‘The Pelican’ Starts Brewery Sunset Cruise from St. Pete Pier

Are you a fan of boats, cold brews and sunsets? If that sounds like you, you’re not going to want to miss this. The Pelican St. Pete partnered with local breweries and High Noon Sun Sips to bring beer and sunset cruises through Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico from the St. Pete pier.

St. Petersburg is known for its local food and drink scene and its access to the water. Now, The Pelican is bringing local breweries on board to offer one of a kind sunset boat tours with free beer and a guaranteed good time. Thursday November 16th, Tuesday November 21st, and Thursday November 30th, the ship takes off from the St. Pete pier to the Skyway and back all while you enjoy beers from local breweries.

The first brewery featured on this cruise is Sunset with High Noon. The High Noon tour is on November 16th from 5-7 PM. There will be music, raffles, giveaways, and your first High Noon is free. 

The second brewery to take on this cruise is a local favorite, Green Bench Brewing Company. Enjoy a “Night Out with Green Bench” on Tuesday November 21st with everyone’s first beer being free. A portion of the proceeds go to the Tampa Bay Waterkeeper and will also feature live music. 

On Thursday November 30th, guests will hit the water with Coppertail Brewing Company for the third and final brew cruise. Enjoy a night of sailing, live music and of course, the first beer is free. You can secure your tickets here.

We can't say whether or not these brewery sunset cruises through Tampa Bay will add more dates, but The Pelican offers many other tours as well.  The Pelican is a 60 foot catamaran and holds up to 49 passengers. It is completely air conditioned and has larger bathrooms so you aren't squished inside. You can hold private events such as weddings, corporate parties, and other parties like birthdays.

Another tour guests can enjoy is the Egmont Key Boat Tour Experience. The boat takes off from St. Pete Pier and guests can go snorkeling, explore the lighthouse, fish, or just kick back and relax on the white sand beach of Egmont Key. Prices for this tour is $59 for adults and $39 for children between the ages of 5-12.

On the traditional Sunset Cruise, guests can bring their own food and drink or purchase it on the tour. The tour takes you from the St. Pete Pier and under the Skyway bridge for an experience you won't want to miss.

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in Florida back in the mid 1900s? The state has built up so much over the past 10 years, it’s hard to remember what it looked like. Thanks to the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, we can see what St. Petersburg looked like before it turned into what it is today. Let’s take a look into the bizarre Florida tourism films from the 1900s.

The films were first uncovered by David Shedden back in the 1980s. Sheddon was attending the University of South Florida when he discovered a few tin cans of film in the library. He worked part time at the library and salvaged the films that he could while others had been burned in the heat over the years. 

Andy Huse, a Special Collections librarian at the University said, “It wasn’t just a host standing there telling you things. They would show you,” he said. “It would be a highlight reel and it could be anywhere from five minutes to half an hour. Some of them were really elaborate and had stories and everything. Some of them were much more simple.”

Florida’s first batch of travelog style films were created by the Frohocks. The Frohocks were a husband and wife that made the very first promotional film for St. Petersburg. The Frohock duo tackled the assignment and would write the scripts, film, and narrate the films to show off the beautiful landscape and beaches of St. Petersburg.

Before the television was a household staple, these travelogues were shown in small theaters and private clubs such as the Kiwanis or Rotary Clubs.The Commerce would send copies of these films to stations across the United States to help promote the resort city.

By the 50s and 60s, the television had become a staple of the American household and these tourism films started airing during broadcasts throughout the country. The St. Petersburg chamber of commerce went on to film many more promotional videos to draw people in from across the country.

Let’s take a look into St. Petersburg through the eyes of 6 Florida tourism films from the 1900s.

This film showcases the one of a kind, underwater circus at "Florida's underwater Grand Canyon".  The audience sits in the underwater theater while two mermaids perform a ballet routine and acrobatics and are joined "Willie" the underwater dragon as well as the "Janitor". Give the full film a watch here.

The Adventures of X-14 begins when an alien lands on St. Petersburg Beach. The alien takes the form of different animals to blend in and begins to travel across the area.  Viewers get to catch a glimpse into the world of Florida with water skiers, marinas, the aquarium, fishing piers, party boats, and more. This film produced by Bill Beckley shows off the beautiful land of St. Petersburg to the vacationers of the 60s and gives us a chance to see what St. Petersburg looked like before the 21st century. Give the full film a watch here.

The Unusual Wolrd of Florida takes viewers along a ride across the state of Florida beginning in Ft. Lauderdale. The airboat rides of the Florida Everglades, Swamp Buggy Derby of Naples, the wildlife of the swamplands, water-skiers of Cypress Gardens, Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, divers and gator wrestling in Tarpon Springs, hand catching King Cobras, and more are just some of the activities Florida used to make it one of the top destinations for vacationers in the country. Give the full film a watch here.

Easily one of the catchiest jingles of all time, "When You Need It Bad, We've Got it Good" showcases the need for Florida for those who live in the cold areas of the United States. The movie shows snowy footage from the North and quickly jumps to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida because when you need it bad, Florida's got it good. Viewers saw photographs of famous people visiting Florida to persuade them to take the trip down south for the Winter. Give the full film a watch here.

This film was a promotional video for Cypress Gardens and their love for the sport of water-skiing to provide water safety tips. It shows the various acts you'll see at a Cypress Gardens Ski Show including the Pyramid, disc, barefooting, jumping and more. Cypress Gardens also used the video to promote the sale of their skis. Give the full film a watch here.

The "Buccaneer Conquest" shows off the Gasparilla Celebration which began in 1904. Businessmen, dressed as pirates, invade the shores and then celebrate together throughout the streets of Tampa. Give the full film and celebration a watch here.