There are plenty of jokes about how weird Florida is. But in the case of this world-class museum, the Sunshine State is downright surreal.
St. Petersburg, Florida’s Salvador Dalí Museum isn’t just a good museum. According to USA Today’s Readers’ Choice 2025, it’s one of the absolute best.
What is the Dalí Museum?
In February, the Dalí Museum was ranked as the seventh best museum in the United States, even beating out Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s iconic Andy Warhol Museum. From high-tech exhibitions to awe-inspiring paintings, the museum’s collection is somehow simultaneously traditional and cutting edge.
“A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, a Midwestern couple who forged a 40-year friendship with Dalí and had amassed an extensive collection of his work, were encouraged by the city to give their collection a permanent home in St. Petersburg,” said the rankings report. “The museum opened in 1982 and expanded into a striking new building in 2011, and it’s a perfect testament to Dalí‘s genius.”
What is there to do at the Dalí Museum?
With around 2,400 of Dalí‘s works on hand, the Dalí Museum has a bevy of iconic art pieces ranging from oil paintings to manuscripts. The museum has a cafe, gift shop and garden to check out too, but the exhibits are the big draws.
On display until May 4, “The Subversive Eye: Surrealist and Experimental Photography from the David Raymond Collection” features over 100 works from 50 artists — all inspired by Dalí‘s surrealist influence on photography. There’s also a surrealist exhibit of middle and high school student art that will be rotating different pieces throughout the year, all centered around the concepts of obsession, disintegration and reinvention. Outside of its more traditional exhibitions, the museum also offers high-tech experiences ranging from augmented reality to artificial intelligence.
The “dalí alive 360º” exhibit is a “multisensory art experience” that takes place in the Dalí Dome, where visitors can experience panoramic views of the artist’s most famous works. For a digital experience that fits in your hand, visitors will want to try out the museum’s augmented reality features.
Eight of Dalí‘s masterwork paintings featured in the museum’s permanent collection feature nearby QR codes that allow viewers to “watch as Dalí‘s art comes alive.”
Those interested in experiencing art through AI also have an option: the Dream Tapestry.
“The Dalí‘s Dream Tapestry taps into the phenomenon of dreams using DALL·E, a groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, to transform personal dreams into artistic visions,” according to the museum’s website. “We all have deeply personal dreams — unique and irrefutable. Yet they are transient, and until now, we could not instantly manifest those dreams into a tangible vision nor share their splendor.
“After entering a description of your dream on your mobile phone, your one-of-a-kind Dream Image will be created. It will then be connected with those of the previous Museum visitors to create a collective Dream Tapestry. The result is a dynamic, ever-evolving dream of humanity, presented by Dali Museum visitors.”
Eagle-eyed visitors will also notice something new as of April 11, something reminiscent to Dalí‘s iconic Lobster Phone. It’s no simple prop. By picking up the peculiar-looking phone, people can interact with an artificial intelligence designed to mimic the famous painter. Trained on his writings and archived audio, the AI mimics Dalí‘s personality, down to his sense of humor, so it can answer visitor questions in his liking.
Looking for something more visual? Dalí Lives uses artificial intelligence to create an interactive likeness of the artist for visitors to enjoy on screens throughout the museum, something the museum called an “uncanny resurrection of the mustached master” back in 2019.
The Salvador Dalí Museum also holds special events, including an immersive “Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon” showcase inside the Dalí Dome on April 17 for “360 degrees of sight, sound and sensation.” The same night, the museum will host “Surreal Nights at The Dalí.” Visitors will be able to enjoy signature cocktails at Cafe Gala while exploring the museum after hours to the tunes of a live DJ.
The museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Thursdays, it stays open an extra two hours (8 p.m.). Before seeing them in person, interested visitors can also check out some of Dalí‘s work at thedali.org/visit-virtually/.
How much are tickets to the Dalí Museum?
Gallery admission to the Dalí Museum grants access to exhibits, the gift shop and garden, as well as access to the museum’s art collection. Prices range from $12 for children over 6 to $32 for adults. Children under six years old get in for free. Entrance to “dalí alive 360º” costs an additional $15.
On-site parking is first-come, first-serve and costs $10. To purchase a ticket, visit thedali.org/visit/buy-tickets.
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