One of the great traits of the human race is the relentless desire to pair the ocean with alcohol, and St. Pete Beach lives up to every bit of that tradition, a network of ocean-adjacent islands housing no shortage of bars, bars and also bars. As far as dives go, it’s hard to find something truly divey on expensive beachfront property, though there are a few tiki huts up and down the St. Pete Beach shore. Swigwam Beach Bar, below, started its life as one such hut before being forced to relocate inward due to escalating real estate costs.

For those reasons, for something squarely on the beach, those options are largely similar and well dispersed throughout the area. A few noteworthy examples include Woody’s Waterfront and Chris’s Beachside (the extra apostrophe s belongs to Chris, not us). But this is Scoundrel’s Field Guide and our goal is to get a little bit off the beaten path, which largely means moving toward the interior of the islands that string St. Pete Beach together.

Those familiar with Tampa and St. Pete will know that it’s pretty difficult to draw lines between batches of bars, as there’s always another intriguing place to try a block or so away, but the goal here is to stay semi-concentrated in a way that means less rideshare trips between bars and more time soaking in some of Florida’s best dive bars.