Two Days at the Beach – And Some Great Museums in Saint Petersburg Florida

By Jeff Burns

The beaches of the Tampa Bay/Clearwater/Saint Petersburg area have drawn throngs of tourists for over a century, but there is much more to enjoy than just great beaches. History and Art lovers have some great museums to visit too!

One of the jewels in Saint Pete for a number of years has been the Dali Museum, opened in 1982. From the Museum website:  “The Dali Museum celebrates the life and work of Salvador Dali (1904-1989) and features works from the artist’s entire career. The collection includes over 2,100 works from every moment and in every medium of his artistic activity, including oil paintings, many original drawings, book illustrations, artists’ books, prints, sculpture, photos, manuscripts and an extensive archive of documents. Founded with the works collected by A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, the Museum has made significant additions to its collection over the years.” The collection is amazing, and if you are a Dali aficionado, it is a must-see.  The Dali also attracts other world-class exhibits that complement Dali’s works. 

Perhaps the most unexpected discovery on our most recent trip was The Imagine Museum, a museum dedicated to the medium of art glass. Maybe it doesn’t sound exciting at first, but believe me, you will be blown away (pun, get it?) by what you see.  Incredibly beautiful and provocative works can be found in every gallery, and you will see things that seem impossible.
 

The Tampa Bay History Center is located in downtown Tampa on the beautiful Riverwalk and is well worth your time. There, see the history of the area unfold, from the earliest inhabitants to Spanish exploration to the development of the cigar industry, and much more.

For more about things to do in Tampa, check out our older blog on Ybor City (the start of modern Tampa), and consider the Henry Plant Museum.  The Plant is located in an 1891 hotel, not too far from the Riverwalk and Ybor City areas.  It is now a museum owned by the University of Tampa and dedicated to the Gilded Age, the period when the wealthy flocked to Tampa to vacation, thanks to the work of early Florida railroad magnate Henry Plant.  The hotel was also the headquarters of the American forces as they prepared for the Spanish American War.