THE GREEN BENCHES ARE GONE! Instead, the downtown area is dotted with world-class museums, multi-cultural cafes, elegant restaurants, and “hot night spots.” For the second year in a row, AmericanStyle Magazine readers have chosen St Petersburg as the #1 top arts destination among mid-sized American cities, so let’s look at our major museums.

The new Salvadore Dali Museum building itself is a work of art, with a geodesic glass structure outside and a helical staircase inside as its architectural focus. Michelin Guide has ranked the Dali as the top museum in the American South. AOL Travel News calls it “one of the top buildings you must see before you die.” Housing the world's most comprehensive collection of the renowned Spanish artist's work, the Dali has a permanent collection of 96 oil paintings spanning the years from 1917 to 1970. This collection provides an excellent overview of Dalí's major themes and symbols:  Impressionist and Cubist styles from his early period, abstract work from his transition to Surrealism, the Surrealist canvases for which he is best known, and examples of his preoccupation with religion and science during his Classic period. The collection also includes 100+ watercolors and drawings; 1300 graphics, photographs, sculptures, and objects d'art; and an extensive archival library. The museum is located just north of Albert Whitted Airport on One Dali Avenue. Visit thedali.org for additional information and discount coupons. (Note: Information is from the brochure “The New Dali Museum.”)

The Morean Art Center’s Chihuly Collection, located at 400 Beach Drive NE, is a stunning permanent collection of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly’s unique artwork, displayed in a magnificent 10,000 square foot setting designed by award-winning architect Alberto Alfonso. Starting with the Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier, created specifically for the Collection to the Persian Sunset Wall, you will be awed by works that have thrilled audiences around the globe. Visit www.chihulycollectionstpete.com for additional information.

The Morean Art Center’s Glass Studio & Hot Shop, located at 719 Central Ave., provides live demonstrations of working artists creating magnificent blown-glass and hot-glass pieces before your eyes, along with a running commentary of the steps they are taking. You can even create your own blown-glass piece with instructions from one of the Morean instructors. Visit moreanartscenter.org to book your personal Hot Shop Experience.

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), located at 255 Beach Drive NE, opened in 1965 and added a new wing in 2008. Its collection has approximately 18,000 works from around the globe and across the centuries. Major French artists in the collection include Cezanne, Monet, Morisot, Gauguin, Renoir, and Rodin. Stellar American artists include Innes, Hassam, Bellows, O’Keeffe, and Andrew Wyeth. Also on view are ancient Greek and Roman, Asian, African, and Native American art. The MFA photography collection now numbers more than 14,000 images, making it one of the most expansive in the Southeast. The MFA Café, with both indoor and outdoor seating, makes a perfect lunch spot during your day of exploring the Beach Drive area. Visit fine-arts.org for additional information.  Discount tickets for the gift shop are available from Camilla Kilgroe.

Remember the dusty old history museum with the mummy and the two-headed calf? Well, the mummy and the calf are still there, but the St. Petersburg Museum of History is now a well-archived collection of storytelling artifacts that present the history of the Sunshine City. It is located at 335 Second Avenue NE, on the approach to the pier. Additional information can be found at www.spmoh.org.

Through history and art exhibits, the Florida Holocaust Museum, located at 55 Fifth Street S, honors the memory of millions who suffered or died during the Holocaust.  At the core of the Museum is a boxcar, in its original condition, used in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.  It serves as a reminder, and inspires visitors to learn from the past and be the upstanders of today. The museum’s website is www.flholocaustmuseum.org.