Florida Guide > Places to Visit
The New Dali Museum
The New Dali Museum
The new Dali museum in St Petersburg opened at the beginning of 2011 so when we visited during the Christmas holidays that same year we should have expected exactly what we encountered…. lines longer than those for Soarin’.
The journey was really easy. You can’t go wrong I4, I 295 southbound, I 175 East then go to the end, on to Dali Boulevard and park on the left. The museum car park is free, if you arrive early, but if like us you get there late on a busy day you have to use the multi storey and they charge you $5.
From the back the building looks very ordinary. It is only when you get to the front that you realise what a masterpiece this is.
My husband took his place in the queue; for the queue, while I walked to the waterfront. I had done the driving so was in need of a stroll as we had been stuck in traffic near Tampa. From there I could see what a fabulous building this is and also appreciate its location so close to the shore where the pelicans were putting on a fine diving performance.
I joined him when he reached the actual queue where the wait was down to 20mins.
We filed through the shop and by the time we had paid for our tickets (about $23 each) we were too late to get the headphones for the audio tour. These are free with the admission price but they do not have enough for everyone so like the car park this is another reason to go early.
We took the lift to the galleries which were packed but even between the crowds and with no audio, I got a new appreciation for this artist and his work. By the time I left I was convinced of his genius and decided that we should go again, very early in the day.
The ‘enigma’ is the name of the overlook part of the building and presents a wonderful view of the bay and the garden to the museum with its wishing tree and its maths puzzles. We explored both these spaces and then took a stroll along the shore line.
We did indeed return a few weeks later and arrived in plenty of time to get a space on the car park and no queue. We got the headphones without any problems and enjoyed a most interesting exhibition in the way it should be enjoyed. I am not a major art fan and I can’t say Salvador Dali would be on a list of my favourite artists but this place was very well worth a return visit if just to admire the architecture and Dali’s genius.
I would recommend combining it with a visit to Tampa or something else at St Petersburg. We choose to combine it once with the River walk in Tampa and once with a Basketball match we wanted to see at the University. The journey was easy both times.
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