Why Does St. Pete Have So Many Museums?
by Avery Anderson
This Saturday, you can walk into eleven different museums in St. Petersburg for free. Eleven. In a city smaller than Cincinnati. We’re talking Dalí’s surreal dreamscapes, entire collections of glass, western art and wildlife, African American history, and even a museum dedicated to the Arts and Crafts Movement. The question isn’t just which one you’ll hit first — it’s how did all of this end up here?
Laying the Groundwork
The truth is, St. Pete didn’t stumble into its museum boom. It started with early anchors that proved ambitious cultural projects could survive here:
- The Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1965, staking a claim on Beach Drive long before downtown had become a destination.
- The Dalí Museum followed in 1982, housing the largest Dalí collection outside Spain and instantly putting St. Pete on the international map.
- The Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum opened in 2006, born of grassroots community effort to preserve and honor the city’s Black history.
Those three institutions set a precedent: world-class collections and community-driven museums could coexist — and thrive — in St. Pete.
Naming the City of the Arts
By the early 2000s, the energy was there — artists setting up shop in old warehouses, murals popping up on walls, small nonprofits scraping together funds. What was missing was coordination.
John Collins, who went on to found the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, saw it clearly:
“For the arts to succeed, they need organization and that organization need leadership. I was just trying to advocate for them and help organize and market the arts together as an entity in St. Pete.”
From a cubbyhole office in City Hall, Collins pushed city leaders to treat art as infrastructure. He convinced mayors and council members to support grants for cultural groups, rallied artists into five named arts districts, and organized the Second Saturday ArtWalk.
Collins also credits colleagues like Wayne Atherholt, who helped spread the word that St. Pete could be a home for museums, and Elizabeth Brinklow, now leading the effort to build a new performing arts center in Dunedin.
Then came the branding move that stuck. After finding a century-old newspaper reference to St. Pete as a “city of the arts,” Collins asked to revive it. The mayor said yes. From that point forward, he became the evangelist — putting everything “on one page” and insisting to anyone who would listen: this is who we are.
Museums Beget Museums
Once the groundwork was in place, the dominoes began to fall:
- The Chihuly Collection (2010) brought glass art downtown, lighting the fuse for what would become America’s Glass Coast.
- Local studios like Duncan McClellan Glass, Zen Glass, and the Morean Center for Clay amplified that momentum, transforming warehouses into destinations.
- The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art (2018) brought Tom and Mary James’ personal collection downtown, expanding the city’s cultural footprint.
- That same year, Imagine Museum doubled down on glass, showcasing contemporary work from across the globe.
- The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (2021) capped the run with a monumental, one-of-a-kind institution housing Rudy Ciccarello’s collection.
“Museums begat museums,” Collins says. Each new arrival validated the next. The Dalí proved St. Pete could host a world-class institution. Chihuly showed a specialized collection could thrive. James and Imagine raised the bar again. By the time MAACM opened, it felt less like a gamble and more like the inevitable next step.
The city’s role was often subtle — bending zoning when it helped, easing permits, or simply staying out of the way. That balance of support and freedom became St. Pete’s secret sauce.
Culture as Daily Life
For artists who grew up here, the result isn’t just a headcount of institutions. It’s a mindset.
“As a St. Pete native and artist, I see our unusually high number of museums as a reflection of the city’s intentional investment in arts and culture,” says Helen French, St. Pete Arts Alliance CEO. “This legacy not only elevates the work of artists and organizations but also creates an expectation for residents and visitors to experience creativity in meaningful and inspiring ways. Our museums remind residents and visitors alike that creativity is woven into everyday life here in St. Pete — the City of the Arts.”
Why Now
Free Museum Day isn’t just a bargain. It’s a chance to see the result of decades of intentional choices: anchoring with MFA and Dalí, organizing under “City of the Arts,” and welcoming each new institution that wanted in.
So go ahead: make a route, pick a lane (glass? surrealism? history?), or try to marathon them all. Wander between museums and murals, and let the city’s thesis defend itself. If it feels like St. Pete has “too many” museums for its size, consider this: maybe we’ve been sizing the city wrong all along. Around here, culture isn’t an amenity. It’s infrastructure.
Before You Go
Some museums may require timed entry or advance registration, so check each location’s website for details. Free Museum Day is all about making art and culture accessible for all, and we can’t wait to see you there.
Participating Museums:
- Museum of Motherhood
- The Woodson African American Museum of Florida
- Imagine Museum
- The Florida Holocaust Museum
- The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art
- Museum of Fine Arts
- St. Petersburg Museum of History
- Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center
- The Dalí Museum
📍 Don’t forget to grab your Free Museum Day Map!
Transportation: Parking is available in downtown garages. For convenience, ride the SunRunner, St. Petersburg Trolley Downtown Looper, or Central Avenue Trolley.
Free Museum Day is produced by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, the City of St. Petersburg, and participating cultural organizations, inspired by the national Smithsonian’s Free Museum Day.
Avery Anderson
Avery Anderson