Pass-A-Grille Beach

The beach is my favorite place to just be! And transplanting to St. Petersburg has given me a ton on beach options (well several, but I am sure a ton of water). My favorite is PassAGrille. I love the sugar San beach and the clear, warm waters. In the summer with no clouds, you can easily burn (telling you what I know from experience) so make sure to wear you SPFs darlings! Also it’s a popular destination for sunset weddings on the beach, so you never know whose beauty. full nuptials you may witness. And finally thanks to the visitors and employees who keep the beach so clean… People come with full picnics and I have not seen anybody leave behind trash!!! So shout out to those people, they are the real MVPs!!!

When this fair skinned, suntan lotion hating man decides to beach it (which is like once every two years), I usually set my GPS to guide me to Pass-​A-​Grille. I like this beach because the sand is soft on my super delicate feet and you don’t have to fight for a spot on the sand like you do at other beaches in the area. One thing that is crowded? The parking. You absolutely must get here early or else finding parking is a crapshoot. You might luck into something. Or you might have to do what the innovative guy who got our parking spot during our last visit did. He asked us about leaving when we walked out of the changing area, phoned a friend, followed us to our car and had his girl waiting in line as soon as we pulled out.
A fabulous beach, worth checking out, just arrive early.

I have fond childhood memories spent at Pass-​A-​Grille beach, making sand castles with my sis, our dad teaching us how to find sand dollars and our mom taking us to collect sea shells.
The sand is soft and fine like baking flour. There were lots of colorful stores and restaurants for us to eat before we would hit the beach again.
By midday it gets crowded but it’s mostly families, so those looking for a Spring Break vibe might want to check elsewhere. There are signs in the parking lot warning you about stingrays, which was cool. The water is blue but slightly murky. If you’re not careful you might step on a starfish, but you put a couple midwestern kids in front of blue murky water, as long as it’s not green, they’re happy.
We spent four days in Florida, one day here, and it remains a cherished memory I look back on. That same day we were there a group of dolphins appeared just off the sand ridge. Their backs glistened and bobbed in and out of the water. Everyone got up and started watching. The dolphins circled around, some of them doing jumps and flips to the sound of everyone gasping and clapping. Crowds of people started walking into the water and the dolphins swam even closer, until dozens of people we’re waist deep and the dolphins swirled around them. I remember me and my sis standing on the shore afraid to go in, but watching our dad swim further out, waving us to follow. My sis was crying. I wanted to follow him in but I was shaking, pacing back and forth as I watched him reach into the water for something and rush back to the shore. He was holding something dark and crescent shaped tucked to his stomach, and only when it started making noises did I realize it was a baby dolphin. The pod swam further in once he did that, and people started lifting dolphins out of the water, posing with them for pictures, standing while others recorded or did whatever and then handed the dolphin off for someone else to hold. My dad put the baby in my hands and told me to smile for the camera. My sis was bawling her eyes out and wouldn’t get near me. My mom took a photo of me and my dad and then they swapped, then just a photo of me, paralyzed, my teeth chattering, the baby trying to wiggle out of my hands, flailing and whining and everyone cooing over its sounds. Soon someone who wasn’t my dad took the baby dolphin and plopped it in his own kid’s hands. Everyone crowded around us, reaching over each other for a chance to touch the baby. It disappeared behind all of the hands extended towards it, but you could still hear its squealing. The rest of the pod kept trying to swim away but they kept getting caught in the current. People were grabbing them by the tails and dragging them back to shore, standing over them and posing for photos. For what seemed like hours they would not stop squealing, all of them, doing this really loud, high pitched sound. I remember we sat until sunset watching the horizon, me and my dad well past burnt, my mom and my sis huddled under a towel but all of us watching the pink sunset over the jetty, my dad smoking a cigar. I have fond memories of his cigar, and its scent has mixed in with my fond memories of Florida and Pass-​A-​Grille beach, entangled with the smell of fresh fish, when beach patrol attendants combed the still sands and loaded their truck bed with abandoned carcasses.

Excellent beach for a relaxing Saturday afternoon. It was pretty quiet and not too crowded. Parking was also not too complicated. It was a meter machine for about $ 2 per hour with easy access to the beach. It was clean and relaxing and I did see one security personnel overseeing the area. I like that this beach has no park fee to enter and is easy to get to from St. Pete.

Amazing day at the beach. Saw two manatee, a huge dolphin, many kinds of birds and a whole school of sting rays. The sand is beautifully white, the water is the perfect turquoise green and the shelling is amazing! We had so much fun here!

This is my absolute favorite beach in the area. There is plenty of parking on Gulf Ave. and they offer bathroom facilities (I can’t say they are always the cleanest … but for the most part they are well taken care of). The sand here is white and stays pretty cool. The water is beautiful and the vibe is very relaxing. If you are into partying and such, this probably isn’t the best location for you. If you are looking to relax on a nice beach — then this is the spot! There is also a small snack bar on the beach and a few restaurants offered just a block away. Have fun here and enjoy a beautiful piece of St. Pete!

Good beach — uncrowded and lovely. The sand really was as soft as they say, a fact I initially discounted but quickly saw was important upon going to some of the other beaches closer to IRB. Its also very wide, so folks aren’t crunched in a small space. Finding places like this is exactly why I LOVE the Unilocal app when i’m travelling — its definitely a local hangout and was very un-​touristy. The only thing is that I was unable to find a public restroom — could be that I wasn’t looking hard enough, but I wasn’t there long enough for it to be an issue. For the time of day I arrived on a saturday (before 11), there was plenty of parking available but it did look more filled up when I left a few hours later. Worth checking out and a lovely place to walk/​splash in the ocean!

I love this area. Nice, quiet beach. Lots of shelling opportunities. On one side there is beach, the other is a small marina area where lots of fishermen collect. You can spot dolphins on occasion. Strike up a conversation with the fishermen. You’ll learn a lot. Lots of nice, interesting architecture in the area. There’s a burger place (Paradise Grille) right on the beach that’s pretty decent for a beach café. I don’t recommend Hurricane’s — expensive and the food is not good. It’s a rip off.

Great beach! seems less crowded than Clearwater and cleaner that Clearwater. Surrounded by intriguing business and plenty of geocaching GZs. Would come again.

Absolutely beautiful. The sunset is amazing from Pass-​A-​Grille. The downtown area is so cute. The beach is pristine and not overly crowded. Not a lot more to say than go, NOW!

This is my absolute favorite beach! Parking is close to the water. It is not expensive — $ 1.50/hour. There are pay meters at every bridge crossing which is extremely convenient. It isn’t a big ‘party’ beach so you can feel comfortable bringing your family.

Someday I am going to live in Pass-​a-​grille and go to this beach every day. White sand, clear water, and dolphins off the shore. I really don’t understand how anything can get better than this. Honestly.

Absolutely one of my favorite local beaches. It’s clean, it’s friendly, there’s a spot to eat or just get a snack right near by, you can eat at the Hurricane across the street, parking is plentiful, it’s not terribly difficult to get a spot somewhere along the way, there’s a bathroom nearby and it just feels comfortable being there.
I was there on Labor Day weekend and had no problem finding a spot to park, the pay machines are easy to use and you don’t have to walk all the way back to your car to put the voucher in your windshield. No change? No problem! They take credit cards too!
This beach can get crowded, but never too crowded. Seems less touristy for some reason. I hope the word doesn’t get out.
Really like this beach. I need to come here more often!

My new favorite beach! it is the perfect blend of serenity and fun, with lots of dining/​drinking options nearby. People are friendly, the view is spectacular, good for shelling, and the views can’t be beat.
Don’t tell anyone ;-)

Pass-​A– Grille beach was so relaxing compared to Clearwater my husband & I visited the day before. We didn’t have a problem with parking maybe because it was a Monday afternoon, although it wasn’t free it was cheaper than the other beaches in the surrounding area. The weather & water were perfect in spite of the threat of afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast. It is a good environment for sunbathing, reading, napping, and watching the sunset. The patrons are courteous & respectful of others who want peace & quiet. If you plan to bring food please be aware that there are a lot of seagulls by the shoreline so make sure your food is covered at all times, otherwise; you will get harassed by these hungry creatures. Remember No food + No snacks = No Seagulls. I enjoyed my visit & will definitely return the next time I am in St. Petersburg.

Love, love, love coming to this beach!
This was the first spot I visited in St. Pete so many years ago. Over the years I continued to make it my swimming spot. The beaches are beautiful, the water is wet and the sun is shining.
Only grife is that it can be very difficult to find a spot in the summer on the weekends, as with any beach.

Came here for the first time for a Surfer’s for Autism event. All parking is metered. Located near the Lowe’s Don Cesar Hotel. Beautiful white sand beach with a local grill on site, tons of highly rated restaurants near by and nature’s beauty everywhere. On this particular day there was a family of 4 juvenile manta rays swimming through the crowd which was pretty awesome.
I’d recommend this over Clearwater to the locals. Much less crowded. Easier to access. Way more peaceful.

I love giving five stars on milestone reviews, and Pass A Grille certainly deserves it. One of the cleanest and least crowded beaches on the west coast. Far away from the crazy St. Pete Beach bars so you don’t have a bunch of tools running around but not too far where you have to drive for awhile to get there.
The water is clean and warm — perfect for swimming or lounging. And, although alcohol is «prohibited» on the beach, you can easily bring a cooler, pour it into a cup and enjoy. As long as you don’t act like an idiot, you won’t be ticketed. But if you do bring drinks or smoke on the beach, throw away your trash and keep this amazing beach clean!

Passé Aux Grilleurs (the passageway of the grillers), this quaint little town located on the southern most end of a barrier island and is the epitome of the salt life. If one was to try and describe this little beach town the words laid back come to mind. This arty community is a real gem and surprisingly unspoiled, only 1 block wide by 31 blocks long its hardly a place you’ll get lost in but it does offer some solitude, the white sands are filled with remnants of shells and the gentle waves are constantly replenishing the bounty if you’re into collecting shells while walking down the beach. There plenty of options to get refreshments if you do end up at the beach…

Definitely a family friendly beach. Easy parking is a plus. Also there is no problem with alcohol on the beach.
Not as crowded as St. Pete or Clearwater. There are some restaurants on the main street bordering the beach. There is little traffic congestion so all in all, nice beach to spend quiet time at.