The arts are pretty much unique to the human experience. Birds sing, but that’s their way of talking to each other. Some elephants and chimpanzees have been taught to wield a paintbrush, but that’s not their natural behavior. We humans appear to be the only creatures who intentionally create “non-essential” sounds and sights, who rearrange our environment to be more aesthetically pleasing, and who appreciate others peoples’ efforts to do so.
We do a lot of creating and appreciating others’ creations in the Tampa Bay area.
The State of Florida, both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and all three major Tampa Bay area cities incorporate art into public projects through public arts funding commitments. We’ve already noted the art that abounds at Tampa International Airport.
But also check out the mural atop the fire station on Main Street in downtown Safety Harbor, just northeast of Clearwater. And you can’t miss the “Security Lizard” atop the City of St. Petersburg’s Fleet Maintenance Building—this 30-foot-long steel lizard zapping a hapless steel fly can be enjoyed from I–375!
We’re home to the Florida Orchestra and the Tampa Bay Master Chorale. We have world-class art museums and artists who make their homes here. We have all sorts of smaller artsy districts tucked away in various neighborhoods in both counties. We have not one, but three world-class performing arts centers that attract touring Broadway shows and internationally recognized performers.
Our commitment to the arts begins in our local communities, many of which have fine arts centers offering classes in everything from sculpting to singing. Many of these art centers also have performance venues that host smaller-stage professional acts and community theater productions.
We teach our children to create and to appreciate others’ creations. From the Pinellas Youth Symphony to the Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus to the art and theater summer camps hosted by local artists, we give young creators a foundation on which to build. Look also in the Education chapter for information about our public school fine arts magnet programs: Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg, Leadership Conservatory for the Arts in Tarpon Springs, and Blake High School for the Arts in Tampa.
In this chapter we’ll point out some of our better known art spots as well as some of the hidden gems. We’ll also give you a calendar listing art events, and we’ll introduce you to performance venues, arts organizations, and places to express your own creativity.
We’ve organized this chapter in alphabetical order by discipline: Art Museums, Galleries, and Fine Art Centers; Ceramics, Clay, and Glass; Dance; Film; Literary Arts; Music; and Theater. Please understand, however, that we could write a whole book just about the art scene here. Think of this chapter as hors d’oeuvres. You’re on your own for dinner.
Bon appétit!
Before there was a Tampa, there was a U.S. Army outpost, Fort Brooke. And just outside the gates of Fort Brooke, William Saunders built a place to shop—a small general store, the first on Florida’s lower west coast.
Shopping in the Tampa Bay area has come a long way since Saunders’s store, which sold basic necessities to Army families and settlers. From the high-end stores in International Plaza near Tampa International Airport to the bargains at the Big Top Flea Market in Tampa, you’ll find a wide selection of shopping experiences.
Plus, we have some really great specialty shops like the Bill Jackson Shop for Adventure in Pinellas Park, where you can test drive a pair of skis, or Haslam’s in St. Petersburg, Florida’s largest new-and-used bookstore. And the architecture and décor of the Sam Ashe Music Store in Clearwater is a treat in itself.
Beach area shops, in places like John’s Pass Village in Madeira Beach and the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, sell tropical everything and bikinis and sarongs year round.
So whether it’s a middle of July sun-scorching day outside and you just want to cool off by watching the ice skaters at the Westfield Countryside Shopping Center in Clearwater, or it’s a balmy December day and you want to ship Plant City oranges to your poor freezing friends up north, come along.
Let’s go shopping!
We’ve arranged this chapter by type of shopping activity: Malls and Shopping Areas, Antiques Stores, Bookstores, Children’s Stores, Classic Cars, Citrus, Flea Markets, Furniture, Music, Specialty Foods, and Sports and Outdoors. Within each category, the stores are arranged alphabetically.