Florida Guide > Days Out
Salvador Dali Museum in St Petersburg, Florida
Fancy doing something other than visiting theme parks whilst in Florida. . . . . or is the beach a tad too hot for you. . . . then try a few hours of culture at the Salvador Dali Museum in St Petersburg. Take a look at their website for opening times, and special discounts. We visited on a Thursday, where it is open until 8pm, the entry fee after 5. 00pm is just $10 instead of the usual $21. . . . . ample time too to explore. . . .
The museum opened on 11th January, 2011 and the building itself is well worth a visit, even if you aren' t into art in any way you will be inspired by the unusual facade. Made from a rectangular structure, from which erupts unusual glass bubbles known as “the Enigma”. . . . . this Enigma would really suit a set in the film, The Fly.
Inside it just gets better, you enter via a shop, now I know all the theme parks tend to get you exiting out of the gift shop but this time you enter via the gift shop and as shops go, there are some really good items here for sale. . . . . . Lets get back to the interior, after obtaining tickets, the entry to the third floor art gallery is via a helical concrete staircase, inspired by Dali' s obsession for spirals and the double helical shape of the DNA molecule, another fascination of Dali.
Not really knowing too much about Dali' s artwork other than his shrimp on a telephone object and passion for Surrealism, I was very pleasantly surprised by the magnificent display of his artwork. . . . . It helped too that there was a really enthusiastic guide, who fitted the Surrealism genre, she had a shoe on her head, which was actually a large hair clip, she looked the part and didn' t look out of place!
Dali' s works of art are magnificently displayed in a series of rooms on the third floor, there are 7 large paintings, almost floor to ceiling height which just capture your breath and your imagination when you see them. In addition smaller paintings are mounted perfectly, some sketches, almost cartoon like, are very amusing. In total there are 96 of Dali' s paintings.
Downstairs in the foyer is a cafe, with metal tables and plastic helical patterned chairs, in keeping with the theme. Outside in the gardens is a small labyrinth and a large model of a Dali moustache, novel and amazing. The whole experience is fun and without hassle, a real change from the theme parks! A real tranquil place to visit. Try it!
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