Duration: 2 Hours
Distance: Approximately 2 miles

See the Burg through new eyes as Monica details the evolution of the city from sleepy fishing village to world-class cultural destination. This tour reveals history hiding in plain sight, like the first fire station – now a popular restaurant and night spot, and a funeral home from the city’s era as “God’s Waiting Room” that has been resurrected as a trendy steakhouse. 

On this two-mile stroll through downtown, we’ll see the oldest building in the city, whose architecture was influenced by our unlikely Russian origins, and also the most beautiful one, built just before the city’s 1920’s boom came to a screeching halt. We’ll discuss how local architectural styles were adapted to the Florida climate and learn how seasonal swells in population affected our urban design.  While visiting the city’s remaining historic arcades, we’ll learn how St. Pete dodged an urban-design disaster in the late 80s, and how hyper-local blogs and businesses contributed to our recent renaissance. Along the way you’ll hear stories of Civil Rights heroes, real estate hustlers, and the characters that shaped St. Pete, making it the most dynamic city in Florida.

Duration: 2 Hours
Distance: 2 miles

The Historic Gas Plant district is often in the news as the location of the 86-acre Tropicana Field redevelopment site. But few people know the rich history of this once vibrant area; even fewer are familiar with the adjacent Methodist Town community. Both were historically African-American neighborhoods developed during a time of strict segregation in St. Petersburg, and gave rise to many of our most prominent citizens, including our current Mayor and the city’s first African-American police chief. 

Only a few remnants of the original landscape of the Gas plant neighborhood still exist – mostly geographic features that couldn’t be eradicated when the stadium was built. Combined with location-specific histories of the bustling stores, busy churches, vibrant micro-neighborhoods, and displaced cemeteries that once existed on the grounds of today’s Tropicana Field and its parking lots, Monica paints a picture of what has been lost. We also visit the memorial marker at the site of the 1914 lynching of John Evans.

The neighborhood of Methodist Town retains a number of landmarks that tell the story of this historic community. This small neighborhood also offered a refuge for many of St. Pete’s Jewish merchants, whose businesses blossomed on nearby 9th Street (now MLK) and whose homes were nestled near Mirror Lake. Join Monica as she reveals pieces of the past that survived “urban renewal” and which shed light on the cultural, social, and political legacies that still resonate in today’s civic life.

Duration: 2 Hours
Distance: Approximately 2 miles

From its earliest years as a gritty working waterfront filled with ships and smokestacks to today’s glittering promenade teeming with tourists, St. Petersburg’s public waterfront reveals fascinating details of the city’s history. Learn how one man worked to transform it from a grubby rail and shipyard to one of the largest public waterfront park systems in the country and hear hidden stories about local landmarks like the Pier, the Vinoy, and the prettiest public restroom you’ll ever see. You’ll also learn about things we don’t see anymore, like the waterfront’s segregated beach and the grand hotel that Hollywood blew up. Join us on a stroll from Demen’s Landing, through the Pier, and down to the Vinoy as Monica discusses the transformation of the bayfront and ponders what the next 100 years look like as buildings grow taller and more people discover this jewel of Tampa Bay.