02 Apr 2014
The New York Times Names St. Petersburg Top Global Destination
Affirming the area's growing reputation as a top international destination, The New York Times included St. Petersburg in its ranking of the world's “52 Places to Go in 2014,” a list that included “vibrant cities and spectacular coastlines, unexpected sports and new attractions.”
The global round-up, which appeared in both the national and international editions of The New York Times, showcased St. Petersburg as an example of urban reinvention, noting its “redeveloped waterfront, a stunning Dali Museum, and sophisticated restaurants in place” and historic Central Avenue's “downtown energy,” powered by a renaissance of the craft beer scene and funky new dining and accommodations options.
Complete story.
Landmark Dali/Picasso Exhibit to Debut at Dali Museum in St. Pete this November
The St. Pete/Clearwater area will welcome a landmark international exhibition this November, when The Dalí Museum brings together two of the biggest names in the world of art with a brand new exhibition "Picasso / Dalí, Dalí / Picasso.
The exhibition will open at The Dalí on Saturday, Nov. 8, and runs through February 15, 2015, at which point it will travel to the Museu Picasso for exhibition from March 19, 2015 until June 28, 2015. The Dalí Museum and the Museu Picasso are the only two institutions in the world that will house this exhibit. "Picasso / Dalí, Dalí / Picasso" will attract world-wide attention for both museums, as it will feature works from more than 25 international art museums, as well as some from a private collection of the Picasso family. The exhibition will contain dozens of works and focus on paintings, but will also feature drawings, prints and sculpture.
Complete story, downloadable high-res photos
St. Pete/Clearwater and Tampa Become First CityPASS' Ticket in Florida
The St. Pete/Clearwater and Tampa areas joined forces with CityPass to create CityPASS Tampa Bay, a combo ticket program that will allow area visitors to save 38 percent on a package of admissions to five local attractions. The Tampa Bay CityPASS, which will retail for $119, launches on May 20 and includes the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter the dolphin, and the Chihuly Collection in St. Pete, in addition to Busch Gardens and two other Tampa attractions.
Complete story
St. Pete/Clearwater Area Beaches Dominate TripAdvisor's 2014 List of Best in the U.S.
For the second year in a row, St. Pete/Clearwater garnered more recognition than any other Florida destination on TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice Awards of Top 25 U.S. Beaches. Three area beaches made the coveted list, which is determined by more than 25 million TripAdvisor user reviews. Making the honored list this year were local favorites St. Pete Beach---TripAdvisor's No. 1 Beach in 2012---in addition to Dunedin's Caladesi Island State Park and world-famous Clearwater Beach.
This accolade joins a host of others, including being named one of America's Top 10 Best Beach Towns last year by Parents magazine. Other recent notable St. Pete/Clearwater beach awards include: Clearwater Beach being named "Best Florida Beach Town" by USA Today, Anclote Key Preserve State Park named "Best Hidden-Gem Beach" by USA Today, Clearwater Beach chosen as Peter Greenberg's "Best Beaches in the U.S." and Fort De Soto Park earning "Best Family Beach" from USA Today and the world's 20th best beach by TripAdvisor.
Complete story, downloadable high-res photos & video.
What's “Florida Weisse”? It's the Darling of Local Craft Beer Boom
From Tarpon Springs to St. Pete, some 14 area breweries are featured on a new video tour highlighting the latest tastes in local craft brewing scene.
St. Pete/Clearwater is enjoying an unprecedented craft beer boom, with 14 craft breweries, the most in the entire state of Florida---from the oldest in Dunedin to the smallest microbrewery on Treasure Island, the R Bar. Brew masters at 7venth Sun Brewery, one of Florida's newest breweries, are adding their own twist to their beer---fermenting it with fresh Florida fruit. Adding the fruit cuts down on the tartness of a typical Berliner Weisse style beer, which is a sour wheat beer originating from Germany. Local enthusiasts have coined the tart and tasty beer as “Florida Weisse”.
Dolphin Tale Sequel Release Set for Fall 2014; new Movie Trail Video Chronicles Area Filmography
Dolphin Tale 2, the sequel to the Warner Bros. blockbuster, just finished filming in Clearwater and is scheduled for release this fall. The impressive list of movies, commercials and music videos shot in St. Pete/Clearwater grows longer every year, but recent film production credits include Magic Mike, Spring Breakers, and Sunlight Jr.
This is on top of an impressive roster of films, TV shows and music videos that stretches back more than two decades, includes Ocean's Eleven, The Punisher and Cocoon, as well as music videos and luxury car ads.
Complete story, downloadable high-res photos & video.
St. Petersburg to Host Eco-Centric International Film Festival
The BLUE Ocean Film Festival has selected St. Petersburg to host this year's event. The announcement was made at a special event in Monaco hosted by BLUE, the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Oceanograhic Institute in Monaco. At the heart of the BLUE Ocean Film Festival is an international and festival that screens over 100 of the world's top ocean films in more than 20 award categories. The Conservation Summit and Film/Media Industry Conference held during the festival draws leaders from the marine conservation, film and art worlds.
Complete story
Drones Take to the Skies in St. Pete/Clearwater
Maybe you saw the news about Amazon's plans to ship products via drones at some point in the future? Well, Amazon's not the only organization tapping into state-of-the-art drone technology. In a new video, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater showcases a local photographer who captures images of the area like never before utilizing the unmanned radio-controlled devices. The new technology allows videographers to capture area imagery in ways never seen before---and the results are stunning. A new video features one local “quadcopter” pilot, who captured some of the most amazing video of the area we have ever seen.
Complete story
New Video Series Promotes Places Visitors Can't Go??
Even as the area is being discovered by record numbers of visitors, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater has unveiled a new video series that showcases how much more remains unseen. The “Off-Limits Tour” takes online visitors behind the scenes, to experience iconic locations from a perspective they will never see in real life. From creaky towers in historic landmarks to wildlife refuges where no humans are allowed, these tours are designed to pique the interest of our most curious visitors---and tell behind the scenes stories of some of the area's most fascinating yet unknown vistas.
Downloadable Videos
