St. Petersburg, Florida

The Dali Museum

When architect Yann Weymouth designed the building to house Dali Museum, he offered the great artist his own tribute. He created a piece of art that combines the fantastical with rational, a combination reminiscent of Dali’s paintings.

The piece features a simple square box out of which blooms a large geodesic glass bubble. The museum has the largest collection of Dali’s works in the US with 96 oil paintings, original drawings, book works, sculptures, and prints that encompass Salvador Dali’s entire career. The museum opened in 2011 with the core collection from Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, and many works were added later on.

The Dali Museum is one of the best St. Petersburg attractions. It plays an important role in the cultural life of the community, inspiring and delighting visitors with great artist’s masterpieces and hosting a range of events and programs.

1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 800-442-3254

Morean Arts Center

The Morean Arts Center is located on Central Avenue and takes an innovative, community-oriented approach to art and art education and is one of the best things to do in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Morean Arts Center is dedicated to displaying the artworks of local, national, and international artists, and it also offers a range of art education based programs for children, student, and adults.

The Morean Arts Center is home to the Bank of America Children’s Learning Center as well as the Glass Studio & Hot Shop, complete with a workshop for glass artists, teaching facilities and audience.

The Morean Arts Center is also home to the Chihuly Collection, a permanent collection of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s work in an award-winning setting designed by world-renowned architect Alberto Alfonso.

719 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-822-7872

Museum of Fine Arts

Margaret Acheson Stuart founded the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg in 1896, and the museum is dedicated to inspiring, educating, and acknowledging excellence in art from antiquity to the present. The Museum of Fine Arts achieves this goal through an excellent permanent collection, a variety of rotating and traveling exhibitions, and educational programs and workshops for the community. Located on Beach Drive, the museum is home to over 14,000 objects, including exquisite French Impressionist paintings, Steuben glass, decorative arts, and pre-Columbian objects.

The museum also features two interior gardens, one of which is devoted to sculpture with the aim of encouraging reflection and thought, while an intimate second-floor gallery displays works on paper and photographs; there are more than 10,000 images.

255 Beach Drive, NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-896-2667

Sunken Gardens

Tucked away in the heart of the city, the Sunken Gardens is a beautiful botanical paradise that offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The 100-year-old garden is St. Petersburg's oldest living museum and is home to more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers, as well as some of the oldest tropical plants in the country. If you are wondering what to do in St. Petersburg with kids, this is an amazing place to visit.

Winding paths, cascading waterfalls, and hidden groves create a serene environment in which to explore and learn about exotic and tropical plants from around the world, and the picturesque scenery make the gardens a lovely venue for special events such as weddings and private functions.

The Sunken Gardens also present visitors with guided garden tours and special horticultural programs throughout the year.

1825 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-551-3102

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is an award-winning 245-acre park that features an array of natural landscapes and miles of boardwalks and walking trails, making it ideal for enjoying a variety recreational and outdoor activities.

Resting on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Boyd Hill is home to a range of unique ecosystems, including swampy woodlands and willow marshes where thousands of orange dancing viceroy butterflies live. Tall pines shade walking trails through pine flatwoods, which border the scrub and the broad-leafed forest, while scrub sand trails feature turkey oak, sand pine, and wiregrass, hinting at what Florida’s landscapes were like more than 12,000 years ago.

More than six miles of walking trails offer fantastic bird watching and wildlife spotting opportunities, and sheltered picnic areas and children’s playgrounds provide family-friendly fun. The park also offers overnight camping facilities and a small gift shop.

1101 Country Club Way South, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-893-7326

Mahaffey Theater

The popular Mahaffey Theater is located in downtown St. Petersburg in the recently renovated Duke Energy Center for the Arts. This beautiful performance art venue opened its doors in 1965 and underwent several subsequent improvements and renovations.

The theatre has 2,031 seats, elegant European-style private box seating, a magnificent ballroom, and breathtaking views of the waterfront. Mahaffey Theater is famous for serving as the venue for top performances by well-known artists. If you are looking for romantic date ideas in St. Petersburg, watch a performance at Mahaffey Theater.

It hosts rock and pop music events, Broadway shows, classical music performances, and comedy and dance shows. The theater actively supports the popular Class Acts Education Program, which encourages local children to appreciate and engage in performing arts.

400 First Street South, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-892-5798

Florida Holocaust Museum

The result of the remarkable journey and clear vision of St. Petersburg philanthropist Walter P. Loebenberg, the Florida Holocaust Museum opened the doors of its new, 27000-foot building in 1998 in memory of the millions of women, men, and children who perished or suffered throughout the Holocaust.

The museum’s goal is to prevent such atrocity from ever happening again by teaching all races and cultures about the shared dignity and inherent worth of all humans. The museum’s permanent exhibition entitled History, Heritage and Hope contains original historic artifacts, photographs, and documents relating to the Holocaust.

There are also two galleries for temporary exhibitions, as well as the biggest library about the genocide and Holocaust in the American southeast.

55 5th Street S, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-820-0100

St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market

When you combine fresh produce from local farms, great food from 15 different countries, original arts and crafts created in the city, and fantastic music, you know that people will come and have an incredible time.

In fact, every Saturday from October to May since 2002, more than 10,000 people have been showing up to see what there is to eat and what they can buy for later or just to have a nice, relaxed time with friends and neighbors. If you are looking for fun things to do in St. Petersburg, Florida with the whole family, this is a great place to visit.

The market, which is located in the Al Lang Field parking lot, has about 200 registered vendors that sell an incredible array of goods such as seafood, pastries, chocolates, salsas, cheeses, pickles, ice cream, spices, breads, meats, and much more.

101 1st St S, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-455-4921

St. Petersburg Museum of History

The St. Petersburg Museum of History is the oldest museum in Pinellas County, and it started its life as the St. Petersburg Memorial Historical Society, which was founded in 1921.

Mary Wheeler Eaton led the society members, who started collecting historic artifacts, natural history items, original documents, rare photographs, papers, and all kinds of other items that appeared relevant. Their persistence paid off, and in 1922, the society became a museum, moved to the old aquarium building at the same location as today’s museum building, and opened its doors to the public.

Visit the museum to learn about the history of St. Petersburg through exhibits and stories about Orange Belt Railroad, Women’s Town Improvement League, the inaugural season of the Rays, the first commercial airline, and much more. The museum also hosts many temporary exhibits, events, and popular activities.

335 Second Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-894-1052

Weedon Island Preserve

The Weedon Island Preserve is an expansive natural reserve and coastal system spanning more than 3,000 acres along Tampa Bay in Pinellas County.

Home to a range of aquatic and upland ecosystems that feature a vast diversity of native plants and animal species, the Weedon Island Preserve was established to protect the region’s natural and cultural resources, as well as educate the public about them. The preserve offers a range of recreational and outdoor activities to enjoy, including hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and bird watching.

The Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center offers visitors an in-depth look at the natural, cultural, and archeological history of the preserve through excellent exhibits by local artists and photographers. The Weedon Island Preserve is open seven days a week, from dawn to dusk.

1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, Phone: 727-453-6500