Taking a summer art-cation is an an easy way to bypass the summer blues. Here’s a guide to some must-visit Central Florida art attractions.

Credit: Design by Joe Frontel
Start at home. A trip to St. Pete is a staycation (props to any paradise dwellers who live there), but it’s still one of my favorite day trips. And it’s a trip full of art and culture. There’s always something exciting going on at the Museum of Fine Arts (pictured above) and The Dalí Museum. And if you haven’t visited the city post-2020, you must experience Fairgrounds St. Pete, see the newly renovated MFA galleries, and walk the new St. Pete Pier. Start at the MFA, St. Petersburg’s first art museum. A 2020 renovation of the original collection galleries has the MFA looking better than ever. Through a chronological ordering of the art, you can now walk through the MFA as though you’re walking through art history. And there’s no small amount of art history here. Credit: PHOTO VIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS/ FACEBOOK
Photo c/o MFA St. PeteThe MFA—located at 255 Beach Drive NE in St. Pete—has art bridging 5,000 years of art history from ancient Greece and Mesoamerica to present-day Tampa Bay. Walk through the newly renovated original galleries in order, or grab one of the themed pamphlets and have yourself an art scavenger hunt. On a sunny day, you might not make it past the room where Christian Sampson has installed “Tempus volat, hora fugit,” an immersive work that casts a geometric flood of light and color across the MFA Conservatory. Go early, too, so you don’t miss your chance to enjoy an artful pastry at the MFA’s Café Clementine. Admission is $22 for adults, and more information is at mfastpete.org.
Photo via The Dali Museum/Facebook Next, take a journey into Salvador Dalí’s creative process. The Dalí Museum is perpetually revisiting the Spanish artist’s catalog, developing novel ways to present his work. And somehow, the team hasn’t run out of ideas yet. A recent conservation project presented the rare opportunity to showcase about a hundred of Dalí’s drawings this summer Credit: Photo via The Dali Museum/Facebook
Photo c/o ParadiseIn addition to the drawings, The Dalí Museum—located at 1 Dalí Blvd. just a few blocks from the MFA—created a new “Dalí Alive 360” experience in partnership with the Museum and Grande Experiences (the folks that created the immensely popular “Van Gogh Alive”). The 39-foot tall, 60-foot wide dome immerses visitors in dynamic animations of Dalí’s art. It was supposed to open July 15, but a power surge killed the air conditioning. Now the Dalí’s postponed the opening until they can fix it. I’m not sure how long this will take, and they haven’t released a new opening date yet, but I’m still hoping Dalí 360 premieres this summer. Admission to the Dalí is $15-$29, and advanced, timed tickets are recommended. More information is at thedali.org.
Shine Mural audio tour (727) 754-6404 Take a walk down the streets of St. Petersburg and look at the arrangement of murals on the building sides with the Shine Mural audio tour. The outdoor gallery consists of 150 murals from local, national, and international artists. The audio tour helps guide you through the outdoor gallery with information about each piece. Photo via St.Petersburg Arts Alliance/Website Credit: Photo via Shine
Photo via stpetebikingtoursfacebook While, Florida CraftArt pauses its Saturday morning 30-mural, four-block walking tours in August due to extreme heat, St. Pete Biking Tours still offers its tours, in addition to brewery and foodie tours, year-round. St. Pete Biking Tours’ two-and-a-half-hour, six mile. “St. Pete Awesome Mural Biking Tour” is $55, includes bike rental, free parking and more than 40 murals. It meets at 2ns Ave. S. in St Pete, and more information is at stpetebikingtours.com.
Photo via cityofstpete/FlickrRecently repainted and re-vamped is the “Black History Matters” street mural outside the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum located at 2240 9th Ave. S in St. Pete.
Photo via cityofstpete/FlickrThere’s even an air-conditioned, self-guided mural tour option. If you don’t feel like sweating it out in the Florida sun, there are so many murals in St. Pete you’re likely to drive past several of them by accident. But if you’d prefer to plan your driving tour, head to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater for a list of St. Pete murals by district. Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Photo via City of St. Pete/FlickrMake time to enjoy some ocean air by taking in a little public art and writerly grub at the new St. Pete Pier. The new pier almost instantly became the local St. Pete hangout when it opened in 2020. The city commissioned nearly $2 million worth of public art for its new plaything. Credit: Photo via City of St. Pete/Flickr
Photo via cityofstpete/FlickrThe collection of art at the St. Pete Pier includes Mark Aeling’s “First Flight,” Nathan Mabry’s “Myth (Red Pelican),” a bronze sculpture of moving water by Belgian artist Nick Ervinck, and a 23-foot wide and seven-and-a-half-foot high mosaic by Xenobia Bailey. Perhaps most impressive (but easy to overlook for some) is Janet Echelman’s “Bending Arc,” which looks amazing by day and night (pictured above and below, respectively).
Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Photo via cityofstpete/FlickrOnce you’ve seen the sights, visit the Doc. Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grill—located at 600 Second Ave. NE on the west end of the pier—is a convenient place for a drink or meal. The popular waterfront restaurant gets its name from the marine biologist and ex-CIA agent that stars in Randy Wayne White’s Florida crime novels. While you’re there, pick up a copy of one of White’s books to remember your trip by.
Photo by Dave Decker After that, dive in by immersing yourself in Florida-themed art at Fairgrounds St. Pete. Fairgrounds St. Pete opened in 2021 before Mermaidcore was a thing. In Florida, mermaids are more a fact of life than an internet trend. The professional mermaid job still exists in central Florida, and Fairgrounds is an artistic representation of the state, mermaids, cheap motels, and all. Walking through Fairgrounds—located at 2606 Fairfield Ave. S. in St. Pete’s Warehouse District—is like walking through a Florida funhouse. The coolest thing about Fairgrounds: local artists made it. The other coolest thing: there are so many great selfie opportunities here you won’t know where to begin. Admission is $27 for adults, and more information is at fairgrounds.art. Credit: Dave Decker
Photo by Dave Decker
Bureaucrat 1: We have word that someone has been repairing roofs.Bureaucrat 2: Oh, good.Bureaucrat 1: But they didn't pay a fee to be on our arbitrary list.Bureaucrat 2: What? Arrest them and throw them in prison! You can't go around working without first giving us our cut!— Jeremy Cady (@jeremycady) October 9, 2022
Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Photo via cityofstpete/FlickrFlorida Craft Art—a mile-and-a-half down the road from 2D Café at 501 Central Ave.—is a local treasure for several reasons. First, it showcases and sells crafts made by Florida artists. Second, many of the crafts at Florida CraftArt are highly affordable. So buy a homemade souvenir to remind yourself how close you live to this amazing art city. Credit: Photo by cityofstpete/Flickr
Photo via winterparkfla/Facebook Get a good sleep after your day in St. Pete, because the next top on your Central Florida Artcation is Winter Park Another amazing art city is just 130 miles east, and makes for a great spot to enjoy the local scenery with a cup of coffee and a collection of Tiffany art. More than just parks, the Orlando neighborhood of Winter Park hosts the largest collection of Tiffany art, the original Barnie’s Coffee, multiple James Beard nominees, and a lot of sculptures.
Photo via barniescoffeeandtea/Facebook Start your day with delicious, locally-made coffee. Get it at Barnie’s flagship café—located at 118 S Park Ave. in Winter Park—before heading to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art to see the world’s most extensive collection of Tiffany art.
Photo via morsemuseum/FacebookThink beyond stained glass windows, lamps, and jewelry. The Morse—located at 445 N. Park Ave. in Winter Park—includes rare pottery, blown-glass vessels, the Byzantine-Romanesque chapel interior that Tiffany designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the Daffodil Terrace that connected the dining room and the gardens at Tiffany’s Long Island estate. Admission is $6 for adults, with more information available via morsemuseum.org.
Photo via rollinsmuseum/FacebookGet your Rollins on next. And since you probably won’t be touching the work at the Tiffany exhibition, Rollins Museum of Art gives you a chance to get in touch with, and explore, our human connections to people and places in three summer exhibitions.
Photo via rollinsmuseum/Facebook“Together Again” features artwork from the permanent collection that celebrates local and global connections post-pandemic.(pictured: Image: Allen Fireall (American, 1954 – 2014) Mother Daughter Day, n.d., Acrylic on canvas, 26 ¼ in by 29 ¼ in., Gift of Fred W. Hicks III. 2016.19.6 © Allen Fireall ) In “Mediated Terrain: Perspectives of a Reenvisioned Landscape,” Native American artist Kay WalkingStick explores the connections between humans and their environment. Multimedia artist Eugene Ofori Agyei explores the idea of home, belonging, and identity in “Where is Home? Home is Where I belong.” The exhibitions are up until Aug. 27, and admission to the Rollins Muse rollins.edu/rma.
Photo via polasekmuseum/Facebook And if you need to go home, enjoy the local scenery at the Albin Polasek Museum Sculpture Gardens. Tour Czech American sculptor Albin Polasek’s home, galleries, and sculpture gardens on Lake Osceola. Through Aug. 20, you can also see the artwork of American sculptor George Nock who passed from COVID-related illness in 2020. Admission to the Albin Polasek Museum Sculpture Garden—located at 633 Osceola Ave. in Winter Park—is just $12, with more information available via polasek.org.
You can’t leave a town called Winter Park before visiting one of its more than 70 parks. But how does one choose from so many options? Start with the “crown jewel”—the 11-acre Central Park—located at 251 S Park Ave.—known for its fountains and rose garden, in the middle of downtown Winter Park. It’s the home of many public events, including concerts from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (pictured above). Credit: Photo via orlandophilorch/Facebook
Photo via visitbaldwinpark/FacebookThen enjoy the sandy beach (no swimming) at the 23.16-acre Lake Baldwin Park, the city’s most dog-friendly park, located at 2000 S Lakemont Ave.
Photo via MeadBotanicalGarden/Facebook The 47.6-acre Mead Botanical Garden—located at 1300 S Denning Dr.—is worth a visit for its wealth of Central Florida flora and fauna.More information on the garden is available via meaddgarden.org.
Photo via Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour/FacebookAlternatively, thanks to a chain of lakes, you can enjoy Winter Park’s scenery by water. One of Orlando’s best kept secrets, The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour looks to be the most popular option for doing this, with over 1,000 excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. But you also have the option to take a guided kayak trip through Get Up And Go Kayaking.

Non-Florida authors

These are some of the best and most talked about new books I read in 2024.
When the Moon Hatched By Sarah A. Parker’ A sweeping, romantic high fantasy with a deeply immersive, dragon-filled world and intricate magic system. With so much heartbreak and hope, there’s no wonder When the Moon Hatched is a darling of the romantasy genre this year.
’House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas’ Every new Sarah J. Maas book is the must-read of the season, and the hype for HOFAS reached a fever pitch with midnight release parties around the country. The book turned out to be an intense and dizzying conclusion to the Crescent City trilogy.
’The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Dr. Chris Kempshall’ Ever wanted to read a Star Wars history textbook? Well, this one charts the events of the Skywalker Saga, delving into the politics and government actions that led to the rise of the fascistic Galactic Empire. Fiction, but eerily parallels some of our own political and cultural issues.
’A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon’ Not Star Wars, but Star Wars inspired with dragons and a unique magic system set in a fantastical, Philippines-inspired world. A Monsoon Rising is the second book in The Hurricane Wars trilogy of high fantasy with simmering romance.
Special mention: ‘Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive’ Love for Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books hit an all-time high this year thanks to his newest book, the fifth in the Stormlight Archive series. He’s my most-read author for 2024, and his books have literally altered my brain chemistry. Journey before destination.
Photo via PratoWP/Facebook
Photo via Asolo Repertory Theatre Next on the Central Florida Artcation is a trip back to the Gulf for some southern exposure in Sarasota Explore nature and the circus arts in Sarasota where you can indulge their inner child with circus art and pie. In Sarasota County, circus art and a trip to the historic Asolo Repertory Theater are a must. And thanks to a partnership between The Ringling and the Circus Arts Conservatory, you can see circus art at Asolo Rep this summer. Summer Circus Spectacular brings circus artists from around the world to Sarasota’s Asolo Repertory Theatre—located at 5555 N. Tamiami Trail—through Aug. 12. Admission is just $13-$20 (with kids under 12 free), but you can tack on a visit to The Ringling’s Circus Museum for $5. More information is at circusarts.org. Credit: via Asolo Repertory Theatre
Photo via visitsarasota/Facebook Step out from the big top after that, and go beyond the circus, with a visit to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, located at 5401 Bay Shore Rd. in Sarasota. There you’ll find Lorna Bieber’s “Natural World” (through Oct. 15), contemporary Seminole art (through Sept. 4), and “Art Deco Lacquer and Textiles from Japan” (through Oct. 22). It’s $25 to get in, and adult museum admission includes entry to the Museum of Art, Circus Museum, plus Bayfront Gardens. More information is at ringling.org.
Photo via Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Press Room Touch even more grass with a dive into nature at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Located at 1534 Mound St. in Sarasota, Selby Gardens offers plenty of opportunities to stop and smell the flowers if you feel like braving the summer heat and getting outdoors. Through Sept. 17, the Downtown Sarasota campus showcases work from Sarasota designer and illustrator John Pirman outdoors and in the Museum of Botany & the Arts galleries. Admission is $26 for adults, and more information is at selby.org.
Photo via Marie Selby Botanical Gardens/YouTube (Screengrab by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay) There’s even something for the doom scrollers in Sarasota. Now you don’t even have to get off the phone in nature, thanks to the Historic Spanish Point campus which invites visitors to experience art in the gardens via augmented reality. Download the app via selby.org, then stroll through the gardens with your cell phone, and watch the art pop up. The “Seeing The Invisible” augmented reality experience at 401 N Tamiami Trail in Osprey runs through the summer and is $18 for adults.
Photo by Shockblaster, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons And if you didn’t melt at Selby, consider a trip to see the gators at Myakka River State Park (13208 SR-72, Sarasota) or wait for the sun to go down and take an illuminated night tour of Sarasota’s waterways in a glass bottom kayak.
Photo by Heidi Kurpiela And don’t forget to bring something sweet home. Before you hop back on the road to leave Sarasota, make a pit stop to grab a pie at Yoder’s Restaurant (3434 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota), named one of Florida’s 11 most iconic restaurants by Trips to Discover. Credit: Heidi Kurpiela

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Jen began her storytelling journey in 2017, writing and taking photographs for Creative Loafing Tampa. Since then, she’s told the story of art in Tampa Bay through more than 200 art reviews, artist profiles,...