Top Rated Attractions in Tampa/St. Petersburg

This familiar downtown landmark with a classical-columned facade has a permanent collection consisting of classical and contemporary artistry in a variety of mediums. Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Bellows and O'Keefe are a few of the greats in the rotating collection. Antiques, historical furnishings, crystal, timepieces, photography, and a sculpture garden, all combine to create a collection designed to appeal to a wide range of viewers. Lectures, concerts, guided tours, and even tea in the garden, are available.

St. Petersburg Museum Of History has been amassing exhibits since 1920, the early boom days of St. Petersburg. A decidedly eclectic collection, the items range from fossilized footprints to St. Pete's famous green benches. There's an audio-visual presentation, hands-on exhibits of costumes and the Flight One gallery, devoted to pilot Tony Jannus. In the archives are 30,000 objects relating to the history of local tourism and businesses. Those are available to the public by appointment only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Holocaust Museum chronicles one of the grimmest segments of the world's history. The terrible story unfolds in photos, letters, and objects related to the Holocaust experience, including an authentic boxcar used to transport prisoners. An Anne Frank exhibit is one of the most touching and not to be missed. Exhibits of art that are genocide-related can be viewed as well, and exhibits change frequently.

Housing the largest collection of Salvador Dali works in the world, the museum offers a regularly changing exhibit of the legendary surrealist artist's melting-watch canvases and a wide variety of his sculpture and fiber objects that are, at the very least, intriguing. One memorable creation toasts the cocktail party; it is a vest covered with full glasses of creme de menthe. Daily tours seek to explain this complex man and his equally complex art. In the museum store you can select a memento of your surreal experience. Do check the website or call for timings.

Walk the corridors of the Tampa Bay Hotel, now a museum and a National Historic Landmark, and experience a stroll through time when exquisite art, elegant furnishings and opulent grandeur conveyed the image of the Gilded Age. Built in 1891, the hotel, with its Moorish architecture and spiraling minarets, was created as a resort for the rich and affluent. Reservations needed for groups of 10 or more. Parking is free in front of the building and in a nearby parking garage.

Established in 1979, this museum houses more than 4,500 objects in its permanent collection and exhibits the largest collection of Greek and Roman antiquities in the Southeast. The Center Gallery displays themed exhibitions from the permanent collection. For a look at 19th and 20th century sculpture set against the backdrop of the Hillsborough River, visit the Terrace Gallery. Stroll through the Outdoor Courtyard featuring contemporary sculptures, fountains and bronze work. For gifts, books, children's items or home accessories, stop by the museum store.