This is one of the best scooter areas in Pinellas County; located just north of Downtown St Petersburg, it is both safe and scenic.
To get there I crossed the bridge on Snell Isle Blvd, and took a right at Brightwater Blvd, which provides a beautiful view of Coffee Pot Bayou to the right as you ride down the boulevard. On the left are high end homes. I like to travel along Brightwater and take a left on Cordova Blvd, and a right on Snell Isle Blvd, by the Episcopal Church. Today I stopped in at the St Pete Yacht Club Marina, just a few blocks down from the Episcopal Church. The Marina allows Beach to Bay Scooter Riders to go in to the shop, use the rest rooms, get a drink of cold water from the fountain, buy a snack or beverage.
One of the best things about Snell Isle is the miles of paved roads that are 25 to 30 mph. There are miles of riding, enough to get lost in if you are not used to riding in a labyrinth of streets. I have had to use my cell’s GPS more than once to figure out how to get back to downtown St Pete. Paved roads are so much better for scootering than brick. I make a lot of decisions on the scooter route based on speed limit and brick. I prefer to ride on roads 35 mph or less, and more importantly, paved. I only ride on brick as a last resort.
I can leave the Marina, exiting to the right and I will soon cross a bride to Venetian Isle, which is another Beach to Bay Adventure, to continue the Snell Isle Adventure, you should exit the Marina and take a slight left to Bayview Drive, then take the next right on Eden Isle Blvd, which will wind you to a small island of beautiful residential roads. The island has two roads that form a distorted figure 8. After doing a loop or two, I ride out of Eden Isle and take Cordova Blvd to Bayview, which turns into Bellaire Dr. Then back out to Cordova again but only until the next right, Ramon Way, which is an uncharacteristically narrow street by Snell Isle standards, but very cool to scooter down. Ramon Way dead ends into Appian Way, which I take to get back to Snell Isle Blvd. There is one block of brick road before you get to Snell Isle Blvd. I take a right and follow Snell Isle Blvd to the Vinoy Golf Club on the right, and on the left is one of the charms of Snell Isle, which has an incredibly wide median which has been transformed into a park like landscaping complete with ornate sculptures of horses with wings, water fountains, and a small gazebo with stone seating. Probably a great place to hang out if there were not so many cars passing so close.
After passing the Vinoy Golf Club, I follow the golf course by taking a right at Palmera Blvd, then I wind my way to Monterey Blvd, and I wind through the streets in a northward direction till I pop-out on 34th Ave. If I take a right I can go to Crisp Park and tour the very northern part of Snell Isle, either way, I am back to this same intersection to get back to downtown. I take 34th Ave NE to 1st Street, then take a left at the Shriners Children’s Hospital, which is a quick drive past Coffee Pot Park. I follow 1st Ave all the way to Central Ave, Downtown St Petersburg.
