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Walking Tours

St. Petersburg Preservation historic walking tour.St. Petersburg Preservation’s guided walking tours take guests on a detailed tour of downtown St. Petersburg and beyond.  Participants see the jewels of St. Pete’s past while learning about the founding of St. Petersburg and its historic architecture.  You are sure to have fun with with our experienced tour leaders Kai Warren, Peter Belmont, Jon Wilson, Emily Elwyn or Monica Kile.

Our regular tour season extends from October to April with tours offered on Saturday mornings starting at 10 A.M.  With the warmth of the summer months, evening tours are offered on special tour dates.  Please check our calendar for tour dates or send a message to us at info@stpetepreservation.org asking to be put on our email list which includes notices of upcoming tours.

We are happy to offer four unique tours: the Original Downtown Historic Walking Tour (first Saturday of the month during the tour season), the St. Pete Waterfront Tour (second Saturdays), the North by Old Northeast Walking Tour (third Saturdays), and the Westward Ho to Historic Kenwood (fourth Saturdays).

All tours, except for the Historic Kenwood tour, start downtown next to the historic Detroit Hotel and in front of Central Cafe & Organics (243 Central Ave.) and a great place to get a cup of coffee before starting the tour. Tours last approximately two hours.  The Historic Kenwood Tour starts at Craftsman House, 2955 Central Ave. 

Tours are free to members, for others, a $5 donation is requested, which may be applied toward membership if you join that day.  Reservations are requested but not required. For information on upcoming tours visit our calendar or call (727) 824-7802.

If you have a group, St. Petersburg Preservation will be happy to schedule a tour tailored to your group.  Just call and leave us a message at the number listed above or send us an email, info@stpetepreservation.org.

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Monday's tour was absolutely wonderful.  I've lived in this community for nearly 16 years and guided by Peter and Kai, in some ways, my eyes saw St. Petersburg for the first time.  It was fresh and new and interesting with vision to the past and concern for the future.  You were a great duet as well with your complimentary knowledge and styles. 
 
On behalf of the class and Eckerd College's PEL program, thank you so much for making such a terrific contribution to the education of the students in historic preservation.  Hopefully we are developing a new group of advocates to help this cause in the years to come.
 
With appreciation,
Jan Luth, Eckerd College

This is SPP’s original walking tour.  It follows a figure eight loop through downtown between Central Avenue and 4th Avenue North.

Learn about the beginnings of St. Petersburg in the 1880s, the boom of the early 1920s, and the Mediterranean influence on our architecture.  You will get to see some of the boom era hotels (including the Princess Martha, Pennsylvania and the Dennis), some of our stately churches (including First United Methodist, St Peter’s Cathedral, and First Baptist), and some of our architectural gems including the Snell Arcade, the Open Air Post Office, and the Veillard residence.

Learn about and see photos of some of our lost treasures, including the Soreno Hotel, the LaPlaza and Florida movie theaters.  The tour typically stops inside one or two historic buildings.

This tour starts at the Craftsman House Gallery, 2955 Central Avenue, convenient street parking available around the gallery or take a Central Avenue trolley from downtown and get off at 30th Street, across the street from Craftsman House.

The Craftsman House was the original model home for the Kenwood neighborhood and today has been beautifully restored, housing the Craftsman HouseGallery & Cafe.  At the end of the tour you may want to browse the gallery and enjoy lunch on its breezy & comfortable verandah.

The tour leaves Craftsman House and enters into historic Kenwood, one of the country's largest bungalow neighborhoods and home to the annual Bungalow Fest each November.  You will find out how, as a run down neighborhood, property owners were able to get together to make the neighborhood one of the city's most desirable.  The tour will make a stop inside one of the restored bungalows.


This walking tour starts downtown, then heads toward the waterfront with stops to learn about the creation of our 100-year-old waterfront park system, the City's first million dollar hotel, the million dollar pier, and other stories about St. Pete’s booming 1920s.  The tour then proceeds into the historic Old Northeast neighborhood and ends at the Vinoy Hotel. 

 

Find out how sea vamps, sunshine, and sports made St. Pete one of the country's premiere tourist destinations in the 1920s.  Learn about the varied architectural styles of the homes of the Old Northeast.  And explore the fabulous Vinoy Hotel, where you can stay and enjoy sunset with a drink on the verandah or hop aboard the Looper trolley for a ride back downtown.

The tour begins at the Detroit Hotel with a brief history of early St. Petersburg, then proceeds to our spectacular waterfront. You’ll learn about civic visionaries and the transformation of our working waterfront into one of the largest waterfront park systems in the country. The tour includes stories about St. Petersburg’s piers, beaches, and baseball too, and celebrates the beautiful historic buildings surrounding the parks and well as some of our newer architectural gems.
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