St Ives is blessed with beaches on three sides of the town, Porthmeor beach is renowned for two things - surfing and the Tate Gallery. Good surfing conditions prevail frequently with the surfboard area marked with orange buoys, generally safe bathing with lifeguard support. Parking at Barnoon and above the beach, there is a good restaurant and cafe facilities just above the beach opposite the Tate Gallery.

The Tate Gallery, next to Porthmeor beach, presents changing displays of recent art in the context of Cornwall, focusing on the modern tradition with which St Ives is associated. Displays are drawn from the Tate Gallery’s collections of British and modern art. They frequently focus on rarely shown works and archive material lent by public and private collections. Artists projects range from invitations to artists to make or present new work in the gallery, to educational or community based work.