Fling An Axe And Have A Beer At St. Pete's New Axe Throwing Spot

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A new option in St. Petersburg to let stress out is through axe throwing at the recently opened Hatchet Hangout—Axe Throwing St. Pete.

The Central Avenue venue opened towards the end of January and has attracted some who were curious when they drove by and just decided to stop in and see what axe throwing is about. Morgan Di Domizio, 34, and her boyfriend, both St. Pete residents, gave it a try for the first time on Monday night.

"We were literally just driving by and saw this, and we were like, 'This looks like something different and fun to do,' so here we are," Di Domizio told a Patch reporter. "I'm excited because where else can you do this?"

Di Domizio said she's tired of doing the same stuff all the time and wanted to relieve some COVID stress with axe throwing. Di Domizio and her boyfriend laughed with each other as they clumsily threw the axes the first few tries, but eventually she hit the bulls eye.

Anyone who visits Axe Throwing St. Pete for the first time is required to go through training with one of their certified World Axe Throwing League coaches before they're allowed to throw in one of the 15 lanes at the location. Guests also have to sign a waiver during the first visit that will be kept on file. On the second visit and beyond, guests do not have to do the training again.

Head coach and manager Drew Waybright gave a safety speech to a group of first-timers where he demonstrated how to properly hold and throw an axe. He also went over other safety tips such as where to stand and most importantly—don't run your fingers over the blade to see how sharp it is because you might be missing a finger afterwards.

"I'll stand with people for awhile, it just depends on how much coaching they need," Waybright said. "I try to make sure I get everyone hitting the board and sticking the board, and then I'll show them two games and kind of back off a bit. I don't want to be crowding people the whole time."

On Monday night, a mother and her son vacationing in St. Pete thought they'd try axe throwing for the first time, too.

Mona Moultrie, a resident of South Carolina, said her son, Courtney Moultrie, 30, visiting from New York City, got the idea to throw axes.

"I would have never thought to throw an axe," Mona said. "But I'm ready to see what it's about."

Courtney said axe throwing is very popular in New York City but due to the pandemic if you want to do anything fun there you have to book weeks in advance, so he was very happy to be able to try axe throwing for the first time while vacationing in St. Pete. He and his mom had fun competition and laughs with each other. Mona struck the board on her fifth try.

Automated beer and wine machines are on the wall, and craft beer is behind the bar area. The lanes are 12 feet apart, and the person you're competing with is six feet away from you.
Saturday, Feb. 13, is the grand opening of Axe Throwing St. Pete. Doors are open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The parking lot will be filled with food vendors and beer vendors.

General manager, Barry Burrs, wants to reach out to the Wounded Warriors Project and invite 50 veterans from Wounded Warriors to experience it for free on the grand opening.

For future plans, the venue is hosting ESPN for the World Axe Throwing Southeast Finals in Sept. Burrs has also petitioned for the nationals to take place there in Dec.

Hatchet Hangout —Axe Throwing St. Pete, 2630 Central Avenue, hosts birthday parties, bachelorette parties and corporate team building events. To book a lane or a group get-together, visit Axe Throwing St. Pete.