The visual arts receive a good showing in the region.

The SouthShore area is home to several artists, galleries and shops, which work to capture the essence of the area’s natural beauty and depict local wildlife in realistic detail.

The Tampa Museum of Art holds major collections of classical and contemporary art and hosts changing exhibitions, lectures, tours and special events. In St. Petersburg, the Museum of Fine Arts has a collection of more than 4,000 objects extending from antiquity to the present day. The museum’s collection includes works by such major French artists as Cézanne, Monet, Gauguin, and Renoir.

Numerous specialty museums with a variety of exhibits are located throughout the area. The Museum of Science and Industry — MOSI — features an IMAX Dome and more than 450 interactive activities which make science a real life adventure. Fossil finds from the Ruskin area may be able to be viewed here. Kid City, formerly the Children’s Museum of Tampa, is an educational organization that challenges children to explore their role in the community. With a variety of engaging hands-on activities, the museum represents a child-size city, which mirrors the Tampa Bay community.

The Tampa Bay History Center offers a glimpse into the fascinating archaeology, history and multi-cultural heritage of the region through exhibits, lectures and workshops. The Henry B. Plant Museum transports guests to turn-of-the-century Florida. Housed in the former Tampa Bay Hotel, which is now a National Historic Landmark, the unique structure features Moorish revival architecture and dramatic minarets. The museum contains opulent European furniture and art treasures of the original resort. More heritage can be found at the Ybor City State Museum (where history of the National Historic District begins). Museum exhibits provide an under-standing of Ybor City’s founding and its rich ethnic culture. The Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museumin nearby Parrish is the museum where visitors ride the exhibits. Experience the sights and sounds of railroad’s glory days on an excursion through rustic prairieland filled with history.

Additionally, major museums in St. Petersburg include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Dali Museum, the Florida International Museum and the Florida Holocaust Museum.

The greater Tampa Bay area offers several venues for the performing arts. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in downtown Tampa has a year-round schedule including Broadway shows, musicals, and opera. Theatre groups in the area produce first-rate plays, and the Florida Orchestra presents concerts with guest artists from around the world. Other major theatres of performing arts in the area include Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, which hosts the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus every January, and the Oslo Theatre in Sarasota.

Tampa

Henry B. Plant Museum (813) 254-1891
Kid City (Children’s Museum of Tampa) (813) 935-8441
Museum of Science and Industry -MOSI (813) 987-6100
Tampa Bay History Center (813) 228-0097
Tampa Museum of Art (813) 274-8130
Ybor City State Museum (813) 247-6323

St. Petersburg

Florida Holocaust Museum (727) 820-0100
Florida International Museum (727) 821-1448
Museum of Fine Arts (727) 896-2667
Salvador Dali Museum (727) 823-3767
Just below SouthShore
Florida Gulfcoast Railroad Museum-Parrish (941) 776-9656
South Florida Museum - Bradenton (941) 746-4131

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