Exhibits spanning 4,000 years, including African art, European paintings & American photography.
At a glance
#5 of 10 Tourist attractions in St. Petersburg #1 of 3 Museums in St. PetersburgLocalGuideWorld score: 4.70
Rating breakdown
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5 ★75%
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4 ★18%
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3 ★4%
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2 ★1%
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1 ★1%
What reviewers talk about
Share of 16 recent reviews that mention each topic.
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Price & value25%
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Waiting & crowds19%
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Atmosphere13%
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View6%
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Location6%
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Service & staff6%
Quick facts
- What is the rating of Museum of Fine Arts?
- Museum of Fine Arts is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 4,204 reviews.
- How does Museum of Fine Arts rank in St. Petersburg?
- Museum of Fine Arts is #5 of 10 Tourist attractions in St. Petersburg by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
- Where is Museum of Fine Arts located?
- 255 Beach Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 — 1.2 km from the center of St. Petersburg.
- What do visitors mention most about Museum of Fine Arts?
- Most often: price & value, waiting & crowds, atmosphere (from 16 recent reviews).
- How can I contact Museum of Fine Arts?
- Phone: (727) 896-2667 · Website: mfastpete.org
A foundation of fine arts in the Tampa Bay area since 1965, the museum displays art, paintings, fiber arts, and sculpture from different parts of the world through various eras, like the Baroque times. The small outdoor sculpture park offers a few creations in a shaded, relaxed ambiance.
Special exhibits include a huge amazing Audubon section. The Ansel Adams exhibit displays his photographic works in an area with sofas and Adams's books to complement the displayed photos.
The Papua New Guinea exhibit is small but impactful!
The small room of African artifacts groups African countries into one room, lacking distinction for the diversity of the continent.
Find info on the website in the Accessibility section on requesting an American Sign Language interpreter in advance, and for those with colorblindness, access to a color enhancement tool. Sensory Saturdays once a month are scheduled once a month and there are teen art workshops, and Home schooling programs
The events calendar offers film screenings and talks, Art after Dark on Thursday with reduced admissions, and special presentations.
In the lobby, and without need for paid admission, Café Clementine offers several coffee concoctions and huge pastries. Explore the MFA store without a paid admission to purchase tasteful gifts and treasures.
The Museum has incorporated an accessible entrance ramp to the entrance that maintains the historic architecture.
Mens and women's Wheel chair access restrooms have 2 grab bars.
The entire museum is wheel chair accessible with 2 sets of automatic doors.
Look for some Wheel chair access parking on the side of museum, with street pay by app parking. Parking and traffic are often challenging during St Pete Pier and Downtown St Pete night life, events, and seafood and other festivals.
Special exhibits include a huge amazing Audubon section. The Ansel Adams exhibit displays his photographic works in an area with sofas and Adams's books to complement the displayed photos.
The Papua New Guinea exhibit is small but impactful!
The small room of African artifacts groups African countries into one room, lacking distinction for the diversity of the continent.
Find info on the website in the Accessibility section on requesting an American Sign Language interpreter in advance, and for those with colorblindness, access to a color enhancement tool. Sensory Saturdays once a month are scheduled once a month and there are teen art workshops, and Home schooling programs
The events calendar offers film screenings and talks, Art after Dark on Thursday with reduced admissions, and special presentations.
In the lobby, and without need for paid admission, Café Clementine offers several coffee concoctions and huge pastries. Explore the MFA store without a paid admission to purchase tasteful gifts and treasures.
The Museum has incorporated an accessible entrance ramp to the entrance that maintains the historic architecture.
Mens and women's Wheel chair access restrooms have 2 grab bars.
The entire museum is wheel chair accessible with 2 sets of automatic doors.
Look for some Wheel chair access parking on the side of museum, with street pay by app parking. Parking and traffic are often challenging during St Pete Pier and Downtown St Pete night life, events, and seafood and other festivals.
Dont miss the special exhibits featuring Audubon bird lithographs and history, and Ansel Adams nature and Yosemite photography. Main galleries showcase interesting assortment of artwork as well. Plus the park next door and nearby Pier are decorated for the holidays right now.
We were very pleased with our visit to MFA, and we have to go back now because we weren't able to experience it all in one visit! The moment we arrived, there was no wait to enter, and we were warmly greeted by The Marvelous Marcy who provided us with an abundance of information about the museum and was truly a delight to speak with. In all honesty, my fiancé wanted to be friends with Marcy, she was so cool!
Entering the museum was breathtaking, from the regal decor to the remarkable masterpieces on the wall and dreamy courtyards outside, it was all incredibly aesthetically pleasing. The museum is chock-full of ancient art and culture, with descriptive educational information available regarding the roots of art history that was fascinating. There was even a room with live wood preservation taking place that I found so intriguing. In addition, the museum also has some local artists on display throughout the musuem as well that were very interesting, mixed in with the older art, paying homage to artists of all eras up until modern day. Needless to say, we were very fascinated and in awe around every turn.
As far as parking goes, expect to pay (however we paid the meter parking and that may be a cheaper option than paying to park in the museum spots) to visit. Another option is to find street parking further away and walk, which would then be free.
The food at the Cafe was delicious, we got a couple of sweet treats for a mid day pick me up and were very pleased with them. There were huge bean bags for the kids to play with while enjoying some food.
The museum has ADA accessibility, there is definitely a ramp on the cafe side. ♿️
10/10 highly recommend!
Entering the museum was breathtaking, from the regal decor to the remarkable masterpieces on the wall and dreamy courtyards outside, it was all incredibly aesthetically pleasing. The museum is chock-full of ancient art and culture, with descriptive educational information available regarding the roots of art history that was fascinating. There was even a room with live wood preservation taking place that I found so intriguing. In addition, the museum also has some local artists on display throughout the musuem as well that were very interesting, mixed in with the older art, paying homage to artists of all eras up until modern day. Needless to say, we were very fascinated and in awe around every turn.
As far as parking goes, expect to pay (however we paid the meter parking and that may be a cheaper option than paying to park in the museum spots) to visit. Another option is to find street parking further away and walk, which would then be free.
The food at the Cafe was delicious, we got a couple of sweet treats for a mid day pick me up and were very pleased with them. There were huge bean bags for the kids to play with while enjoying some food.
The museum has ADA accessibility, there is definitely a ramp on the cafe side. ♿️
10/10 highly recommend!
Definitely another gem of a museum here in St Pete! The art is beautifully displayed, and done in chronological order so it makes it nice if you're going with kids so they can see the progression. Very ancient pieces that were fascinating! Pieces that are 4,000 years old! They have meter parking or a small parking lot attached to their building that's $10 for the whole day. Nice if you're going to go walk around at the pier or downtown.
Absolutely love my hometown museum! A comprehensive mix of early historic artifacts to contemporary shows on rotation. The docents and curators here are phenomenal and have a firm grip on their individual subjects. It's not a huge museum but very easy to go through and view different secrion an a few days and discover new works all the time.
For Florida, it was better than I expected, some really nice pieces. Overall, the entrance fee seems a bit high, and then they ask you for more money at the same time as a “donation,” seems tacky. I’ll probably never go back, but it was a nice experience in St. Pete.
Really cool event venue for Transtastic. Love exploring the exhibits too. I do wish that vendors were allowed to sell during events, but otherwise I had a wonderful time at multiple events over the years.
This is a little gem on the St Petersburg waterfront for those who like museums. It’s a small museum but we spent the whole day. It has a wonderful little collection representing every period and place. There is a free docent tour. Don’t miss that! If you find it too hot outside, be sure to visit!
It wasn't busy at all on a Saturday in November 2023. I loved the water/ocean exhibit that is there until April(if I remember correctly). Such a variety of old school art and mediums to scope out! Parked at a parking garage and then went to eat at a place an employee recommended that was walking distance from the museum. Great place to go for soaking in art, enjoying being close to the water, and having a nice meal nearby.
I visit this museum at least once a year.
In October, we attended an exhibition dedicated to works of organic watercolor. The announcement suggested exploring paintings and drawings from the MFA's permanent collection using water-based media like ink, gouache, and watercolor. To our surprise, one of the first exhibits was a painting done with acrylics.
The exhibition space was limited, and the composition of the works seemed poorly thought out. Thankfully, the ticket included access to the regular exhibition. There, we enjoyed the culture and exhibits from the Renaissance era and earlier periods.
Overall, I love this museum and will continue to visit.
In October, we attended an exhibition dedicated to works of organic watercolor. The announcement suggested exploring paintings and drawings from the MFA's permanent collection using water-based media like ink, gouache, and watercolor. To our surprise, one of the first exhibits was a painting done with acrylics.
The exhibition space was limited, and the composition of the works seemed poorly thought out. Thankfully, the ticket included access to the regular exhibition. There, we enjoyed the culture and exhibits from the Renaissance era and earlier periods.
Overall, I love this museum and will continue to visit.
What a fantastic museum! It offers so many works of art from different genres and time periods, from ancient to modern. The pieces are arranged in a logical way and the sections of the museum flow well.
It was nice, the museum had art from ancient to modern. They have a little cafe inside too (all the exhibits are grouped together on the first floor). The sculpture garden and the membership garden were closed for a wedding rehearsal, so sadly I wasn't able to see them.
It was okay. I feel like museums are always to be a bit on the chilly side. In fact, I embrace that as a museum feel; however, that wasn't the experience here. I sort of felt bad for the art in that manner. I always enjoy a little baroque, so that was nice. Quick! But nice. It's worth going once. Once 😉
Very good small museum with an eclectic collection. Some Tiffany, Sukhothai statues, a great painting by Fletcher Martin with a referee holding up Jersey Joe Walcott, Monet, O’Keeffe, Rodin, and a large collection of African art. Nice outdoor cafe with gardens and statues.
Definitely worth a couple of hours.
Definitely worth a couple of hours.
Wow wow wow!!! This museum is breathtaking. They have such range in exhibits. They have some modern pieces, sculpture, and so much ancient art! They have ancient art from a diverse group of places, if you are into archaeology I highly recommend this museum. There’s so much culture and religion discussed with the ancient art, it is so cool to learn about. You will be in awe of the things they have and the history they hold as well as the skills required to make the art! You will also need a map because it is big inside. Go as soon as you can, it was an unforgettable experience. Staff was great. It was no wait to get in. Museum maps right there for you before you walk in. It was $80 for 3 adults and 1 college student though :\
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