I spent a couple of weeks this spring touring around southern and central Florida, from Miami and Fort Lauderdale up to Orlando and Tampa Bay. Of all the cities in which I spent time, none has changed more for the better since my last visit than St. Petersburg, the state's fourth largest city. Granted, I hadn't been through St. Petersburg and its string of beach communities for nearly a decade, but during that visit, much of the region looked badly in need of a makeover. What's happened in St. Petersburg lately, and an influx of GLBT residents has played a vital role in this transformation, is that downtown has developed into a considerably more vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with increasing numbers of hip restaurants and shops to match its already stellar crop of museums (one of those key attractions, the Salvador Dali Museum, will be reopening along the downtown waterfront in a spectacular new home on January 11).
Farther west, the Kenwood Historic District has developed steadily into St. Petersburg's GLBT epicenter, with its commercial corridor, the Grand Central District, now lined with gay-popular bars, shops, and restaurants. Be sure to check out such neighborhood favorites as Georgie's Alibi, the Queen's Head Bar and Restaurant, and Gemini Lounge if you're in the area - and see my Florida Gay Bars Gallery for additional nightlife options throughout metro St. Petersburg.
In 2009, St. Petersburg became home to the largest gay resort in the state when a couple of entrepreneurs transformed what had been a dumpy motel into the 130-room Flamingo Resort, which is now an economical, nicely maintained place to stay as well as one of the best spots in the city to party (in particular, check out the Sunday T-Dance).
Closer to the Gulf of Mexico, the funky town of Gulfport has become a trendy, bohemian hub of the arts, with a number of exceptional galleries as well as several good restaurants, and just across Boca Ciega Bay, St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island are looking better than they have in years. In case you're curious about gay beaches in the area, Treasure Island is where boys are - here's my step-by-step guide, complete with photos, on how to find the gay section of beautiful Sunset Beach.
With the largest gay pride festival in the state, held in late June (the date is June 25 in 2011), and an increasingly more age-varied, diverse, and ambitious population, St. Petersburg is easily one of the most improved metro regions in Florida. And it's rapidly becoming an easy-going, economical, and friendly gay vacation alternative to Fort Lauderdale and South Beach. If you're thinking about checking out the area yourself, be sure to consult my article on the best gay-friendly accommodations in greater St. Petersburg - you'll find everything here from grand historic hotels like the Renaissance Vinoy and Loews Don Cesar to beautifully restored, gay-friendly B&Bs in downtown's historic Old Northeast neighborhood as well as in nearby beach towns like artsy Gulfport and charming Dunedin (near Clearwater, toward the northern end of Pinellas County).