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LOCAL LANDMARKS IN
PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA
Discover the Places That Help Tell Pasco County's Story
Historic Places, Familiar Sights & Stories Worth Knowing
Pinellas County may be known for its beaches, waterfront communities and bustling downtowns, but behind the places we see today is a fascinating history shaped by Native peoples, early settlers, railroads, fishing communities, tourism, military activity and generations of local residents.
From historic downtown buildings and old neighborhoods to barrier islands, parks and landmarks that have watched our communities change for generations, these places help tell the story of Pinellas County.
Some are famous. Others are places you may have driven past a hundred times without knowing the story behind them.
Let's explore some of Pinellas County's local landmarks.
You may have driven past some of them hundreds of times without knowing the story behind them!
EXPLORE PINELLAS COUNTY LANDMARKS
TARPON SPRINGS SPONG DOCKS
Tarpon Springs
Few places are as closely associated with Pinellas County history as the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. The waterfront district reflects the community's strong connection to the sponge industry and the Greek immigrants who helped shape Tarpon Springs into the city we know today.
Walk along the Anclote River now and you'll find sponge boats, restaurants, shops and reminders of a working waterfront tradition that became part of the city's identity.
The sponge industry transformed Tarpon Springs beginning in the late 1800s and early 1900s as experienced sponge divers, many from Greece, came to the area. The community that developed around the industry left a lasting influence on the city's food, traditions, religious celebrations and culture. Although the waterfront has become a major destination for visitors, the Sponge Docks are more than a tourist attraction—they represent a maritime industry and immigrant story that helped put Tarpon Springs on the map. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Sponge industry & Greek heritage ✓ WHERE: Tarpon Springs waterfront ✓ HISTORY: Maritime and immigrant heritage ✓ TODAY: Shops, restaurants, sponge boats & attractions ✓ DON'T MISS: The working waterfront atmosphere
ANCLOTE KEY LIGHTHOUSE
Anclote Key, west of Tarpon Springs
Standing on an island several miles offshore is one of Pinellas County's most distinctive historic landmarks—the Anclote Key Lighthouse.
Long before GPS and modern navigation, this lighthouse helped guide vessels traveling along Florida's Gulf Coast and approaching the Anclote River.
President Grover Cleveland designated Anclote Key as a lighthouse reservation in 1886. The lighthouse was completed and began operating on September 15, 1887. After being decommissioned in 1984, the structure deteriorated before restoration efforts in the 1990s helped return the historic tower to its former appearance. Today it remains one of Pinellas County's great connections to Florida's maritime past—and you need a boat to reach it. ✓ BUILT: 1887 ✓ KNOWN FOR: Historic Gulf Coast lighthouse ✓ WHERE: Anclote Key Preserve State Park ✓ ACCESS: By boat ✓ HISTORY LOVERS: Definitely worth knowing
Honeymoon and Caladesi were once part of a single barrier island called Hog Island. A 1921 hurricane created Hurricane Pass and separated the two. In the late 1930s, businessman Clinton Washburn purchased the island and promoted it as a honeymoon destination. Fifty honeymoon cottages were built, and the first honeymooners arrived in 1940. Later, plans called for dramatically expanding the island and constructing thousands of residences, but those plans never came to fruition. Florida began acquiring the property in 1974, preserving it for the public. ✓ FORMER NAME: Hog Island ✓ BIG CHANGE: Split by the 1921 hurricane ✓ FUN HISTORY: Once had honeymoon cottages ✓ TODAY: Honeymoon Island State Park ✓ DON'T MISS: Beaches, wildlife & Osprey Trail
Dunedin, Florida
HONEYMOON ISLAND
Honeymoon Island sounds like a name invented for a Florida tourism brochure—and, in a way, that's pretty close to what happened.
The island locals know today has a history involving a hurricane, honeymoon cottages, World War II and a development plan that could have completely changed what the island looks like today.
ANDREWS MEMORIAL CHAPEL
Dunedin, Florida
This little wooden chapel is easy to appreciate for its appearance alone, but its story makes it even more interesting.
Andrews Memorial Chapel is one of Dunedin's surviving links to the community's 19th-century history and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built during Dunedin's early development, the chapel originally stood in a different location and was eventually moved rather than lost to development. Today, its Gothic-style architecture and peaceful setting provide a glimpse of what buildings in this part of Pinellas County looked like generations ago. It's a good example of why historic preservation matters: sometimes saving a landmark means literally picking it up and moving it. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Historic wooden chapel ✓ WHERE: Dunedin ✓ ERA: Late 1800s ✓ TODAY: Preserved historic landmark ✓ LOOK FOR: Distinctive Gothic-style architecture
PHILIPPE PARK & THE TOCOBAGA TEMPLE MOUND
Safety Harbor, Florida
Here's one where the history goes back centuries before Pinellas County even existed.
Philippe Park is the oldest park in Pinellas County, but its most significant landmark is much older: the enormous Native American temple mound overlooking Old Tampa Bay.
The mound was constructed by the Tocobaga, Native Americans who lived around Tampa Bay long before European settlement. Built from layers of shell and sand, it is the largest remaining mound in the Tampa Bay region. Archaeological evidence suggests a structure once stood at the top, possibly the chief's residence or a ceremonial building, with a village extending around its base. The site is particularly important because it is believed to have been the Tocobaga capital and was also associated with early Spanish contact. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Tocobaga Temple Mound ✓ WHERE: Philippe Park, Safety Harbor ✓ SIGNIFICANCE: Pre-European Tampa Bay history ✓ TODAY: Historic waterfront county park ✓ DON'T MISS: Walk to the top of the mound
ESPIRITU SANTO SPRINGS
Safety Harbor, Florida
Have you ever wondered where the name Safety Harbor Spa came from?
Beneath the resort is one of the places that helped put Safety Harbor on the map: natural mineral springs historically known as Espiritu Santo Springs, or the Springs of the Holy Spirit.
For generations, stories surrounding the mineral springs helped establish Safety Harbor as a destination for people seeking the supposed restorative properties of the water. The springs eventually became connected with the development of the Safety Harbor Sanatorium and later the spa resort built over them. Whatever you think about the old health claims, the springs played an important role in Safety Harbor's development and tourism history. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Natural mineral springs ✓ WHERE: Safety Harbor ✓ HISTORIC NAME: Espiritu Santo Springs ✓ CONNECTION: Safety Harbor's resort history ✓ LOCAL HISTORY: One of the city's defining stories
HERITAGE VILLAGE
Largo, Florida
If you want to see pieces of old Pinellas County gathered in one place, this is it.
Heritage Village is a 21-acre living history museum where historic buildings and exhibits preserve the story of communities throughout Pinellas County.
Rather than demolishing every historic structure as Pinellas County grew, a number of buildings were relocated here and preserved. Visitors can explore historic homes, businesses and other structures while learning how earlier Pinellas residents lived and worked. In 2026, the 1896 Plant-Sumner House and 1907 House of Seven Gables received official local historic landmark designation as Heritage Village celebrated its 50th anniversary. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Pinellas County history ✓ WHERE: Largo ✓ SIZE: 21-acre living history museum ✓ SEE: Historic buildings, artifacts & exhibits ✓ HISTORY LOVERS: Put this one on your list
INDIAN ROCKS HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
It's easy to think of Indian Rocks Beach only as a beach community, but there's a lot of history tucked between Gulf Boulevard and the water.
Even the building housing the Indian Rocks Historical Museum has its own story.
The museum occupies one of the city's oldest beachfront homes, built in 1939. The house originally stood on the beach and was later relocated to Chic-A-Si Park. Inside are photographs, maps, postcards and exhibits documenting old Indian Rocks Beach—including landmarks that have disappeared, such as Pueblo Village, Tiki Gardens and the Big Indian Rocks Fishing Pier. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Indian Rocks Beach history ✓ BUILDING: Historic 1939 beach house ✓ TODAY: Local history museum ✓ INSIDE: Photos, maps, postcards & exhibits ✓ DON'T MISS: Photos showing how local streets once looked
FORT DE SOTO
Southern Pinellas County
Most people know Fort De Soto for its beaches, fishing pier, campground and waterfront views.
But those massive concrete structures aren't decorative ruins. This was once a functioning military installation guarding the entrance to Tampa Bay.
The U.S. Army began construction on the military post at Mullet Key in 1898, and construction continued into the early 1900s. The installation eventually included 29 buildings, including barracks, a hospital, stable, guard house, workshops and storehouses. Battery Laidley formed the fort's primary defense and still contains four surviving carriage-mounted 12-inch seacoast mortars. The military installation eventually disappeared, but its batteries remain among Pinellas County's most impressive historic structures. ✓ CONSTRUCTION BEGAN: 1898 ✓ KNOWN FOR: Coastal military defenses ✓ WHERE: Fort De Soto Park ✓ SEE: Battery Laidley & Quartermaster Museum ✓ TODAY: History + one of Pinellas County's best-known parks
EGMONT KEY & FORT DADE
Mouth of Tampa Bay
Egmont Key looks like a quiet island from the water, but its history is anything but quiet.
The island has been connected to navigation, the Seminole Wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and the defense of Tampa Bay.
A lighthouse was first completed here in 1848, and the current lighthouse dates to 1858. At the end of the Third Seminole War, captured Seminoles were held on the island. Union forces later occupied it during the Civil War. Then, in 1898, Fort Dade was established. At its height, the island community had more than 300 residents along with brick roads, electricity, telephones, a hospital, jail, movie theater, bowling alley and tennis courts. Today, remnants of that remarkable history remain scattered across the island. ✓ LIGHTHOUSE: 1858 ✓ MILITARY HISTORY: Seminole, Civil & Spanish-American War eras ✓ FORT: Fort Dade ✓ ACCESS: By boat ✓ TODAY: State park, wildlife refuge & historic site
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN TARPON SPRINGS
Tarpon Springs, Florida
The Sponge Docks get much of the attention, but Tarpon Springs has another historic district worth exploring: its downtown.
Brick streets, early commercial buildings and architecture from the city's growth years tell another side of Tarpon Springs' story.
Tarpon Springs developed as both a transportation and commercial center, and downtown preserves buildings from different periods of that growth. Historic structures such as the Arcade Hotel and other surviving commercial buildings provide clues to what the city looked like as tourism, transportation and commerce expanded. Together with the Sponge Docks, downtown helps explain why Tarpon Springs has one of Pinellas County's most distinctive historic identities. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Historic architecture ✓ WHERE: Downtown Tarpon Springs ✓ CHARACTER: Old Florida downtown ✓ TODAY: Shops, dining, events & historic buildings ✓ PAIR IT WITH: A visit to the Sponge Docks
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN DUNEDIN
Dunedin, Florida
Today's downtown Dunedin is filled with restaurants, breweries, shops and events—but underneath the modern activity is the story of one of Pinellas County's older communities.
Its historic buildings and surrounding neighborhoods offer reminders of the small Florida town that developed here long before today's Pinellas County population boom.
Dunedin's growth was shaped by settlement, agriculture, transportation and its location near the Gulf. As the community changed, portions of its historic architecture survived and became part of the downtown character locals recognize today. Exploring downtown isn't just about finding somewhere to eat or shop. Look around at the older buildings and you'll see pieces of Dunedin's earlier story mixed right into the modern city. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Walkable historic downtown ✓ WHERE: Dunedin ✓ CHARACTER: Small-town Florida ✓ NEARBY HISTORY: Andrews Memorial Chapel ✓ TODAY: Dining, shops, breweries & community events
PASS-A-GRILLE
St. Pete Beach, Florida
At the southern end of St. Pete Beach is a community that still feels noticeably different from the larger beach developments farther north.
Pass-a-Grille's narrow streets, cottages, waterfront and historic buildings preserve a piece of Pinellas County's early beach-community character.
Before high-rise condominiums and major beach resorts transformed much of Pinellas County's coastline, communities such as Pass-a-Grille developed around fishing, boating and the Gulf. Its compact street grid and collection of older buildings help preserve that earlier coastal atmosphere. Today, the historic district is a reminder of what Pinellas County's barrier-island communities looked and felt like before modern development reshaped much of the coastline. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Historic beach-town character ✓ WHERE: Southern St. Pete Beach ✓ HISTORY: Early Pinellas coastal community ✓ TODAY: Beach, shops, restaurants & waterfront ✓ DON'T MISS: Exploring it on foot
THE ST. PETERSBURG PIER
St. Petersburg, Florida
The pier you see today may be modern, but St. Petersburg's relationship with a downtown waterfront pier goes back generations.
Different piers have occupied this waterfront over the years, becoming gathering places and symbols of the city as St. Petersburg grew.
St. Petersburg's waterfront piers changed repeatedly as the city developed—from early wooden structures to increasingly elaborate municipal piers. Each generation seemed to reinvent the waterfront while keeping the same basic idea: give residents and visitors a place to walk out over Tampa Bay. Today's St. Pete Pier continues that tradition in a completely modern form, making this one landmark where the idea of the place is older than the structure standing there now. ✓ KNOWN FOR: St. Petersburg waterfront ✓ HISTORY: Generations of city piers ✓ WHERE: Downtown St. Petersburg ✓ TODAY: Parks, dining, recreation & waterfront views ✓ INTERESTING PART: The landmark has repeatedly reinvented itself
SUNKEN GARDENS
St. Petersburg, Florida
One of St. Petersburg's best-known attractions began in a surprisingly ordinary way: with a piece of low-lying land and one man's determination to turn it into a garden.
Today, Sunken Gardens preserves a lush piece of old roadside-attraction Florida right in the middle of the city.
Long before Florida's giant theme parks, roadside attractions were an important part of the state's tourism industry. Sunken Gardens grew into one of those destinations, drawing visitors to tropical plants and winding garden paths below street level. As St. Petersburg developed around it, the gardens survived—leaving a rare green oasis and a reminder of an earlier era of Florida tourism. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Historic tropical gardens ✓ WHERE: St. Petersburg ✓ HISTORY: Old Florida tourism ✓ TODAY: Botanical attraction ✓ DON'T MISS: The feeling of stepping away from the city outside
GULFPORT CASINO
Gulfport, Florida
Sitting along the waterfront, the Gulfport Casino is one of those buildings that has become inseparable from the identity of its community.
And despite the name, this isn't a gambling casino.
Historically, the word casino was often used for public gathering and entertainment buildings, and Gulfport's waterfront casino became a place for dances, celebrations and community events. Generations of residents have gathered here, making the building as much a piece of Gulfport's social history as its architectural history. Its waterfront setting and old-Florida character make it one of southern Pinellas County's recognizable community landmarks. ✓ KNOWN FOR: Dancing & community gatherings ✓ WHERE: Gulfport waterfront ✓ NOT A: Gambling casino ✓ TODAY: Events & community activities ✓ LOCAL CONNECTION: Generations of Gulfport memories
There's More to Discover in Pinellas County
These landmarks represent only a small part of Pinellas County's story.
Throughout the county, you'll find historic churches, old neighborhoods, museums, bridges, parks, coastal communities, natural areas, historic buildings and historical markers preserving stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
From Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor in the north to Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Largo, the Gulf Beaches, St. Petersburg and Fort De Soto in the south, every part of Pinellas County has a story of its own.
And we're still discovering them.
Explore More of PINELLAS COUNTY
HISTORY * EVENTS * BUSINESSES * RESOURCES
For Locals. By Locals. All About Our Community!
Pinellas County has changed tremendously over the years, but the places, buildings, landmarks and stories left behind help connect today’s communities with the people who came before us.
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The Locals of Pasco & Pinellas is about more than finding what’s happening this weekend. It’s also about discovering the history around us, learning more about the places we call home, sharing the stories that shaped our communities and helping preserve the people, places and memories that make Pinellas County unique.
