This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit of the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office. The tour, led by architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
PTB members are free. Guests and non-members are $10/person. Tour reservations are recommended.
The Historic Kenwood tour is always popuplar! Tour participants will experience one of the country’s premier bungalow neighborhoods on a leisurely walk led by resident guides excited to show off their neighborhood. Kenwood is one of the 'Burg's five National Register designated historic districts. It is also one of the city's two "artist enclave" districts. The tour will highlight both the architecture and neighborhood art projects happening in this popular and special neighborhood. After the tour, guests can choose to enjoy a drink or lunch at the Craftsman House, an American crafts gallery & cafe that was the original model home for Kenwood and is pictured or from one of the other local businesses along Central Ave.
THIS TOUR IS NOW SOLD OUT. PLEASE CHECK OUR CALENDAR FOR OUR OTHER UPCOMING TOURS AND EVENTS, AND BE SURE TO CHECK OUR MONDAY NEWSLETTERS FOR ANOTHER 'BARNSTORMING THE 'BURG' BUS TOUR THIS SPRING!
Barnstorm verb
barn·storm | \ ˈbärn-ˌstȯrm \
2: to travel from place to place making brief stops
Join Executive Director Monica Kile (pictured left) for a barnstorm through the ‘Burg to learn all about St. Petersburg’s evolution from a tiny hamlet called Wardsville to the dynamic community we live in today. Criss-cross the city in comfort on a climate-controlled motorcoach (with bathroom!) while you hear how the the ‘Burg’s history was shaped by real estate booms and busts, spring training, incredible PR gimmicks, and dedicated city advocates. View the vibrancy of Central Avenue’s 600 Block, the peaceful solitude of historic Driftwood, and the rich legacy of the Deuces - St. Pete’s historically African-American main street. Honed over a decade of guiding St. Pete’s future leaders in the CONA Leadership Class and Leadership St. Pete, Monica’s tour hits the most interesting (and some of the most hidden!) sites in St. Petersburg, while giving participants a deep understanding of where the city has been, and where it is going.
Tour includes a mid-morning snack break at the Craftsman House Gallery. We will get off the bus at 2-3 locations, and may have short walks of 1-3 blocks.
Our "Original" downtown walking tour is a great way for visitors to get an introduction to St. Petersburg and for residents to learn a few things new about the 'Burg's past. Experience and see what makes downtown special as you take a stroll though a portion of the city's central business district and the Downtown National Register Historic District. Participants will see grand historic hotels, stately churches, and architectural treasures like the Snell Building & Arcade (pictured) and the Open Air Post Office.
You might want to come early and take a stroll through the Saturday Morning Market, it opens at 9 am and its easy to purchase a bakery treat & coffee.
St. Petersburg's waterfront helps to make the city special! Tour participants will learn about the waterfront's importance to the city's efforts to promote itself as the embodiment of the Florida dream and hear stories about the civic visionaries who transformed a working waterfront into one of the country's largest waterfront park systems. The waterfront is also where baseball’s spring training got its start, was the 1914 home to the world’s first airline, the St. Petersburg - Tampa Airboat Co. and the location for the 'Burg's historic fountain of youth - those on the tour will be able to try the fountain and, no doubt, will feel younger by tour's end!
You may want to come early and stop in at the Saturday Morning Market - it opens at 9 am and it's easy to purchase a cup of coffee and bakery treat before the start of the tour
Walkng tours are free to PTB members. Guests and non-members are $10/person. Tour reservations are recommended.
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office. The tour led by architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
Mirror Lake and its surrounding neighborhood is a special part of the 'Burg. While it is just blocks from Central Avenue, the area has its own sense of place, with an array of historic buildings including the 1916 Carnegie Library, and the Shuffleboard Club among many others. The area still retains much of its historic integrity and is a part of the Downtown National Register Historic District. However, Mirror Lake's unique sense of place is threatened by new high rise development! This tour, led by PTB President Ken Grimes, will be a leisurely stroll around Mirror Lake taking in the best of the past as well as discussing the potential threats to the area's integrity. Pictured above is a historic post card scene looking across Mirror Lake to the 1916 library.
Tours are free for PTB members and $10 for non-members. Reservations are recommended. Tour starting point is next to the Shuffleboard Club sign, pictured below.
The Historic Kenwood tour is always popular as participants experience one of the country’s premier bungalow neighborhoods. The tour will be a leisurely walk led by resident guides excited to show off their neighborhood and it includes a peek inside a historic home. Kenwood is one of the 'Burg's five National Register designated historic districts, it features the city's largest local landmark district and is also one of the city's two "artist enclave" districts. The tour will highlight both the architecture and neighborhood art projects happening in this popular and special neighborhood. After the tour, guests can choose to enjoy a drink or lunch at the Craftsman House, an American crafts gallery & cafe that was the original model home for Kenwood and is pictured or from one of the other local businesses along Central Ave.
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office (historic post card view pictured). The tour led by architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
Please join Preserve the 'Burg for this special presentation by Dr. Peggy Macdonald as we celebrate the centennial of women's suffrage.
When it comes to women's suffrage in Florida, St. Pete has an exceptional story to tell. Did you know we had on our City Council the first woman commissioner south of the Mason Dixon Line? Virginia Burnside was elected to the St. Pete City Council in July 1920, almost two months before the 19th Amendment was ratified. The 1914 Burnside residence at 136 5th Avenue North was originally owned by Virginia and John Burnside, and in 2017 was granted landmark status by the City Council.
In "Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage," Dr. Peggy Macdonald traces Florida's suffrage movement from its inception with Ella Chamberlain in 1892, to August 27, 1920, when Fay Gibson Moulton Bridges cast her ballot on the porch of a Jackson County dry goods store, becoming the first Florida woman to vote after the 19th Amendment went into effect. Former Florida First Lady May Mann Jennings, who convinced the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs to support the campaign for equal suffrage as their president in 1915, also co-founded the Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters. In Jim Crow Florida, African American women were excluded from local and state equal suffrage organizations. However, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune helped black men and women exercise their right to vote by offering classes designed to help students pass the literacy test and by fundraising for a poll tax fund.
Dr. Macdonald is adjunct professor of history at Stetson University in DeLand. She is a speaker with the Florida Humanities Florida Talks program and writes about Florida history for Gainesville Magazine, Our Town Magazine, Senior Times and FORUM Magazine. She earned a doctorate in American history at the University of Florida.
Our "Original" downtown walking tour is a great way for visitors to get an introduction to St. Petersburg and for residents to learn a few things new about the 'Burg's past. Experience and see what makes downtown special as you take a stroll though a portion of the city's central business district and the Downtown National Register Historic District. Participants will see grand historic hotels, stately churches, and architectural treasures like the Snell Building & Arcade and the Open Air Post Office (above in historic post card image).
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office. The tour led by PTB President and architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
Join PTB for a special architectural bingo tour in the Historic Old Northeast! PTB's former President & architectural historian Emily Elwyn will lead the group on this fun tour where tour goers will look for some common and not so common architectural features from the neighborhood’s homes that also appear on the bingo cards. The first to find the features and, as in “regular” bingo, complete the row on the bingo card will be the winner (prizes awarded!).
It’s a great tour for the kids but architecture bingo is fun for all ages! The Old Northeast is a perfect neighborhood for this tour as it is one of the city’s oldest and contains an eclectic mix of architecturally styled homes.
The Historic Kenwood tour is always popular as participants experience one of the country’s premier bungalow neighborhoods. The tour will be a leisurely walk led by resident guides excited to show off their neighborhood and the tour will include an inside peek within one of the neighborhood homes.
Kenwood is one of the 'Burg's five National Register designated historic districts, it features the city's largest local landmark district and is also one of the city's two "artist enclave" districts. The tour will highlight both the architecture and art projects happening in this popular and special neighborhood. After the tour, guests can choose to enjoy a drink or lunch at the Craftsman House, an American crafts gallery & cafe that was the original model home for Kenwood or from one of the other local businesses along Central Ave.
Our "Original" downtown walking tour is a great way for visitors to get an introduction to St. Petersburg and for residents to learn a few things new about the 'Burg's past. Experience and see what makes downtown special as you take a stroll though a portion of the city's central business district and the Downtown National Register Historic District. Participants will see grand historic hotels, stately churches, and architectural treasures like the Snell Building & Arcade and the Open Air Post Office.
You might want to come early and take a stroll before the tour through the Saturday Morning Market, it opens at 9 am and offers lots of food vendors.
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office. The tour led by former PTB president and architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
Historic Uptown is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, located just north of downtown and west of 4th St. The neighborhood is a National Register historic district that still very much retains its 1920's feel. The neighborhood was listed on the National Register because of the excellent and varied examples of popular styled homes from the early 1900's thru the 1920's. Tour participants will have an opportunity to experience and learn about these styles during the neighborhood stroll from tour guide Emily Elwyn, Preserve the 'Burg's past president and an architectural historian. The tour will start at the gazebo next to Round Lake, pictured above.
Reservations Recommended.
This Historic Kenwood tour wraps up our spring Saturday morning tour season so if you have been thinking about taking this tour now is the time to join us! Experience one of the country’s premier bungalow neighborhoods on a leisurely walk led by resident guides excited to show off their neighborhood. Kenwood is one of the 'Burg's five National Register designated historic districts. It is also one of the city's two "artist enclave" districts. The tour will highlight both the architecture and neighborhood art projects happening in this popular and special neighborhood. After the tour, guests can choose to enjoy a drink or lunch at the Craftsman House, an American crafts gallery & cafe that was the original model home for Kenwood or at one of the many other local food spots in the Grand Central District along Central Ave.
