Upham Beach is a long and spacious beach with smooth, white sand, beautiful dunes, covered cabanas, beach chairs, volleyball courts, and awesome restaurants. The beach is alcohol-free and not too crowded, which makes it a quiet, family-friendly place. You can easily spend the whole day here swimming, soaking up the sun, picking up shells, strolling along the coast, picnicking, playing volleyball, or engaging in watersports.
Location and Access
Upham Beach is located at 6850 Beach Plaza in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The beach is public so entrance is free. It is open all the time. There is a metered parking lot to leave your vehicle – you can pay either in cash or via an application. Be aware that parking can be challenging early on weekends.
Beach Facilities
There are clean, well-maintained restrooms on-site. They are also convenient for changing into swimwear. There are outdoor showers to rinse off the sand and seawater. If you get hungry or thirsty, there are various concessions and also a nice little restaurant with good food, drinks, and clean toilets.
Swimming Conditions
The sand is white and clean, and there are many shelly areas good for shelling. The water is beautiful, blue and green, and quite shallow, which is good for kids and weak swimmers. Unfortunately, the beach doesn’t provide lifeguard services so please be careful in the water and keep a close eye on children. There are rental services offering umbrellas, beach chairs, and cabanas for reasonable prices.
Active Recreation
If lying in the sun all day makes you feel tired and bored and you strive for more physical activity, you can play volleyball on one of the beach’s volleyball courts. Some of the visitors also spend time fishing, boating, and jet skiing and these activities don’t seem to cause any risk to the bathers.
Views and Wildlife
Upham Beach offers nice views – slightly soothing, slightly entertaining. While observing the blue expanse of the ocean you can spot boats going through the area, mullets jumping out of the water, pelicans flying in the sky, and dolphins playing in the waves. Sometimes you can even see a shark swim by not so far from the shore. In addition, watching the sunset in a rocky inlet area at the end of the beach is going to be a truly beautiful and enjoyable experience!
Driving Time
- 40 minutes from Tampa, FL
- 1 hour 50 minutes from Fort Myers, FL
- 2 hours from Orlando, FL
Hotels and rentals
If you're considering staying for one or even a few nights, there are plenty of options available near the beach. Chose your preferred accomodation type and your favourite room provider:
- Nearby rentals from VRBO.
- Nearby rooms and properties from Booking.com.
Beaches nearby
Additionally, there's a number of beaches near Upham Beach Park which you can visit:
- St. Pete Beach (1 mile)
- Sunset Beach (St. Petersburg) (1 mile)
- Pass-a-Grille Beach (3 miles)
- Madeira Public Beach (5 miles)
- North Beach (Fort De Soto Park) (7 miles)