Free Admission for Many St. Pete and Pinellas County Museums on National Museum Day Sept 26

On September 26th, the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area will be celebrating National Museum Day by offering free admission on the Saturday.

More than 1200 venues across the country will be taking part in Smithsonian magazine’s 5th annual celebration, including several spanning from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg.

Here are some of the participating museums in Pinellas County:

• Salvador Dali Museum - The permanent home of the most comprehensive collection of this great Spanish artist's works. Dedicated solely to Dali, the museum's mission is to protect and preserve this unique collection, making it available for enjoyment and education. For more information: (727) 823-3767 or http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/

• Museum of Fine Arts – Showcases the only comprehensive art collection, extending from antiquity to the present, on the Florida west coast. It features 4,000 objects including works by Cezanne, Monet, Gauguin, Renoir and O’Keeffe. For more information: (727) 896-2667 or http://www.fine-arts.org/

• St. Petersburg Museum of History – Displays a permanent interactive exhibition of the chronology of St. Petersburg's history filled with artifacts, documents and photos. For more information: (727) 894-1052; http://www.spmoh.org/

• Florida International Museum at St. Petersburg College - The museum’s mission is to bring the world to the state of Florida through traveling exhibitions. It currently features a collection from the Gulf Coast Museum of Art.  For more information: (727) 341-7900; www.spcollege.edu/fimuseum

• Morean Arts Center - The oldest, largest, and most comprehensive visual arts organization in Pinellas County. It highlights 25-30 rotating contemporary art exhibitions each year with work by more than 2,900 artists of all abilities and backgrounds. A planned expansion will house the collection of internationally-renowned glassblower, Dale Chihuly, as well as a glassblowing hotshop and stadium-seating for viewing. For more information: (727) 822-7872 or http://www.moreanartscenter.org

• Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art - The Tarpon Springs museum's 20th century collection is made up of art from Abraham Rattner's estate donated by Allen and Isabelle Leepa and a large donation made by the Tampa Museum of Art in 1997. It is filled with Rattner's retrospective works: lithographs, tapestries, sculptures, paintings and stained glass. For more information: (727) 712-5762 or http://www.spcollege.edu/central/museum

• Great Explorations Children’s Museum - A “hands on” museum where kids touch, move and interact with exhibits that both educate and entertain. For more information: (727) 821-8992 or http://www.greatexplorations.org/

• St. Pete Pier Aquarium - An intimate 2,000 sq. ft. aquarium and marine education center established in 1988. They have a Fresh Fish Theater with live creatures from Tampa Bay and around the world and daily feedings from 1-4 pm. For more information: (727) 895-7437 or http://www.pieraquarium.org/

A Smithsonian admission card or a valid local ID may be needed to gain entry into some museums. For more information or to download an admission card, visit here: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday

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