St Petersburg, Florida – Where Dalí, Chihuly, and Gatsby Meet
Pink hotels and surreal structures on Florida's sun-kissed shores.
Across the bay from Tampa, laidback and artsy St Petersburg is full of surprises. For example, you might not expect to find a museum devoted to Salvador Dalí facing the Gulf of Mexico, yet here it is in all its surrealist glory. Housed inside a striking glass orb, the museum is the largest collection of Dalí's works outside Europe.
This artistic vibe doesn't end there. It radiates out in the form of swirls and spikes at the Morean Arts Center, crafted by the world's leading glass artist, Dale Chihuly.
The world-class museums have some impressive artistic competition in the form of the five art districts. Some districts are bursting with street art, others are known more for their glasswork. Then there's the warehouse district, where 250 independent artists currently reside.
Inside a former tomato packing warehouse, Duncan McClellan's gallery showcases the work of 50 glass artists, in addition to his own, with an impressive glass sculpture garden that surrounds the building.
You can raise a glass or two yourself at the nearby 3 Daughters Brewery, with 40 taps serving a huge array of craft ales, stouts, and IPAs.
Not one but two Gatsby-era hotels grace St Petersburg's sun-kissed shores. Both are grand, pink, and apparently haunted:
→ The Vinoy, built in 1925, is the epicenter of St. Petersburg's waterfront downtown district. There are reports of people waking up to find a gentleman in a long coat and top hat standing next to the bed, while others have claimed to have had the sensation of someone sitting on their chests as they slept.
→ The Don CeSar, built in 1928, is perched on the dunes, with stunning views across the water in almost every direction. Clearly, the creator of the hotel, Thomas Rowe, wasn't quite ready to give these views up – his ghost has reportedly been spotted strolling through the grounds, sporting a Panama hat and white summer suit, and waving at guests as he mourns his lost love, Lucinda.
Chat to a curator today about a surrealist trip to St Petersburg, Florida.
Jurriaan Teulings
Jurriaan dreamt of becoming either an astronomer or a circus clown. He became a lawyer instead, but finally found the ultimate fit for his free-range mind as a travel writer and photographer. A Stroopwafel evangelist, he's also won a few awards: two in plexiglass, one in bronze, and one made of beads. The biggest prize: 20 years of travel to all continents and 99 countries so far.
Images courtesy of Duncan McClellan Gallery, the Vinoy Renaissance and VisitStPeteClearwater.com and the Dalí museum: ©2021 – Salvador Dalí Museum, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL