A first-of-its-kind entertainment experience is coming soon to St. Pete.

Sandbox VR, a virtual-reality gaming franchise that has locations in 16 states and Washington, D.C., is expanding to Florida, and its Sunshine State debut will take place in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.

The company, which bills its technology as the “world's most advanced virtual reality”, also operates in Canada and a handful of cities in Europe and Asia.

This technology allows players to see and physically interact with one another while feeling like they are in the middle of an action movie, with the heightened emotions that come from not just watching a film, but from actually becoming the stars of the action.

With its abundance of murals and museums, St. Petersburg has long been considered one of the artsier cities in Florida. But until recently, with the soft opening of Glass of Life at 499 7th Avenue North, across from Round Lake in Historic Uptown, stained-glass art and artists have not had a large presence in the city’s art scene.

Owner Jodi Chemes is a certified public accountant by trade but has been making stained-glass art as a hobby since 2014. About three years ago she began to sell her artwork, with pieces going for anywhere from $50 to more than $1,000, and then she would donate the profits to local animal shelters and animal rescue groups such as Pet Pal Animal Shelter and Friends of Strays.

For her workshop, Chemes used space in a commercial building she owns at 4116 8th Avenue South, but last year she began to look for a more visible space to showcase her work and offer classes.

Renovations to downtown St. Pete’s Sundial shopping and dining complex, which were announced in early 2023, will break ground on February 1st.

The reimagined Sundial, located at 153 2nd Avenue North, will feature multimillion dollar improvements intended to revitalize the once upscale retail shopping center into a modern mixed-use urban destination. The plans were conceptualized and designed by local architect Behar and Peteranecz.

St. Pete-based Paradise Ventures and Tampa-based Ally Capital Group, which acquired the property in early 2022 for $21.13 million, signed a contract on Wednesday with Create Building Company, a full-service construction company based in St. Pete, to construct the renovation.