The St. Pete Pier – So Much to See!

Our new St. Pete Pier has so much to offer. A Discovery Center, splash pad, Bending Arc, playground, fishing deck and so much more but when visiting, don’t miss the details! They are numerous! For instance, I found a lot of people miss the wonderful glass mosaic. The piece peeks out on the path to and from the Pier Head and has all the makings of a selfie wall. Bailey is a crochet artist who became known for her African-inspired hats that were worn on The Cosby Show, in a Spike Lee movie and in United Colors of Benetton ads. For Morning Stars, she crocheted the mandalas, took photographs of them, pixelated the photos and worked with fabricators to have one of them rendered in glass tiles and assembled into a mosaic.

Just past the Pier Approach, the “Bioswale” is one of the many eco-friendly aspects of the new Pier — and a tree-populated park that’s ideal for a picnic. With lots of seating and shade, not to mention plenty of grass and flowers, this area is a charming little world unto itself.  The Pier has many landscaped areas that are truly breathtaking. Spend some time noticing the beautiful plant selection and the effort put into the designs.

You may have missed it because this is a very recent addition. St. Petersburg is the birthplace of commercial aviation. The Benoist Plaza (pronounced “Ben-wah”) features a life-sized sculpture of the Benoist Airboat that pilot Tony Jannus flew roundtrip to Tampa on January 1, 1914.

Located just past the Pier’s Gateway, the Marketplace features vendors selling items in kiosks and under 10’x10’ tents. Designed by Wannemacher Jensen Architects, the Pier Market canopy is an integrated roof of translucent glass photovoltaic panels which harvest solar radiation, which is placed back into the city grid. The unique design filters sunlight gradually at the edges and then more densely toward the center, similar to the affect of a natural tree canopy! The Marketplace features a cast of vendors selling an array of products, many with a local flair. I have been back to Gulf Planks several times to purchase gifts. My family has an affinity to Sunset Beach so I just gifted my brother with a “Sunset Beach” sign from “Gulf Planks”.

When you are enjoying a stroll along the pier approach, notice there are no light poles! The designer wanted to eliminate view obstructions so the lighting is incorporated at the ground level.