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| Following the rainbow through the streets of St. Pete during Winter Pride 2026. And yes — that's a rainbow bike rack he's leaning against. This city shows up. 🌈 |
Let me be upfront with you: I'm Nancy, and I'm a straight ally. I'm not going to pretend I know everything about the LGBTQ+ experience in St. Pete — I don't, and it's not my place to claim I do. What I can tell you is that this city has my whole heart, and some of my favorite people and places in it happen to be part of the most vibrant, creative, welcoming queer community I've ever had the privilege of being around.
My husband Evan has been featured on the Skittles Squad podcast — and honestly, so have I, talking about Funshine Getaway. The Skittles Squad are our besties and one of the best things happening in this community. If you don't already follow them, start now at theskittlesquadpodcast.com. We participated in Winter Pride and I'm looking forward to volunteering in 2027. And yes — I once showed up to a drag brunch in February in a knee-length faux fur coat because it was freezing, and the fabulous Alice Marie Gripp absolutely roasted me. Not for the coat specifically. Just for existing in her vicinity. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Funshine Getaway is proud to be Booking.com Pride certified — because we mean it when we say everyone is welcome here. 🏳️🌈
So here's my honest, personal, incomplete-but-genuine ally's guide to the most welcoming city on the Gulf Coast.
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| This morning we attended the City of St. Pete Pride flag raising and walked away with this beautiful flag — now proudly hanging at our home. This city shows up every single time. 🏳️🌈 |
This City Shows Up
St. Pete scores a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipality Equality Index. That's not a marketing slogan — that's a measurement.
I want to say something honest here though. There used to be rainbow crosswalks on Central Avenue. They're gone now — painted over. I was there the day before it happened with friends, and I'm not going to pretend that wasn't painful. I have the photo. The city responded by installing rainbow bike racks on the street in their place — and as of literally yesterday, they wrapped the steps of City Hall in a rainbow. Is it the same as the crosswalks? No. But this city keeps showing up, and that matters.
And the community? They responded the way they always do — with defiance, joy, and a rainbow laser show during Winter Pride that was visible 60 miles away and went viral. I was at the lighting. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
Florida's state-level political climate is a real and painful contrast to what St. Pete stands for locally. The community here is resilient in ways that are genuinely inspiring.
The Grand Central District: The Crawl
If you've never walked Central Avenue between 16th and 31st Streets, you haven't seen St. Pete. Over 150 LGBTQ+-owned and allied businesses, the birthplace of St. Pete Pride, and one of the most alive, creative streets in Florida. Everything here is walkable — and yes, Evan and I have absolutely done the full crawl from Tampa Bay Drinkery all the way to Cocktail. It's a great night.
Tampa Bay Drinkery is where we usually start — craft cocktails, amazing musical performers on the regular, and a genuine community hot spot. The energy in here is always electric.
The Garage on Central is just down the street — a laid-back neighborhood bar with a big outdoor patio, free pool, and karaoke nights that our group has done for birthdays more than once. It draws a wonderfully mixed crowd of all ages and orientations.
Behind TBD is Lucky Star — a small neighborhood gay bar with friendly bartenders and inexpensive drinks. It tends to get crowded during events and on weekends, so plan accordingly. 😊
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| Steven at the piano for the Big Gay Sing Along at Cocktail St. Pete every Thursday night. 🌈 |
Cocktail St. Pete is our home base and the anchor of the Grand Central scene. Thursday nights are the Big Gay Sing Along — a room full of people singing their faces off together, strangers becoming friends, everyone welcome. Happy hour runs noon to 9pm with 2-for-1 drinks, and that same happy hour extends to The Wet Spot. We're friends with the bartenders. It's that kind of place.
The Wet Spot is connected to Cocktail — same ownership, same energy, with a Drag Bitchin' Brunch on select Sundays that is an absolute blast. Las Vegas energy, Gulf Coast sunshine.
The Ball is the third part of that family — small, intimate, and genuinely one of the most beautiful bars I've been in. Cocktails named after gay icons like Elton, Liza, and Whitney. I've seen Raffy and Cat perform at an open mic there. It punches way above its size.
Pin on Grand at 2458 Central Ave is where you eat before, during, or after all of the above. Asian fusion, locally owned, and absolutely beloved by the whole neighborhood. Get the sushi burrito and thank me later.
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| Artist Justin Sears (kneeling, front) with friends in front of his rainbow zipper sculpture outside Pinellas Ale Works on 1st Ave S. This is the kind of art and the kind of people that make St. Pete what it is. 🌈 |
PAW: A Different Kind of Stop
Pinellas Ale Works on 1st Ave S is not really a bar crawl stop — it's a destination. You go to PAW when you want to slow down, sit in the beer garden, grab tacos from the food truck, and just be. It's one of the most genuinely ally-focused organizations in the city, dog friendly, award-winning craft beer, and my friend Justin's rainbow zipper sculpture stands right out front. It's the kind of place that walks the walk. Worth the short walk off Central.
The Edge District: Art, Community & That Patio
A short rideshare or walk east of Grand Central brings you to the Edge District, and it's absolutely worth the trip.
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| This is what Enigma looks like on a good night. Which is every night. 🌈 |
Enigma is the first gay bar I ever walked into and I have loved it ever since. Drag shows multiple nights a week, all-day drink specials, a dance floor — but my favorite thing is the outdoor patio. Sitting out there with friends, talking, watching Central Ave go by — that is a vibe unlike anywhere else in this city. We once brought our girl Spock in her Superman costume on Halloween. She was the star of the night. 🐾
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| With some of St. Pete's Queer Asian Icons and my husband Evan at a QAM event. This museum, this community, these people. 🏳️🌈 |
QAM — the Queer Asian Museum at 1006 Central Ave is one of the most meaningful spaces in this city. Founded by Leo Andersen, QAM exists to center and celebrate queer Asian voices through art, history, and community. I'm the volunteer social media manager and it is genuinely one of the things I'm most proud to be part of. If you're visiting and you care about art and representation, please go. And here's a special offer — reach out to me directly and I will personally set up a tour with Leo. This place deserves a one-on-one experience and we can make that happen for you.
The Edge District is also home to Grassroots Kava House — which brings me to a confession.
A Word on Kava Bars (From Someone Who Doesn't Care for Kava)
I'm going to be completely honest: kava is just not for me. I've tried it and it's not my thing — but St. Pete is literally considered the kava bar capital of the world, they are deeply woven into this community, and they are genuinely welcoming inclusive spaces. So here are the ones worth knowing even though you won't find me there:
Grassroots Kava House in the Edge District on Central Ave is the one everyone talks about — nearly 3,000 sq ft, a secret staircase through a vintage telephone booth that leads to a rooftop patio overlooking Central Ave. Wildly cool even to someone like me who won't touch the kava.
Mad Hatter's Ethnobotanical Kava Bar is completely alcohol-free, open 24 hours, and serves kava alongside boba teas, nitro coffee, kombucha, and more with a food truck outside from 4pm to midnight. Great for non-drinkers who still want to be part of the scene.
Steep Station Kava Bar is also specifically noted as an LGBTQ+-friendly space worth knowing about.
The Art Scene: It's Everywhere
St. Pete's creative community and its LGBTQ+ community are deeply intertwined and you feel it everywhere you go.
Some local LGBTQ+ Asian artists whose work you should actively seek out: Saumitra Chandratreya is a fiber-installation artist born in Mumbai whose practice, in his own words, celebrates his identity as a queer, non-binary, immigrant person in the United States — his work has been shown internationally and right here at home. Tom Bayot and Haha Hao, whose Grounded Gallery lives at The Factory St. Pete, are also part of a creative community that makes this city's art world unlike anywhere else. All three have shown at QAM — another reason to go.
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| The iconic octopus sign at Pulpo kitchen + lounge on Central Ave — painted by local artist Jason Durocher. Come for the art, stay for the tapas. 🐙 |
And while we're talking local artists — Jason Durocher (jdartworx.com, @jd.artworx) is a St. Pete artist whose work hangs in our Funshine Flamingo's Nest property. He also painted the gorgeous octopus sign and mural at Pulpo on Central Ave — a fantastic tapas spot right in the Grand Central District that is absolutely worth a visit. See the art, stay for the tapas.
Gulfport: The Queer Little Town Next Door
Gulfport is its own whole world and it deserves its own section. This tiny, artsy, waterfront town just south of St. Pete has a huge LGBTQ+ heart, a thriving First Friday Art Walk, and an energy that is completely unlike anywhere else.
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| Me and the incomparable Alice Marie Gripp at Neptune's drag brunch in Gulfport — February 2026. Yes those are patio heaters. Yes we are both wearing fur. This is Florida in winter and we have no regrets. 🌈 |
Neptune's hosts a drag brunch that I have attended in a faux fur coat in February AND sweating in a sundress in the Florida heat and every version in between. The host is the incomparable Alice Marie Gripp — 2025 Best of the Bay winner, comedy drag star, and one of the most entertaining humans I've ever been in a room with. The girls dance on the street outside. It's a whole production and you need to experience it. Don't miss it.
Stella's at 2914 Beach Blvd S is a Gulfport brunch institution — locally owned, deeply welcoming, with the kind of food and atmosphere that makes you feel like a regular on your very first visit. The pierogi nachos are something I can't fully explain, only strongly recommend.
Alphabet Soup is Gulfport's welcoming neighborhood community bar — I haven't been personally but it comes consistently recommended as a genuinely inclusive spot with great community energy.
On the Beach
Cool Vibes on St. Pete Beach is one of the most genuinely LGBTQ+-welcoming spots on the beach — and that matters because truly welcoming beach bars are harder to find than you'd think.
Here's something the locals have known for decades: Sunset Beach has been THE gay beach in Pinellas County for as long as anyone can remember — ask any longtime local and they'll tell you. It's known, it's loved, and it's right down the road from our Funshine Sunset Beach property. The bear meetups during the warmer months are just one part of a much longer story. 🐻🌈
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| Pride Fest at North Straub Park before the parade — St. Pete Pride 2025. 400,000 people. Pure joy. This is what we're talking about. 🌈 |
St. Pete Pride: This Is Not a One-Day Thing
Let me be very clear about something: St. Pete Pride is not a parade. It's not even a weekend. It's an entire month of events throughout June that touches every corner of this city and every part of the community.
We're talking family events, museum nights, networking events, and sports nights — yes, sports. The Tampa Bay Rays host a Pride game. The Tampa Bay Rowdies host a Pride night. This city's sports teams show up. There are pickleball nights, shuffleboard fundraisers, concert events, TransPride celebrations, street fairs, and community gatherings of every size and kind — all building toward the main event: the St. Pete Pride Parade and Festival, one of the largest Pride celebrations in the entire Southeast, drawing 400,000+ people to the St. Pete waterfront.
It's genuinely one of the most joyful things I've ever witnessed — and it's happening right here in our backyard.
For the full current event calendar every year, visit stpetepride.org. The lineup grows every year, so check there for the most current details. 🌈
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| With the Skittles Squad crew during the Winter Pride Drag Race on Central Avenue. Yes that's a Skittles Squad Podcast hat. Yes we take this very seriously. 😄🌈 |
Winter Pride: The Best Kept Secret in Florida
St. Pete doesn't just do Pride once a year — it does it twice. And that second celebration is one of the best kept secrets in Florida.
Winter Pride runs for a full week every February with something happening every single day — parties, drag performances, circuit nights, a street festival, the wildly fun Winter Pride Drag Race on Central Avenue, and community events of every kind. Evan and I went to five out of seven events this past year and had the time of our lives.
It's become a destination event in its own right — drawing snowbirds and visitors from up north who want sunshine, community, and a celebration when everything back home is grey and cold. As my friend Gabe, who runs Winter Pride with Rob, puts it: people up north stay up north for June Pride. But February? It's 72 and gorgeous down here and that's a reason to book a trip all on its own.
The 2026 edition launched a rainbow laser show that was visible 60 miles away and went viral. I was there for the lighting and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
Come for St. Pete Pride in June. Come back for Winter Pride in February. This city will give you a reason to visit year round. 🌈
Book your Funshine stay early. Both weeks fill up fast. 🌈
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| Getting some Winter Pride love. 💋🌈 (Thanks for the photo John!) |
Your Turn
Whether you're a local, a regular visitor, or planning your first trip, I'd love to hear from you. What are your favorite spots? What did I miss? What's your go-to on a Thursday night or a Sunday brunch? Drop it in the comments — this list is never finished and my friends always know something I don't. 😄🏳️🌈
And Funshine Is a Safe Space Too
We're Booking.com Pride certified because we believe it — not because it's good marketing. Whoever you are, whoever you love, you are welcome at Funshine Getaway. Our properties are your home base for all of this.
Ready to plan your trip? Browse our Treasure Island properties at funshinegetaway.com 🌴
