Pass-A-Grille Beach, part of St. Pete Beach in Florida, boasts the world’s shortest Main Street.
Come shop till you drop in just two blocks.
I saw it with my own eyes. Two blocks of chic shops and restaurants bordered by the Gulf of Mexico on one end and the Bay side on the other end. Clothes, food, beach finds, restaurants, ice cream, the whole buffet.
The town of Pass-A-Grille Beach incorporated into the City of St. Petersburg Beach in 1957. Then in 1989 a part of Pass-A-Grille received the honor of being a National Historic District – old and often funky buildings all located in an easily walkable area.
Dress code for the day: beach casual.
Here is the drill:
Your first agenda – find a parking place. Easier to do on the Bay side as the beach side fills up fast. Parking meters everywhere. Feed the beast. Plan on at least three hours.
Just so you know – once parked, there is an alternative to walking – jump aboard a Free Beach Ride (tips appreciated). They roam from Pass-A-Grille to Clearwater Beach.
But we stayed this day in Pass-A-Grille and walked.
History buffs gravitate to the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum on 10th Avenue.
Built in 1917, the bell tower on top is a giveaway that this historic building started out as the first church on the local barrier islands.
Closed due to COVID19 look for a soft opening on April 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission free. Check their website for updates.
You can take a Pass-A-Grille virtual tour of the whole historic district, soaking up history while sitting on the couch. This could be a good idea to do BEFORE you visit live. Still, I appreciated the virtual tour afterwards and recognized buildings.
On our recent visit we walked past the closed museum and sauntered along the sidewalk admiring older homes and tropic landscaping.
A couple on bikes pulled up. The man got off his bike and stood there looking around. Soon a cat appeared from a nearby yard, ready for its daily belly rub.
“We do this every day,” he said. Soon his wife joined him.
I admit to being a tad jealous that daily life here is so relaxed that it includes bike rides and belly rubs.
One block away is Galene’s Paradise, an older building turned into a gallery for glass art and jewelry with costal and beach themes both inside and outside. The front area even has a huge bird house waiting for occupants. Too big for me to carry home but it would work in the back garden for sure.
Galene’s is on Pass-A-Grille Way, just half a block from Merry Pier.
Are you seeing a trend here? Everything is very close by in Pass-A-Grille.
We watched the Shell Key Shuttle eco tour depart the Pier for Shell Key just ten minutes away. Three departures a day – come back at different times. All options open – shelling, sunbathing, snorkeling, bird watching.
Cost is $25 adults, half price for children 12 and under, children 2 and under go free. With your purchase they throw in the use of a beach umbrella, mask and snorkel and dive flag.
Parking passes for those pesky meters are available for purchase when checking in for the shuttle ride.
Of course, they also do a Sunset Cruise. It is required when facing the Gulf of Mexico, known for spectacular sunsets with occasionally a flash of green just as the sun kisses the horizon.
Ah, sunsets. A nightly rite of passage not to be missed.
And here in Pass-A-Grille another tradition that goes with sunsets – ringing the sunset bell located on the deck of Paradise Grill.
What’s with ringing bells? Centuries ago bells were rung in India and Japan to carry the wishes of the gods into the air, chase away evil spirits and inspire peace. Lovely.
Why not do it in the year 2021 to celebrate events, family and well, just the good fortune of being here?
There is a crew of volunteer bell ringers. The person in charge is Head Ding Dong Jim LeBlanc. I am not making this up. In fact you can call ahead of time (571-722-9323) to arrange a bell ringing or just show up 15 minutes before sunset.
The sun was high overhead when we arrived at Paradise Grill for outdoor seating at lunch time. A delight to see the beach full of happy families – it was spring break and what better place to be! Yes, masks were worn when standing in line to order a meal. Everyone happy to be here. That was obvious.
We soaked up the sunshine. My grouper sandwich got an A plus. No one was in any hurry to leave.
Sometimes there is only one sentence that works to sum it all up –
It doesn’t get any better than this.