Beginning with City Park (today’s Williams Park) in the late 19th century and expanding to the waterfront in the early 20th, St. Petersburg’s parks have a long history of providing locals and visitors with a wide variety of amenities. Today, St. Pete can boast more than 150 city parks and numerous Pinellas County parks. According to the Trust for Public Land, 77 percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. Park amenities vary depending on location and size and can include picnic areas, playgrounds, beaches, boat ramps, fishing docks, playing fields, sports courts, fitness equipment, trails, nature preserves, art installations, and historic sites. Dogs and skaters even have their own spaces. Parks & Recreation also offers classes, service projects, camps, and a variety of after-school educational programs. Choose an activity or choose to relax, and there’s a park or recreation center that fits your needs.
Preserving & Learning about Nature at its Best
Located on the eastern edge of Pinellas County, Weedon Island Preserve borders the waters of Old Tampa Bay. It’s a perfect place to spend a day, and the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center is a great place to start. The Center offers interpretive hikes, workshops, and 6,000 square feet of interactive exhibits. Its goal is simple: “interpret the natural, cultural, and archaeological history of the preserve in order to demonstrate how the environment and people support and shape each other.” With nearly 3,200 acres of natural area, the preserve is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals. Indigenous peoples also lived on this land for thousands of years, and Indian mounds and relic dune ridges can be found on the higher, drier, and flatter elevations of the upland ecosystems. The preserve also offers numerous ways in which visitors can directly observe its natural wonders on their own.
Experiencing Nature at its Best
From hiking and kayaking to fishing and birding, Weedon Island will not disappoint. Nearly five miles of trails, boardwalks, loops, and spurs provide something for nearly everyone. A network of easily accessible paths allows for wheeled strollers or chairs (but no bicycles or pets) while natural trails offer more challenging hikes. Bird sightings are a sure thing, but visitors may also see other wildlife, including frogs, turtles, lizards, and alligators. Informative signs along the trails provide information on everything from identifying scat and the edible parts of trees to locating evidence of long-dormant runways. If you prefer to observe from the water, two well-marked kayak trails provide a great way to see local wildlife, including lots of Florida birds, manatees, dolphins, and stingrays. The four-mile south trail features some of the best mangrove tunnels this side of the Everglades; just be prepared to brave the stares of thousands of small black crabs on the mangrove roots. If fishing is your aim, a pier stands in nearly the same location as the historical bridge that once connected Weedon Island with neighboring Snell Isle to the south. It’s a great place to throw in line or a net. It truly is “A Place to Remember.”
For more information about Weedon Island Preserve, visit www.weedonislandpreserve.org or call (727) 453-6500
