Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
SALVADOR DALÍ MUSEUM
www.thedali.org
; 1 Dali Blvd; adult/child 6-12yr $21/7, after 5pm Thu $10; 10am-5:30pm Mon-Sat,
to 8pm Thu, noon-5:30pm Sun) augurs great things: out of a wound in the towering white
shoebox oozes the 75ft geodesic atrium Glass Enigma. Even better, what unfolds inside is
like a blueprint of what a modern art museum should be, or at least, one devoted to un-
derstanding the life, art and impact of a single revolutionary artist. Salvador Dalí is often
trivialized as a foppish visual trickster, but he was a passionate, daring intellectual and a
true 20th-century visionary. Even those who dismiss his dripping clocks and curlicue
mustache are swept away by this museum and grand works such as the Hallucinogenic
Toreador.
The Dalí Museum's 20,000 sq ft of gallery space is designed specifically to display all
96 oil paintings in the collection, along with 'key works from every moment and in every
medium': drawings, prints, sculptures, photos, manuscripts, even movies. Everything is
arranged chronologically and explained in context. You get photographer Philippe Hals-
man's famous portraits (such as Dalí Atomicus), and the sublimely absurd and still
shocking 1929 film Un Chien Andalou.The museum is so sharp it includes a 'contempla-
tion area' with nothing but white walls and a window. The garden is also a great breather;
it's small but, like everything, shot through with cleverness. The only disappointments:
the kid-focused 'DillyDally with Dalí' activity room and the introductory film both feel per-
functory.
Excellent, free docent tours occur hourly (on the half hour); these are highly recom-
mended to help crack open the rich symbolism in Dalí's monumental works. Audioguides
are also free, but get snapped up fast. To top everything off, there's a Spanish cafe and a
first rate gift store. Up to 3000 people have been known to visit in a day, so get here early
or suffer waits for everything.
Activities
Weedon Island Preserve
HIKING, KAYAKING
(
727-453-6500;
www.weedonislandpreserve.org
;
1800 Weedon Dr NE;
7am-sunset)
