St. Pete repeats as top arts destination among mid-sized cities

Proving that last year’s ranking was no fluke, St. Petersburg again tops the AmericanStyle Magazine’s listing of the top 25 arts destinations. The magazine focuses on mid-sized cities. Tampa and Miami also made the list.

But St. Pete, riding high on the opening of the new Dali Museum and the success of the Chihuly Collection, remained on top. The rating focuses largely on visual arts.

Here’s what they said:

St. Petersburg is reveling in a monumental arts year that kicked off in January with the opening of the new $36 million Dali Museum. The building itself is a work of art, doubling the size of the original and dedicated to showcasing the art of Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali. The museum includes the Helical Staircase—a spiral ascending to the third floor galleries; Café Gala, named in honor of Dali’s wife; and the Avant-Garden, complete with misty grotto and hedge labyrinth. On view now is an installation of the Dali’s entire permanent collection of 96 paintings, plus drawings, photographs and prints. AmericanStyle reader and resident of St. Petersburg Steve Harris says, “The city has some great art exhibits, for a city its size. The new Chihuly Collection is fabulous, the St. Petersburg Art Museum has always been high quality but has greatly expanded, and I cannot wait to go to the new Dali Museum.”