The Salvador Dali Museum. The largest collection of Dali works in the United States, housed in a striking building crowned by a 75-foot geodesic glass dome called The Enigma. Ninety-five oil paintings, including six monumental masterworks, make this one of the most extraordinary art museums in the American South.
St. Pete Pier. A reimagined 26-acre waterfront destination on Tampa Bay featuring dining, fishing, the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, biking trails, a splash pad, and Janet Echelman's towering public art installation Bending Arc. Free to enter and beloved by locals and first-timers alike.
Fort De Soto Park. A 1,136-acre barrier island park spreading across five islands with white-sand beaches, seven miles of paved trails, kayaking, a historic Spanish-American War fort, and a dedicated dog beach. Admission is free, and the landscape is as wild and beautiful as any in Florida.
Chihuly Collection at Morean Arts Center. The only building in the world designed specifically to house Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures, featuring 18 permanent installations in a 10,000-square-foot gallery. Every ticket includes a live glass-blowing demonstration at the adjacent Morean Glass Studio.
Sunken Gardens. One of Florida's oldest continually operating botanical attractions, open since 1936 on a site drained 10 feet below street level to create a lush micro-climate. More than 50,000 tropical plants, flamingos, and cascading waterfalls make it a serene escape in the heart of the city.
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. 245 acres of pristine Florida wilderness — pine flatwoods, freshwater swamp, hardwood hammock, and lakefront boardwalks — tucked inside one of the state's most urban counties. More than 165 bird species have been recorded here, and the education center houses rehabilitated raptors up close.
Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg. Florida's west coast premier encyclopedic art museum, with nearly 5,000 years of civilization on display: Monet, O'Keeffe, De Kooning, and one of the state's most respected photography collections, all steps from the waterfront on Beach Drive.
Central Arts District on Central Avenue. The creative spine of downtown St. Pete, running from 3rd to 7th Street along Central Avenue, where large-scale murals cover gallery walls, independent boutiques fill historic storefronts, craft cocktail bars sit beside live music rooms, and the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art anchors the cultural anchor.