Visit This Underrated Beach Town Surrounded By Some Of Florida's Busiest For An Uncrowded Escape

Beach towns are a dime a dozen across Florida. You can sink your toes into the soft sands of Daytona Beach, join the shoreline parties of Miami, or marvel at the million-dollar mansions lining Destin's coastline, just to name a few options. Southwest of Tampa, across Old Tampa Bay, sits St. Petersburg, a particularly popular beach town that combines a rich and vibrant culture with the expected flare of a tourism hotspot. For as nice as St. Pete can be, it can also get crowded, and finding parking to enjoy the pier or any stretch of golden sands can be problematic.

For an escape from the bustle, though, just a short drive west across the Pinellas peninsula awaits a charming beach town largely untouched by the droves of Floridian tourists. Pass-a-Grille is a nice contrast to the Orlando and West Palm Beaches of the southeastern coast, swapping out the busier lifestyle for something simpler and more quaint. It's the kind of small picturesque beach town where families retreat for a break from the city life, its soft beach unencumbered by heavy foot traffic.

Located just ten minutes from St. Pete, Pass-a-Grille captures the idyllic beauty of its busier counterpart without feeling overcrowded. Even when it draws more tourists during Florida's peak season, its beach is long and offers enough space to spread out. Otherwise, if you're looking for a quiet getaway or just need a brief reprieve from the crowded streets of St. Pete, Pass-a-Grille should be on your radar.

When a neighborhood has around 6% of the total population of the next closest city, you don't expect it to have nearly as much to do. A beach town like Pass-a-Grille, with its population of nearly 15,000, is definitely small, but it's not devoid of experiences, events, and ways to pass the time. While you're most likely to spend the bulk of Florida's daylight hours lounging beachside in a rentable lounge chair or splashing in the salty gulf waters, you may consider adding some thrills like renting a speedboat or chartering a deep-sea fishing excursion.

Pass-a-Grille has a fairly full activity calendar, with beach yoga available daily and live music playing on Friday nights at The Wharf Restaurant. Being Florida, you can expect the scheduled events to be the same throughout the year, as even winter temperatures tend to hover around the 70s in the Tampa area. The neighborhood features a small stretch of stores, from the Pass-A-Grille General Store and its assorted sundries and sweets to boutiques boasting locally made clothing and jewelry. It's no Tanger Outlet, but it's fitting for the size of the tiny beach town.

After a spell of splashing in the Gulf and admiring the Pass-a-Grille's small-town charm, eateries like the burgers-and-fries joint The Brass Monkey and the upper-scale Grace headline an assortment of restaurants, sweet shops, and bars. There's a surprisingly eclectic variety of establishments to cater to seafood lovers and visitors in the mood for simplicity.

With its proximity to St. Petersburg, travelers can book a room at the nearby The Don Cesar, known for its old-school appeal and memorable pink exterior. It's only 5 minutes from the center of Pass-a-Grille, but with only one road in and out of the southern tip of the barrier islands, the potential for a backup is higher during tourist-heavy months. To avoid that possibility, Pass-a-Grille has a few spots to lodge guests, like the Coconut Inn, with its beachy suites and studios sporting private balconies and pool-view sundecks.

The Island's End Resort has five one-bedroom and one three-bedroom on-site cottages, each one set just feet from the golden shores. Island's End Resort is the pinnacle of privacy without taking you away from the whole reason you're in Pass-a-Grille. Sabal Palms Inn also features one-bedroom suites and studios and a relaxing pool area that will do the trick if you need a break from the salt and sand. There are limited locations to stay in Pass-a-Grille proper, not counting private vacation rentals, and they're all close enough to the beach and offer similar amenities and, most importantly, near-immediate access to the beach.