Pass-a-Grille is a small beach neighborhood and former town at the south end of

St. Pete Beach St. Pete Beach (formerly known as St. Petersburg Beach until 1994) is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida. Known as a tourist destination, St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach, and un ...

Pinellas County, Florida Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...

. The community includes the

Pass-a-Grille Historic District The Pass-a-Grille Historic District (also known as Old Town of Pass-a-Grille) is a United States, U.S. Historic district (United States), historic district (designated as such on October 19, 1989) located in the town of Pass-a-Grille at the ...

Gulf Beaches Historical Museum The Pass-a-Grille Historic District (also known as Old Town of Pass-a-Grille) is a U.S. historic district (designated as such on October 19, 1989) located in the town of Pass-a-Grille Pass-a-Grille is a small beach neighborhood and forme ...

, and Pass-A-Grille Beach. The neighborhood includes restaurants, retailers, and waterfront areas on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

as well as the Intracoastal Waterway. It lies on a barrier island.

History

The area around Pass-a-Grille has been inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years and was first spotted by Spanish explorers in 1528 when

Pánfilo de Narváez Pánfilo de Narváez (; born 1470 or 1478, died 1528) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' and soldier in the Americas. Born in Spain, he first sailed to the island of Jamaica (then Santiago) in 1510 as a soldier. Pánfilo participated in the conque ...

anchored off Pass-a-Grille pass. Local legend states that it was named from the French phrase Passe Aux Grilleurs (the passageway of the grillers) in honor of the fishermen who camped and first settled there. John Gomez was one on the first to use Pass-a-Grille Beach as a vacation area, inviting travelers from St. Petersburg and Tampa to stay at his resort-like structure as early as 1857. Some of the first major businessmen in the area were Roy S. Hanna and Selwyn Morey, who began developing plots of land for homes and lodgings at Pass-a-Grille Beach. By 1901, George Henri Lizotte, a French travel agent, opened the first Pass-a-Grille hotel, the Bonhomie. The first schoolhouse in Pass-a-Grille was built in 1914, for $1,000, and opened its doors to students in the winter of 1915. The Don CeSar hotel opened on the north side of Pass-a-Grille in 1928, spurring more development. Pass-a-Grille was eventually incorporated into the city of

in 1957, and in 1989 Pass-a-Grille was recognized as a National Register Historic District. The neighborhood suffered damage from Tropical Storm Debby in 2012, including beach erosion and a tornado strike.

Recreation

The beach, boutiques, an ice cream shop, an outdoor art market, restaurants, tennis courts, and fishing piers are all within walking distance, concentrated around 8th Street. The Seahorse Grill, open since 1938, serves breakfast. Other popular restaurants include The Hurricane, The Dewey, Grace, and The Brass Monkey. There are two municipal parks: Pass-a-Grille Park, has shuffleboard courts, trees, and lawns; Hurley Park has a dog-park, public toilets, a basketball court, tennis courts, and a baseball diamond. Pass-a-Grille Community Church is the only place of worship in Pass-a-Grille.

Gallery

File:St Pete Beach FL Pass-a-Grille HD street02.jpg File:St Pete Beach FL Pass-a-Grille HD GoM02.jpg File:St Pete Beach FL Pass-a-Grille HD Hurricane rest01.jpg File:St Pete Beach FL Pass-a-Grille HD street01.jpg File:St Pete Beach FL Pass-a-Grille HD02a.jpg Pass-a-Grille beach from pier

References

{{authority control Geography of Pinellas County, Florida Neighborhoods in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico Former municipalities in Florida