If you haven’t lived in St. Petersburg long – you might not have heard of the Driftwood Neighborhood. It’s not a surprise – it’s quite hidden and magnificent, tucked beneath a canopy of Live Oaks just west of the Tropical Shores community. As you drive in to Driftwood, you’ll find a welcoming entrance archway above narrow and winding Driftwood Drive South. There are just 44 homes here with a mixture of Italian and Mediterranean architecture originally featuring 19 uniquely-detailed homes designed by local artist Mark Dixon Dodd.
Driftwood’s colorful past, once a landing site for bootleggers smuggling in alcohol during Prohibition, also claims the distinction, detailed in a historic marker, of being the only site in Pinellas County that was fired upon during the Civil War.
Many artifacts have been unearthed in Driftwood including a shell fort believed to have been used by American Indians A Civil War cannonball, an old rosary box, prehistoric stone tools and arrowheads. Items continue to be found in periodic archaeological digs in the neighborhood.
Nearby you’ll find Lassing Park, Frank Pierce Recreation Center, Bartlett Park, St. Petersburg Tennis Center, Grandview Park Boat Ramps, Big Bayou and Salt Creek to name a few. Schools nearby include Lakewood Elementary, Bay Vista Fundamental ES, John Hopkins Middle School and Lakewood High School.
