St. Pete’s first dog waterpark and bar Mutts & Martinis is under construction in the Grand Central District
/RENDERING OF MUTTS AND MARTINIS, a DOG WATERPARK AND BAR, opening this spring at 2900 CENTRAL AVENUE IN the Grand Central District of downtown St. Pete
St. Petersburg, already the nation’s most dog-friendly city, is about to become even more accommodating to canines with the highly anticipated Mutts and Martinis on track to open in March.
The brainchild of Natalie Conner, owner of Love My Dog Resort and Playground, which has locations in downtown St. Pete and northern Pinellas County, Mutts and Martinis, first announced by St Pete Rising in October 2020 and located at 2900 Central Avenue, will be the city’s first dog park and full-liquor bar.
With more than 5,000 square feet of space, the facility will feature a zero-entry splash fountain and water sprays. The fountain will be only about 10 inches deep so there’s no risk of drowning.
The 5,000 square foot facility will feature a large walk-in fountain for dogs in front with an expansive bar inside surrounded by nine roll-up garage doors | St. Pete Rising
Like the nearby Dog Bar, memberships will be required and, to obtain a membership, dogs must meet certain requirements such as being up to date on vaccinations.
“I would love to be open for spring break,” Conner says. “The bar is built. The countertops and flooring will be the next stages.”
The property was formerly the home of an auto-repair shop, King’s Transmission, and Conner is taking full advantage of the large garage-door openings that were already part of the building.
“We’ll have nine garage doors,” she says. “It will have a nice pet fence, thick-gauge, wrought-iron fencing that goes around the entire property.”
Mutts and Martinis, which is currently under construction, will feature an expansive bar, over 27 TVs, and plenty of space for your pooch to run around and play | St. Pete Rising
Like a dog park, Mutts and Martinis will have double-gated entry to ensure the safety of dogs and their owners. “One way coming in, one way going out,” Conner says, adding that small dogs and senior pups will have a separate entrance for added safety. Dogs will have to be leashed when they aren’t in the specific park portions of the facility.
The entertainment of pup parents hasn’t been overlooked, though — Conner says the bar will have 27 TVs.
“We’ll be watching all the NFL games, the hockey,” she says. “We’ll have live music here, too. We’ll build out a stage.”
The interior of MUtts and Martinis is surrounded by Nine large roll-up garage doors that will allow dogs to enjoy the outdoor air without being subject to Florida’s hot sun | St. Pete Rising
She adds, “The idea is that people go in with their dogs, then every 20 minutes or so, we’ll be like, ‘Hey, let’s get all the little dogs in, or all the senior dogs in.’ We’ll keep swapping them back and forth. That way, we won’t have the big guys chasing little dogs. It’s a little more controlled and it’s safer.”
Mutts and Martinis, Conner adds, will also have a dedicated area where pooches can be dried off after they’ve splish-splashed their way around the park.
Human customers will be able to enjoy a full selection of beer, wine, and liquor, with some of the cocktail names being dog-related, and Conner plans to bring in local food trucks to round out the menu. She also plans to sell dog treats and accessories and would like to host breed-specific meetups. Also, a portion of the bar area will be air-conditioned to provide relief from the summer heat.
A smaller, air-conditioned room will offer even more space for dogs of all sizes to play. A small retail section will also be located in this area | St. Pete Rising
Conner says Mutts and Martinis will likely have a soft opening and then it will be open Wednesday through Sunday, with Mondays and Tuesdays possibly being available for private events. Information about memberships will be forthcoming.
“We know a lot of doggie people,” Conner says. “We just hope they come down here and have a drink.”
Be sure to check the Mutts and Martinis Instagram page for updates.
