Street Art and Bikes: A Perfect Partnership for Bike-Friendly, Art-Loving St. Pete

Ask anyone. Downtown St. Petersburg is flourishing. Look up toward the sky, and you’ll see growth. Look out toward Tampa Bay, and you’ll see growth. This blossoming also is evident in efforts to protect the city’s heart by supporting bike-friendly streets, independent businesses, and the arts. One-of-a-kind murals adorn a range of surfaces from historic low-rise buildings and repurposed warehouses to traffic-control boxes in a constantly growing and changing free gallery spread throughout downtown and beyond. And there is no better way to see this magnificent display than on a bicycle.

The Power of Public Art Bike Tour

Fortunately for both visitors and St. Petersburg locals, bike-friendly streets make that possible. The nonprofit Florida CraftArt and rental company Coast Bike Share have teamed up to create a mural exploration. Their Power of Public Art Tour takes to downtown streets and alleys the first Saturday of every month. And they make it easy. Don’t worry if you don’t have a bicycle; Coast Bike Share can provide a rental. Don’t worry if you’re not a long-haul or speedy rider; the pace and the route are beginner-friendly, and the tour makes lots of stops. Don’t worry if you don’t know your way around downtown; guides make sure you stay on course while also wowing you with their knowledge of murals, artists, and techniques.

Bikes, Bikes, and more Bikes!

You’ll have a good time while you get exercise, catch a few rays, and learn fun facts. Plus, your appreciation for the blue Coast Bike Share rides doesn’t have to end with the mural tour. They’ve teamed up with a variety of other local organizations to showcase other aspects of the city. If group activity doesn’t appeal, you can explore on your own. Hundreds of bicycles are available at rental hubs throughout the greater downtown area.

Bike-Friendly Goals

Beyond bicycle entrepreneurs, others are promoting the city’s efforts. The businesses along Fifth Avenue N and 33rd Street in Historic Kenwood, for example, hope to become a bicycle-friendly business block as determined by the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Business Program. Let’s hope that attitude spreads. It’s good for people. It’s good for the city. It’s a win-win.

Art and Bikes

The Power of Public Art Bike Tour is offered the first Saturday of each month. For more information or to sign up for the next tour, visit Florida CraftArt:
http://www.floridacraftart.org/product/mural-tours-bike/

For more information on Coast Bike Share: http://coastbikeshare.com/stpete/

Find out how you can become an officially designated Bike Friendly Business at https://bikeleague.org/business

Whether you want to paint a mural or watch the artistic process in action then the Shine Festival is for you. Find out about past events and download maps: http://shineonstpete.com/