With an average of 361 days of sunshine each year and long stretches of white sandy beaches, it’s no wonder that St. Petersburg, Florida, is a popular tourist destination. However, the beaches are not the only draw—far from it! The city has a downtown rated as one of the best in the South, outdoor festivals throughout the year, the third-largest dedicated public waterfront park system in North America, a vibrant dining and nightlife scene, a growing craft beer presence, plenty of shopping, and professional baseball and soccer teams. It also has a thriving art scene, for which it has won many accolades. In fact, St. Petersburg is so serious about the arts that it offers an unbeatable array of museums, galleries, performing halls, and music organizations. Here are some that visitors and residents rave about:
– Salvador Dali Museum: Home to the most extensive collection of the surrealist painter’s work in the western world—more than 2,000 pieces.
– Morean Arts Center: Displays art from local, national, and international artists.
– Dale Chihuly Collection (at Morean Arts Center): A mind-blowing collection of glass sculptures.
– Museum of Fine Arts: Represents a variety of artists, from contemporary to classic.
– Sunken Gardens: Four-acre, 100-year-old botanical garden that is home to some of the oldest tropical plants in the area.
– Great Explorations Children’s Museum: Designed for children under ten and chock full of play stations and activities where kids can make a mess—and learn!
– Florida Holocaust Museum: Exhibits honor the memory of those who suffered or died in the Holocaust. Collections include artifacts, photos, and a print and audio-visual library.
– St. Petersburg Museum of History: Shares the stories and history of Florida, with an emphasis on the St. Petersburg area.
– Florida CraftArt: Display gallery of fine craft art and upstairs artist studios; hosts an annual CraftArt festival featuring 100 crafters.
– Performing arts venues, including the Palladium, American Stage, Mahaffey Theater at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, St. Petersburg City Theatre, the freeFall Theatre, and a Simple Theatre Company at Eckerd College.
– Music groups such as the Florida Orchestra, one of the state’s top symphony orchestras, and St. Petersburg Opera.
– Seventy murals painted on buildings in St. Petersburg’s Central Art District, with a walking tour available.
Besides these venues, there are seven art districts where artists live, work, and partake in their craft. Any one of these venues or groups provides a wealth of information that St. Petersburg tutors and teachers can share with their students. In fact, tutoring in St. Petersburg comes alive for these students with this incredible treasure of cultural resources.