Art walks. Funky shops. And one of the biggest dance floors in Florida. No wonder groups are quick-stepping over to Gulfport, south of St. Petersburg.
“You can drive down the main drag and you will not see a chain restaurant, or a Starbucks, or anything like that,” says David Downing, deputy director of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. “It’s almost like time travel in a certain way. It has this old America feel.”
There’s a good reason for that. Gulfport was literally bypassed by geography.
“It was the original port coming into the Gulf, and over the years, the bay became filled with resorts. You can’t even get straight out to the Gulf anymore,” Downing says. “The town’s kind of hidden from the main road, and you have to go find it.”
Once you do, you’ll find a quirky vibe that’s expressed on a local bumper sticker: “If you’re too weird for Gulfport, you’re too weird.”
But stay, because the shopping and dining are just as one-of-a-kind as everything else. Here are a few gems:
- Gulfport Casino Ballroom
This vintage grand ballroom features a 5,000-square-foot authentic 1930s hardwood dance floor, along with a bandshell stage and sound equipment. Group dance lessons and dance sessions are offered, or groups can rent the entire facility, which accommodates up to 750.
- Peg’s Cantina
This bungalow-turned-restaurant offers fresh Mexican favorites washed down by its own micro-brewed beer, or as Downing calls the facility, “a nano-brewery.”
- Gulfport Art Walks
Artists work and sell their wares from booths all along Beach & Shore boulevards as visitors stroll and browse. Free trolley rides are available from off-site parking areas. The walks are held twice monthly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. year-round.
- GeckoFest
GeckoFest gives summer a memorable send-off every September with stage musicians, strolling street characters, vendors selling weird and wonderful merchandise, costume contests, a street dance and a parade down Beach Boulevard that starts in front of the Gulfport Casino.
