Salvador Dali Museum

The only difference between myself and a madman is that I AM NOT MAD… Really?

After gazing deeply into the optical illusions of The Hallucinogenic Toreador, admiring the fluffy white pom-poms on Venus de Milo with Drawers, and struggling to decipher Abraham Lincoln’s face at 20 meters away…it does make one wonder.

The Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida  touted by AOL Travel News as “one of the top buildings you have to see before you die” doesn’t disappoint. In true Surreal style, the Glass Enigma, a 75 foot geodesic dome, covers the building in 1062 triangular glass plates – none of which are the same size.

 

 

The Unusual Exterior of the Dali Museum

The Unusual Exterior of the Dali Museum

Inside the museum, a 60 foot spiral staircase in the shape of a DNA helix, disappears into the air amid sweeping views of Tampa Bay and the St. Pete waterfront.  Dali’s collections include 96 oil paintings and over 2,000 other pieces of his art. A guided tour is HIGHLY recommended and these leave daily every half hour. Self-paced audio tours are also included with admission but the guided tour really did add a lot to the experience.

Inside Spiral Art at the Dali Museum

Inside Spiral Art at the Dali Museum

But the fun doesn’t end inside the museum walls…be sure to take a walk through the labyrinth of hedges and then stop for a rest by the melting clocks. The views across the Bay and the breezes are reward enough!

Artwork in the Garden - Melting Bench at the Dali Museum

Artwork in the Garden – Melting Bench at the Dali Museum

Museum hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 10:00am – 5:30pm
Thursday: 10:00am – 8pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am – 5:30pm
Sunday: 12 noon – 5:30pm

Regular adult admission is $24, but check out their Special Offers page for discounts!

About the author

Lisa is a traveler, photographer and pharmacist. She and her partner Cheryl MacDonald enjoy sharing inspiration and good health with fellow travelers!

4 Comments

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    • We agree Lorraine. The self-guided audio tour as well as docent tour really helped us understand his art and why he created some pieces he did. Really very interesting and unique artist!

  • I had no idea there was a Dali museum in Florida, nor that it was so cool! Can’t wait to get across the state and see it! Which would you recomment, the docent tour or the audio tour?

    • Thanks for the comment Jillian! As far as the tours go, I like the audio tour because it covers so many more pieces but the docent tour put a personal spin on the major works and they went into much more detail. So… What I would do is grab the audio tour then take the docent tour. One can never have too much Dali in a day!

      Cheers!

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