Tagged: bbbspb, beach bar, florida, st. pete beach, travel
With the reality that my feet will be on the beaches of St. Pete Beach in just over 24 hours, the beach bar planning kicks into high gear. Add to that the possibility that Erika might put a crimp in some of our plans and the necessity to get things in order notches up a little bit. Even though we’ll be there for 11 days, the time will fly by and a beach bar bum can only hit so many beach bars in one day, no matter how hard they try.
When I visit a beach bar, I don’t just waddle on up to the bar and order a tasty concoction. Ever since I started this site, the beach bar experience has changed dramatically for me. Instead of enjoying myself, I document everything – take pictures, make notes, take video, pose drinks and generally avoid doing everything a sane person should be doing at a beach bar. Only after I’m done “researching” do I allow myself the opportunity to actually enjoy myself. I know, it’s hard work but someone has to do it. Besides, I hate just walking into a beach bar, ordering a drink and then saying I was there. You have to take the time to experience it which naturally extends your stay. Hence, the need to create this list of beach bars in St. Pete Beach.
I’m not sure if I got all of the beach bars in St. Pete Beach but I listed as many as I could find on Google Earth. The only criteria I had was that you had to be able to see the beach from the beach bar so if there was a great beach styled bar tucked in behind a resort, it didn’t make the list. Also, they have to be located between the Postcard Inn on the north end of the beach and the Undertow Beach Bar on the south end. Other beach bars are on the itinerary as well, namely Caddy’s on the Beach on Treasure Island and Paradise Grille in Pass-A-Grille but for the purposes of this article, we’ll keep the list to beach bars between those two points.
This will be the list I’m constantly referring back to as I stumble aimlessly from beach bar to beach bar so if I missed some, please let me know. For some reason, I think there should be more but you can only get into so many nooks and crannies with Google Earth.
Don’t forget to follow the #bbbspb hashtag on social media as I’ll be using it to track my posts. Use it to reach out to me as well – would love to meet up with some of you!
Starting at the north end of the beach ….
The PCI Beach Bar – Located at the Postcard Inn on the Beach, tampabay.com has this to say about it: “If tropical drinks, sub-tropical weather and seaside scenery sound like your kind of thing, you may want to take a look at the PCI Beach Bar. The combination of classic Florida style, laid-back atmosphere, and quality house cocktails make it a great place to kick back and enjoy the sunny, balmy Florida spring.
Jimmy B’s Beach Bar – You can find Jimmy B’s at the Beachcomber, where musical acts can be found every day starting at mid-afternoon during the week and 11 am during the weekend.
Sandbox Beach Bar – $3 sunset drink specials are why you’ll find me making a beeline for the Sandbox, located at the Guy Harvey Outpost.
Salty’s Poolside Beach Bar – The Tradewinds Resort gets into the beach bar action with Salty’s, where you can “Lounge by the pool and sip on some pure relaxation while you enjoy another perfect day in paradise.”
Rum Runners Bar and Grille – Located at the Sirata Beach Resort, Rum Runners is one of two beach bars available on its property, with this one featureing “an expanded patio dining area with nine flat-screen TVs, comfortable seating, a warming outdoor fireplace, a stage for live entertainment, and portable walls and a heater for those rare chilly days on the beach.”
Harry’s Beach Bar – The other beach bar located at the Sirata, Harry’s has been a floridabeachbar.com top 10 beach bar for four years running. That’s good enough for me.
Bongos Beach Bar and Grille – The Grand Plaza Hotel is host to Bongos, which they describe as “a fun and causal beachside bar.” Let’s not forget their happy hour. I won’t.
Crabby Bill’s Seafood – Crabby Bill’s is its own restaurant, beholden to no resort and while I won’t be eating any seafood (shellfish tend to make my throat swell up and generally lead to a belief that I’m about to die), I will go for the tiki deck overlooking the beach and the Onion Jack Burger, whose sauteed onions will invariably lead to a most uncomfortable rest of the night for anyone in my near vicinity.
Sandbar Bill’s – Apparently, Bill isn’t just crabby – he’s hanging out at the Sandbar as well and you can find him poolside at the Bon-Aire Resort.
Undertow Beach Bar – Known as “the Tow,” the Undertow offers free local rides on St. Pete Beach, reason enough to check it out. Hey, that’s better than paying or getting arrested.
Photo by Chris Sanchez, Clear Vision Media.
