History & Heritage Museums
The St. Petersburg Museum of History is perched right at the entrance to the new St. Pete Pier District, a location that makes it easy to explore the museum and then have a great meal and a drink along the waterfront afterwards. There’s lots to enjoy here, including “Little Cooperstown” – the world’s largest collection of baseballs the Flight One Gallery that celebrates the world’s first commercial flight from St. Pete to Tampa in 1914 and the Sunshine City Gallery, depicting the many colorful eras of the city’s life.
At the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Pete, exhibits artfully detail the economic, social and political backdrop that occurred over decades and contributed to the horrors of the Holocaust. Listen to survivors recorded accounts of the atrocities, feel the fear and courage in their voices and study photos and artifacts documenting their experiences.
Named after the historian and civil rights activist, the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum in the Deuces Live neighborhood in St. Pete hosts exhibits, events and discussions to promote understanding of Black history. A Black Lives Matter street mural is in front of the museum – a contribution of many local artists. This museum is modest in size now, but there are plans in the works to expand it into a 29,000-square-foot space .
Primary And Secondary Education
Public primary and secondary schools in St. Petersburg are administered byPinellas County Schools. Public high schools within the city limits include:
- Keswick Christian School
- Northside Christian School
The non-profit Science Center of Pinellas County educates more than 22,000 school children annually through field trip classes and offers winter, spring and summer workshops for 2,000 more.
St Petersburg Museums: Top 5 For Artistic Inspiration
Nicknamed Sunshine City, St. Petersburg, Florida, is known for its ideal weather, sugar-white sand and beaches. However, many people may not realize the city also has a vibrant arts scene. In fact, St. Pete serves as one of the top art destinations in the U.S., and area museums provide fun and educational places for guests of all ages to enjoy. So get ready for some creative inspiration and check out five popular St. Petersburg museums.
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What Guests Say About Fairgrounds St Pete
Absolutely amazing, there is nothing else in Florida like it. Everyone needs to check this place out. -Tiffany C. This place made me feel like a little kid with continuous wonder and excitement. Going through the exhibit you can see where there are certain similarities in different places and how the story fully plays out throughout the whole exhibit I absolutely loved it. -Kara S. Amazing time here with fraiends. So much to see. Fully interactive art exhibit thats a pleasure for the eye. -Cody K.One really cool installation. Want to come back. -Eileen C.What an amazing exhibit. Blow away by all the cool different rooms. -Maria C.Worth every penny then some. Must visit. So many things to see. I have to take second trip. I missed a whole section. Lol. -Joy W.
Great Explorations Childrens Museum
Great Explorations has been operating in the Crescent Lake neighborhood for over 30 years. It was the first childrens museum in St. Pete and the first in the nation to open its own preschool. Children can follow Morris the Explorasaurus through the museum and its perfectly curated, hands-on exhibits, made just for them.
The museum is wheelchair accessible and certified Autism friendly! With over 18,000 square feet of fun for kids 10 and under, there is enough here to keep your littles busy for a while! Check out their website for special events, summer camps, and their annual GALA.
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Museum Of Fine Arts St Petersburg
MFA was founded in 1965 as the first art museum in St. Petersburg. The permanent collection contains more than 20,000 pieces including works by Monet, Rodin, Renoir, Cezanne, and Georgia OKeefe. The collection is international with artwork from Asia, Greece, Africa, and even Native America.
MFA also boasts sculptures, oil paintings, Contemporary Art, one of Floridas best photography collections, and a renowned glass gallery. The Palladian-style building is iconic, with its tall front columns, and the grounds are lovely too.
The museum sits on St. Pete Beach Drive and has beautiful outdoor areas, including a fabulous sculpture garden. Dont forget to check out the rooftop apiary, with its 12 beehives.
Pro Tip: The museum is kept between 68-72 degrees to preserve the art, so if you are prone to being cold, bring a sweater!
At The St Pete Museum Of History Learn About The First Commercial Flight In 1914 From St Pete To Tampa
Check out the Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum, which chronicles the towns development into a Greek enclave. Its fitting that the setting looks over the bayou, where the sponge industry still thrives. The nearby Tarpon Springs Cultural Center hosts events and also shows a 20-minute film about town history. Tour a former Victorian mansion, now the Safford House Museum, to get a glimpse of what life was like in Tarpon Springs in the late 1800s.
The Palm Harbor Museum occupies the former Hartley House, which was once the site of a citrus ladder factory. Volunteers there plan and host heritage events, curate and exhibit artifacts, including those related to the areas citrus industry.
A short drive south, the Dunedin History Museum offers an opportunity to learn about the city known for its Celtic roots join one of the walking tours to explore the historic downtown see the oldest house, ring a church bell and learn about its first residents. While youre in Dunedin, stop by the National Armed Services & Law Enforcement Memorial Museum to pay homage to those who have bravely protected the United States. Youll see an array of weapons, documents and artifacts from the Revolutionary War to present day.
The Gulfport Historical Society Museum offers walking tours on the shores of Boca Ciega Bay. Learn from the locals as they tell stories and legends about the eclectic community including Morris, the ghost cat said to frequent the waterfront.
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The Salvador Dali Museum
The largest collection of Dali pieces outside of his home country of Spain, the waterfront museum is one of St. Petes most recognizable buildings and most explored museums. If you havent been in a couple years, youve missed out on some fun high-tech additions, including an artificial intelligence-led tour through Dalis life, and an augmented reality guide to his artwork. Find tickets here.
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The Salvador Dal Museum
Better known as just The Dalí, the Salvador Dalí Museum houses the largest collection of Dalí paintings outside of Spain. Famous for his Surrealist Art, Dalí created quite an extensive portfolio. This museum alone contains 2,400 photographs, drawings, paintings, and sculptures.
The exterior of the museum is magnificent. The structure is distinguished by the giant, glass bubble dome protruding from its surface, called the Enigma. It is slightly weird and totally befitting a museum dedicated to Dalí. Take a minute to experience it and then move through the maze of the Avant-Garden hedges, which overlook Tampa Bay. Enter to view masterpieces like the Hallucinogenic Toreador.
The Dalí Museum has a great app available that will help you on your self-guided tour. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum hosts frequent special events, rotating exhibitions, and has a great student program. Check out their website calendar for upcoming events! Advance timed tickets are required.
Pro Tip: After your morning visit, consider lunch at Cafe Gala in the museum. Its tasty!
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Museums For Immunity: Boosting Health & Safety In Our Community
When
Sunday, January 16, 2022 from Noon 4 pm
Where
Woodson Museum & Other Participating Museums
Admission
Free community health event.
What
On Sunday, January 16, 2022, five St. Petersburg museums are coming together to boost the health and safety of our community during our first ever Museums for Immunity event. In partnership with the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, the Center for Health Equity, and the City of St. Petersburgs Healthy St. Pete initiative, these museums are bringing FREE COVID-19 vaccines to the public at each site.
Participating organizations are offering exciting incentives such as complimentary museum passes and other goodies to encourage the public to stay healthy and enjoy St. Petersburgs diverse cultural and social amenities. Additionally the Florida Department of Health is providing $15 food vouchers . For site-specific event and incentive information, please visit each museums webpage at the information below:
The Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum 323-1104, 2240 9th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Participants will be eligible to receive their first or second COVID-19 immunization or their booster Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and adult and pediatric Pfizer vaccines will be available and flu vaccines for children and adults will also be offered! Museum admission is not required for this free community health event.
Best Museums In St Petersburg / Clearwater
BY Michelle da Silva RichmondSt. Petersburg / Clearwater Local Expert
It has often been said that in order to appreciate the present, we must look into the past. Whether or not this is true, museum-hopping can be fun – and doesn’t have be to saved just for rainy days.
The St. Petersburg-Clearwater area has much to explore – even if you aren’t a history buff – with choices ranging from the poignant to the playful.
One of the most impressive is the Florida Holocaust Museum, where that sad chapter in history is reverently honored.
Another excellent choice – the Armed Forces Military Museum – pays tribute to the men and women who served, highlighting, preserving and remembering the sacrifices they made for our freedom.
Other repositories of the past, such as: the St. Petersburg Museum of History, Dunedin Historical Museum and Gulf Beaches Historical Museum showcase area history in a comprehensive time capsule.
Art lovers will appreciate the Dali Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and Leepa-Ratner Museum of Art.
For something more whimsical, automobile aficionados shouldn’t miss the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum’s large collection of vintage vehicles from Europe and the US.
For a proverbial “beach community,” this area has an impressive number of options.
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James Museum Of Western Art
The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art is truly surprising. The building is a modern, sleek house for the collection of 20th and 21st-century pioneer art. Paintings, jewelry, artifacts, and the most artfully displayed Native American sculptures fill the halls and keep you enticed as you traverse the more than 26,000 square feet of space.
The entrance is mesmerizing with its elegant stone wall and two-story waterfall. It prepares you well for the beauty to come. The museum is well laid out in themed galleries. Peruse theEarly West, Wildlife, Native Artists, Native Life, and Jewelry Boxgalleries, displaying their wares in the most elegant wooden alcoves.
If you have any interest in the American West, or Native American heritage, we strongly recommend you spend a couple of hours in this lovely museum. Advance tickets are strongly suggested.
St Petersburg Museum Of History
The St. Petersburg Museum of History is the oldest museum in the county. Its located right at the beginning of St. Petersburg Pier, so its a convenient and easy visit. The museum highlights all things St. Pete. It covers the architecture, history, and culture of St. Petersburg and Florida as a whole. It even has a replica of the first plane used for commercial flight, which took to the air from St. Petersburg in 1914.
The museum is also home to the worlds largest collection of autographed baseballs, known as Little Cooperstown. Some of the baseballs are signed by the greats you would expect like Babe Ruth and DiMaggio, but there are also super random John Hancocks, like that of Fidel Castro.
This little museum is a great destination for your trip, as it will help you get a good sense of the culture, history, and community that has produced the modern St. Pete.
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Other St Petersburg Museums
The appreciation of art and history is nothing new for St. Petersburg. Two of the citys prominent museums, located near the famous St. Petersburg Pier, have delighted locals and visitors for decades. The St. Petersburg Museum of History, founded in 1920, showcases the history and heritage of Florida, including St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. Its best known for its exhibit on the Benoist XIV seaplane and its exhibit on the worlds largest collection of baseball cards. The Museum of Fine Arts, which opened in 1965, is housed in an elegant Palladian-style designed by John Volt. Art from around the world, representing every period in history, is showcased in its 20 galleries, plus the Sculpture Garden is outstanding.
Other museums in St. Petersburg specialize in designated art mediums.
- The focus of Imagine Museum is American glass art and international art.
- The Duncan-McClellan Gallery shines the light on contemporary works by American and international glass artists. It also has a sculpture garden.
- Florida artists are spotlighted at the Florida CraftArt museum.
- The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art houses paintings and sculptures, ranging from the Early West to the New West, including Native American art and western wildlife art.
St. Petersburg is also home to a number of special museums not necessarily associated with art. Here are a few you should visit!
Staying in St. Pete? Here are other things to do while youre here!
Dr Carter G Woodson African American Museum
As the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Dr. Carter G. Woodson is known as the Father of Black History. He was one of the first scholars to study the African Diaspora and the history of the black people in the Americas.
This St. Pete museum bears his name as an homage to the American hero. The museum is located in the historic African American Community of Jordan Park in Midtown, and has been instrumental in the recent revitalization of this community!
The beautiful little house museum sits in the lushest Legacy Garden, and creates an atmosphere of peace. The museum is also surrounded by incredible murals created by at least 16 local urban artists. Their Black Lives Matter Mural is huge and very beautiful. Make sure to stop and give it a few minutes of your time.
The museum not only has a great art history collection, but it also hosts cultural events, guest speakers, and has a great lending library for those interested in learning more about Black History. General admission is free and no advance tickets are necessary.
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The James Museum Of Western And Wildlife Art
One of the Burgs newest additions to the thriving arts community, the James Museum is a journey straight into the heart and soul of the American West. Utilizing more than 26,000 square feet of gallery space, the James is a deep dive into the lives and history of the people and wildlife of the west. Find tickets here.
Politicians Statesmen’s And Military Leaders’
Lenin museums
- Raznochinniy Petersburg
- The State Historical and Memorial Museum of Smolny – in the building occupied since the 1920s by the city government previously of the former Smolny Institute next to Smolny Convent. In early 21st century it shows 1) the history of the pre-1917 institute , 2) the history of 1917 October Revolution and the time the building was occupied until the spring of 1918 by the first Soviet Government led by Vladimir Lenin which later moved to Moscow, including Lenin’s apartment/study, 3) later Soviet period. The museum has branches, partly left after the closing in early 1990s of the city’s branched subsidiary of National Lenin Museum:
- the Yelizarov family memorial apartment near ulitsa Lenina in Petrogradsky district
- the Alliluyev family memorial apartment in 10th Sovietskaya ulitsa. .
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Dimensions In Testimony From Usc Shoah Foundation
Dimensions in Testimony from USC Shoah Foundation combines ultra-high-definition filming and natural language technology to allow a conversational and interactive experience between Holocaust Survivors and audiences. The FHM is among only a dozen museums in the world to house this unique exhibition. The FHM will initially feature the interactive biography of Pinchas Gutter, the first survivor recorded by USC Shoah Foundation for Dimensions in Testimony. Pinchas lived through the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and survived the Majdanek death camp. Later this year, The FHM will begin beta-testing the interactive biographies of four local Florida survivors, and visitors will be able to participate in the beta testing process in advance of the Museum launching its permanent exhibition. Dimensions in Testimony was developed in association with Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, with technology by USC Institute for Creative Technologies, and concept by Conscience Display. Funding for Dimensions in Testimony was provided in part by Pears Foundation, Louis. F. Smith, Melinda Goldrich and Andrea Cayton/Goldrich Family Foundation in honor of Jona Goldrich, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and Genesis Philanthropy Group . Other partners include CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
Tour Directory Of The Glass Museum
Discover the magic of glass, where it comes from, how the art is created, the Studio Glass Movement, and the contemporary artists who have taken this medium and turned it into a mission of inspiration, innovation and creativity. Are you looking for things to do in Tampa Bay? Visit our Imagine Museum of glass and Experience Glass Art like never before. Theres a guided tour for every area of interest regarding the collection at IM and the amazing properties of glass. Book your tour today!
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