Gulfport is a cute little town reminiscent of an old hippy
beach town. Much of it is ‘tired’
looking but that doesn’t seem to keep people away. One of the plusses is the beach. It’s on the bay side of the gulf. The beach isn’t crowded and the water is
warm. There are cute bench swings along the beach as well as shelters. One day we had a group of woman ask if they
could share our shelter and there was lots of good food and interesting
conversation! They were very thankful
that Miss Joanne and Miss Joanne’s husband were willing to share their
shelter!! You will recognize the “regulars” who are at the shame shelter or
spot every day. J
The peer is a fun walk. Another plus is
the restaurants. I think we ate at every
place and didn’t have a bad meal anywhere.
(Reviews below!) The
people-watching is great! Loved the
nightlife! It was fun sitting at a
street or beach side restaurant with a glass of wine listening to someone play
guitar or sing and dance. Lots of
interesting people! There are lots of
cute shops and on Tuesday there is an outdoor market that was lots of fun! Make
sure you are here for a Tuesday. There is a casino (not in the gambling sense,
but a meeting place) where they have dancing lessons. Fun to watch.
If you are looking for a big town
or nicer hotels it’s not the place for you. If you just want a small town with
good restaurants, small beach and good people, you will enjoy it. It’s
not far from St Pete’s or Tampa if you are looking for a big beach or town.
We rented bikes from ABC bike shop and biked along the
Pinellas trail. The trail, created along
an abandoned railroad corridor is a fun ride. We thought it would be more scenic
though. There are some parks along the
way to stop at if you want. Loved the signs saying “DON’T molest the
alligators!!” Good turtle watching
too. We biked to St Petersburg and had
lunch. There are overpasses over the
highways so you can get a bit of hill training in.
We ran most days.
There is a small park on either end of the town. Wood ibis Park is north of town. It was interesting seeing the different
houses along the way. There are some
nice ones, and some not-so-nice ones-sometimes right next door to each other!! Clam Bayou is east of town close to the
marina. It’s a nice place to run or
walk. There are little lookout points to
observe the water, water life and birds.
We saw several osprey nests. Very cool.
One day Lou golfed in Tampa with his friend Bob and I had
lunch and shopped and in Hyde Park with the girls. It’s a fun place to spend an afternoon.
We also spent a day at St Pete’s beach. It’s a great beach with cabanas to rent. Parking is insane though. We lucked out because we stopped at a little
restaurant to eat lunch and the waitress let us keep our car there while we
went to the beach. We had dinner at a very good restaurant called the Red Messa
Cantina. Then walked and found a cute
outside bar where we sat and listened to music.
We were there 10 days so we tried quite a few restaurants.
Pia’s Trattoria-a bit more
upscale than most places. Cute
atmosphere and good Italian food. A bit pricy
Little Tommies Tiki-casual. great
view of the beach and great fish and chips and key lime pie
O’Maddy-we were told this was
the “happenin’ place” J
Good food and view of the beach. You might have to wait for a table. It’s always crowded.
Fish- Aptly names! Also a bit more upscale. We went a few times! I think this was our favorite. The daily fish
special was very good with excellent sides.
But the shrimp was the best! They
were huge and you could get them by the half or whole pound. One time we made a
meal just out of them. We also enjoyed
the tuna nachos. Owners come out and chat. Great outdoor seating and they have
entertainment some nights.
Mangia Gourmet-good food.
They also have a good breakfast.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free options.
Open mike night on Thursday evenings was fun.
Neptune Grill-Good greek
food. Nice view of the beach.
Manatees-We really enjoyed
the upstairs deck. Beautiful breezes and
views. Food was good.
We also went to a Yankees exhibition game. The Yankees lost! The traffic going was terrible!!
Jeff and Clare joined us for few days. Lou and Jeff got in several days of golfing
and Clare and I shopped and sat on the beach.
We stayed at The Historic Peninsula Inn. I would not
recommend it! If you are interested in our review it is below.
The location is
excellent; Close to the beach and plenty of great restaurants. Gulfport is a
small town reminiscent of an old hippy beach town. Bed was comfy and sheets and
towels were soft and welcoming. Staff was helpful when asked. The breakfast was
very good although our stay was 10 days and we would have appreciated a little
variety. The inn is a 100 year old building and therefore some
"character" is to be expected, but we found the building
"tired" looking and in need of some updating...Little things, like a
coat of paint on the ceiling of the porch and floor boards goes along way and
is easy to do. We frequently stay at Inns or bed and breakfasts and actually
look forward to the charm and character of an older, historic building. This
one left us a bit disappointed. Our room was on the ground floor and I would
not recommend it. To get to our room you needed to walk through the office. We
were very uncomfortable doing this. Once there was even a delivery that was
left partially blocking our door. Also there was an exit door in our room, that
could not be used as there was no way to open from the outside and there was a
screw driver holding it closed. Very tacky. There was also an extremely bright
exit sign over the door. (see photo) It did not give the room a comfortable
feeling. Some of the blinds did not have cords so could not be opened. We
wanted to be able to enjoy the Florida sunshine. Some half curtains and
valances would go a long way to make the room more homey. I had to wind up the
over 5 ft of cable cord so i wouldn’t keep tripping over it. For the price we
paid we were disappointed. Our friends stayed on the 3rd floor and their room
was much better. I did get to see other rooms while the maid was cleaning and
they did appear nicer. Maid service was spotty. Some days good, but some days
the blankets were just tossed over the pillows and garbage not emptied. I understand
that the inn has a relatively new owner and that she has made some
improvements. Hopefully that will continue
One day Clare and I were sitting on
the porch after breakfast planning out our day and a man walked up and asked us
about the Inn. Two and a half hour later
he was on his way! We had a fascinating
chat about running, triathlons, life, death, aging, health, wellness and
everything in between. Turns out Donald
B. Ardell has
been one of the leading figures in the wellness movement for four decades. He is the author of
numerous books and articles on wellness, and is been a popular speaker on
wellness-related topics. He recited a
very moving speech written by Robert Ingersoll called THE LOTUS CLUB
SPEECH. It is definitely worth a read/listen
and can listen to Donald reading it here. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312226186636961701/
Donald has also earned
distinction as a senior athlete. He is considered one of the fastest runners in
the world in his age class. He has also been a perennial All-American
triathlete and duathlete, winning national titles in both sports. He has also
won four World Triathlon Championships. We thought Lou and Jeff would enjoy
meeting him and since he invited us to stop by and visit him we did! He and his wife have a beautiful condo and
welcomed us into their home. They joined us later for coffee and dessert at
open mic night at Mangia Gourmets! This
just gives you another picture into the type of people you might meet in
Gulfport!!
