Museums & the Arts

Hotels near Florida Aquarium

The Tampa Bay area boasts a host of cultural options, including world-class museums, live theater, unique galleries and much more.

More than 80 museums can be found throughout area, including the Salvador Dalí Museum where you’ll find the world’s largest collection of the Spanish surrealist’s works.  If you’re into art, you won’t want to miss the Ringling Museum, which contains one of the world’s most important collections of Baroque art.  At the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, you can browse galleries exhibiting everything from ancient to American art, including one of the largest collections of photography in Florida.

Embark on a learning expedition to The Florida Aquarium, featuring one of the nation’s most comprehensive collections of marine life, or take the kids to the Great Explorations Children’s Museum, an almost completely hands-on experience. The Florida Holocaust Museum, which includes an infamous Auschwitz Boxcar, the St. Petersburg Museum of History, featuring a full-scale replica of a Benoist aircraft from the early days of aviation, and the Museum of Science and Industry, the largest science center in the Southeast are just a few more options in this cultural mecca.

A host of venues for major concerts and the performing arts include the Mahaffey Theater, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Ford Amphitheatre as well as more intimate venues of American Stage, the Palladium and neighborhood theater.