. Grab a drink at the Teak rooftop or Driftwood café and soak in the water.

Walk ~10 min from Beach Drive

Free to walk; bring sunscreen and a hat — the pier head is wide open. Sunsets over the bay are the payoff.

Late afternoon

Check in — The Birchwood

Drop bags at The Birchwood, a boutique historic hotel right on Beach Drive, so everything downtown stays on foot. (Alternates: Hotel Indigo, the Avalon, or Hilton Bayfront — all walkable to the Dalí and the Pier.)

Walk · on Beach Drive

Ask for a marina-view room. The Canopy rooftop bar upstairs is a local sunset spot.

Evening

Dinner & SHINE murals on Central Ave

Wander Central Avenue and the EDGE/Grand Central districts — an open-air gallery of 170+ SHINE festival murals, breweries, and restaurants. Dinner downtown, then a nightcap on a rooftop back near Beach Drive.

Walk · 5–15 min around downtown

The mural density is highest along Central Ave between 4th and 25th Streets — a fun after-dinner stroll.

Drive in from Mulberry over the Howard Frankland, then a walkable waterfront afternoon: Dalí, the Pier, and Beach Drive.

Day 2

Gardens, Glass & Drive Home

Sun, Aug 16

Morning

Breakfast on Beach Drive

Easy coffee and breakfast downtown before checkout — no rush. Pack the car or leave it at the hotel for one more walk.

Walk · on Beach Drive

10:00 am

Sunken Gardens

One of Florida's oldest roadside attractions — 100-year-old lush gardens with cascading waterfalls, flamingos, and 50,000 tropical plants tucked into the middle of the city. A calm, shady hour before the heat.

~6 min drive / short rideshare north

Buy tickets online; it opens at 10am and a visit runs about an hour. Great for photos.

11:30 am

Chihuly Collection

Back downtown, a purpose-built gallery of Dale Chihuly's glowing glass sculptures — and a few blocks away the Morean Glass Studio runs live glassblowing demos. A nice second-art-hit to bookend the Dalí.

~6 min drive back downtown

Check the Morean demo schedule — watching a piece blown is the highlight.

1:00 pm

Last lunch & stroll

One more waterfront lunch — maybe Central Ave or back on Beach Drive — then collect the car for the drive home.

Walk · downtown

Afternoon

Drive home to Mulberry

Head back over the bay and east on I-275/I-4 — about an hour home. Beat the worst of the afternoon by rolling out before ~4pm.

Drive ~1 hr · ~55 mi to Mulberry

A relaxed morning — Sunken Gardens and Chihuly glass — then the easy hour back to Mulberry.