10 Best Family Things to Do in St. Petersburg

Splash Harbour Water Park is a fun park with slides, pools, and other water rides that the whole family can enjoy, and there's a special section just for kids. Among the most impressive attractions here are the twisty waterslides, which tower up to 42 feet. You'll also find a lazy river if you're looking to relax.

This water park also features a designated kids' splash zone specifically designed for younger kids to allow for a fun and safe experience. You can get to this park within the Holiday Inn Harbourside Hotel grounds a few miles southwest of downtown Clearwater, but you don't have to be a guest to visit the park.

Sunken Gardens is a living museum where you and your family can explore a wide variety of both native and exotic tropical plants. The garden itself is more than a century old, and some of the plants are as well. That means you can find quite a few massive examples of tropical flora on display.

Kids and adults alike can enjoy the more than 50,000 tropical plants shown off here, but that's just the beginning. Your little ones are sure to enjoy the butterfly encounter as well. Experience it all for yourself in St. Petersburg in the Historic Old Northeast neighborhood.

Celebration Station is a fun theme park where you and your kids can find a variety of fun activities as well as dining options. Among the attractions here, you'll find go-karts and bumper boats, plus there are kiddie rides for particularly young children.

This theme park also features laser tag and a 2-story arcade packed with both new and retro video games to play. More sport-oriented families may want to check out the on-site mini-golf and batting cages as well. You'll find it all by Hillcrest Villas, a few miles northeast of downtown Clearwater.

North Beach at Fort De Soto Park is a relaxing beach situated in a park where you and your family can enjoy the natural splendor among shallow waters. North Beach is known particularly for swimming, so kids and adults alike can splash around with peace of mind along the water's edge.

You'll find plenty of opportunities to relax on the beach while your little ones play around, and lounges are available on the soft sands. Of course, you can set out in a kayak if you're feeling more adventurous. It's all available a few miles southwest of downtown St. Petersburg.

Great Explorations Children’s Museum is a comprehensive facility where you and your kids can enjoy learning and a variety of games and activities designed to foster imagination. At this location, your little ones can express themselves through artwork or take part in a workshop to learn new art techniques.

Science is just as much a part of this museum as art, and you'll find quite a few different exhibitions, including one in which children launch a tennis ball to the top of the museum in a fun physics lesson. You'll find it all by Crescent Lake north of downtown St. Petersburg.

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is a well-preserved area of Florida wilderness where you and your family can take in the natural habitats and learn all about them. The preserve encompasses 245 acres of space, making it one of the largest areas of natural wilderness in the state.

When you visit, you'll find miles of trails to traverse that go through 5 distinct ecosystems you won't want to miss out on. Plus, the wildlife here is fairly diverse, especially the resident and migratory birds that pass overhead. See it all for yourself just south of downtown St. Petersburg.

Tampa Bay Grand Prix is an indoor go-karting facility where you'll find pro-karts that the whole family can enjoy with a race on a state-of-the-art track. The karts here can reach speeds of up to 50 mph, though especially young kids won't be given karts with that much power.

When you visit this facility, you can compete on tracks that are designed for speed and challenge while still being fun for everyone to enjoy. At the end of the race, you can check out your personal results to see your exact time relevant to everyone else. Try it out in eastern Largo, north of St. Petersburg's downtown.

Moccasin Lake Nature Park is a fun park known for its special exhibits of native Florida wildlife and its well-maintained nature trails. The park encompasses 51 acres and features special exhibits showing off animals like raccoons, gopher turtles, and quite a few different birds, including birds of prey.

The walking trails throughout the park are fairly serene, with many of them essentially functioning as wooden bridges with railings that let the wildlife enjoy their own separate area away from visitor interference. See it for yourself a few miles east of downtown Clearwater.

Pirate cruises are among the most popular family attractions in the area, with cruises along local waterways in replica pirate ships packed full of activities. Most of these cruises tend to venture out in the gulf and the Intracoastal Waterway and last about 2 hours.

On the cruise, you and your kids will find plenty of activities to enjoy, as the atmosphere lets them embrace a fantastical idea of swashbuckling adventure with treasure hunts and foam swordplay. You can try it all for yourself at several locations along the western coast.