HISTORY MARVELOUS MILESTONES 1935: Dunedin magnate B.C. Skinner develops the first frozen orange juice concentrate for consumer use. 1940: The Beach Theatre opens in St. Pete Beach. 1956: Elvis Presley sells out three shows in one 1957: The U.S. government donates a WWII day in downtown St. Pete, drawing mobs to Central Avenue. airfield to operate as a commercial airport. Today it’s known as the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. 1950s boom time of the great American road trip. Drive by condos with breezeblocks and motor hotels of yesteryear, such as the Bon-Aire Resort, and you can just picture horn-rim-wear-ing dads in station wagons pulling out their AAA maps to make sure they had the right place. No doubt those mid-century American families stopped at the Polynesian Putter, one of the area’s kitschiest landmarks, to play a round of mini golf, putting through giant Tiki-style moguls. Locals and tourists alike would gather for movie matinees at the Beach Theatre on Corey Avenue, which still has that Main Street USA vibe. 1961: Doors frontman Jim Morrison began his college education at St. Petersburg Junior College (now St. Petersburg College) and recited poetry at the Beaux Arts Coffeehouse in Pinellas Park. boasting a smattering of colorful vintage motels and residences still dotting the landscape. Drive a little north to Madeira Beach, and the peppermint-striped Candy Kitchen, built in 1950, is still bustling, catering to beachgoers with lollipops and other confections, as well as ice cream. 1965: Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the pool of the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater four days before they went into the studio. 1972: Clearwater Marine Science Center (now Clearwater Marine Aquarium) is incorporated as a nonprofit organization by a group of dedicated volunteers who want to establish a permanent marine biology learning center in the area. DUNEDIN Amid the towering palms lining Edgewater Drive, the Fenway Hotel, built in 1924, became a hot spot for flappers and their beaus during the Jazz Age. Home to “Live from the Fenway,” the Mediterranean Revival resort was home to the county’s first radio station. Reopened in 2018, the hotel has entered the 21st century with style, offering rooms with Amazon Alexa-powered amenities. 1983: The first Hooters restaurant opens in Clearwater on State Road 60. HONEYMOON ISLAND With a name inspired by a 1939 Life magazine contest for newlyweds, Honeymoon Island details its storied past and wildlife at the park’s Rotary Centennial Nature Center, where you can learn about the couples who won a honeymoon on what was once Hog Island (once connected to what is now Caladesi Island). 1995: Dunedin Brewery, Florida’s first craft beer and ale brewery, opens in downtown Dunedin. 1998: The first-ever Tampa Bay Devil Rays Major League Baseball game is played at St. Pete's Tropicana Field. 2011: The new Dalí Museum designed by TREASURE ISLAND & MADEIRA BEACH In 1957 when Westerns about cowboys going to battle with Apaches galloped across TV screens, the Thunderbird Beach Resort began beckoning families with its iconic neon sign in the shape of a Native American totem-style thunderbird forming the letter T. Even today, the town of Treasure Island still has that air of wholesome 20th-century fun, TARPON SPRINGS Greek immigrants settled and pioneered the sponge industry at the turn of the 20th century. The fishing village became a tourist attraction in the mid-20th century, and a remnant of that time still piles on the local lore and quirkiness heavier than the scent of garlic in a gyro restaurant. Spongeorama is a veritable slice of roadside America. Since 1968, the museum has used dioramas to educate visitors about the local Greek tradition of sponge diving. architect Yann Weymouth reopened in what Forbes magazine called an “architectural fantasy that would become one of the highest-rated museum attractions globally.” 2003: St. Pete Pride hosts the first Pride Promenade. Today, St. Pete Pride is the largest Pride celebration in the state of Florida. 2020: The improved and expanded St. Pete Pier opens. 2022: St. Petersburg Council designates Jack Kerouac’s house in Disston Heights as a historic site. 68 AMERICA’S BEST BEACHES
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