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New Stop Added For Free Downtown St. Pete Bus to The Beach

The SunRunner service that takes you from downtown St. Petersburg to the beach has become pretty popular. The Tampa Bay Times reports about 600,000 have ridden the free bus so…

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Geno / Q105

The SunRunner service that takes you from downtown St. Petersburg to the beach has become pretty popular. The Tampa Bay Times reports about 600,000 have ridden the free bus so an expansion has been announced. There will now be a stop on 1st Avenue near the Sundial parking garage so that visitors to the St. Pete Pier can hop on board. It's about a 5 minute walk both from the Pier and that Cross Bay Ferry which takes you over to Tampa.

The money for the expansion will come from $5 million in federal money that was left over from the original project, according to the article. They say about 3,700 ride the bus on a given day. The service will remain free at least until October. But they say the plan is to keep it free for another year after that. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

The sun sets over downtown St. Pete as the new St. Pete Pier welcomes visitors for the second night on July 7, 2020. Grab a bite to eat, enjoy some music, shop hit the beach, let the kids run through the water or just take in a beautiful new view of St. Petersburg.

The St. Pete Pier Welcomes Visitors

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Welcome... let me show ya around.


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This week you need a reservation to get it, but I got one without a problem just an hour before the visit.


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Use the hand sanitizer station on the way in near the solar panels because I did not see the others when I was roaming around.


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Cool touch - when the vendors are not open, the displays close up to show art.


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Lots of cafes and snacks.


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The sprinklers light up in different colors at night.


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Live music adds a nice touch.


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There's lots of space to stretch out.


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The walk takes about 10-15 minutes to get to the end of the pier.


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Free!


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The airport and Dali museum in the distance.


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There were a few food trucks out, but more vendors will be out on the pier this weekend.


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Don't expect bargains downtown St. Pete these days. But the prices weren't outrageous.


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Fancy art. Or a blob. You be the judge.


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Hammock! Bring a hammock next time. Great idea!


The St. Pete Pier Welcomes Visitors

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The design was debated forever... but I think most will like the results when seen in person.


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Lots of lawn space to relax.


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Wanna fish?


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Fish cleaning station...


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The view looking toward St. Pete from the end of the pier.


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Yes, there's plenty of room to fish!


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This will be a fun spot to take the wave runners out to!


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What's a Florida attraction without a gift shop?


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Oh you know there's always going to be a tourist trap postcard / t-shirts shop.


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The views of the St. Pete skyline from the rooftop bar/restaurant are pretty stunning.


The St. Pete Pier Welcomes Visitors

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View from your table if you get the right one!


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Quite a view of the sunset from the top level restaurant.

GenoEditor
Hear Geno on the air weekday afternoons. Geno's passions include fat guy food, concerts, sports, travel to Europe and South America. He loves 80s and 90s music, from MTV hairbands to old school freestyle, alternative rock to TRL era jams. Geno's radio career began in his hometown of Portland, Maine. Since then he's been on the air coast to coast from Boston to Las Vegas, Tampa to California.