Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center

Chihuly glass, plus the furnace that makes it

⏱ 1-1.5 hours👤 All ages$$

Chihuly began working in glass in the 1960s and became the most famous figure in the American studio glass movement, known for large-scale, team-made works that treat glass as color and light rather than as vessels. St. Petersburg's relationship with him dates to the collection's opening in 2010; it later moved into the current dedicated building on Central Avenue, billed as the first installation of Chihuly art in a building designed specifically for it. A 20-foot sculpture made for the site marks the entrance, and the Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier was created for this collection; other rooms are given to series such as the Macchia, Ikebana, Niijima Floats and Persians, each in a space designed around it. Many visitors find the darkened rooms and spotlighting make the work more striking than the same series in a conventional museum.

Visit craft: book a time online, see the galleries first, then walk a block to the Morean Glass Studio at 714 First Avenue North for the next scheduled demonstration (check the studio schedule, since times vary). Watching the gaffers work the furnace makes the galleries make more sense, so if the timing allows, it can also work in reverse. Photography is generally welcome for personal use. The shop sells Chihuly books and the artist's signed, hand-blown annual Studio Editions as well as work by local glass artists. If you are a glass enthusiast, pair it with Imagine Museum on the same day for the wider story of studio glass, and look across Central Avenue at the Morean Arts Center itself, which runs the collection.

Practicals and fit: 720 Central Ave., downtown St. Petersburg; open daily, with afternoon-only hours on Sundays, early closing on some holidays and closures on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Children 5 and under enter free, there are senior, military and student rates, and Museums for All pricing for EBT and WIC cardholders. Use street parking or the nearby Publix garage. Allow about ninety minutes including the demonstration. Honest drawback: it is compact, so the price feels steep if you skip the demonstration. Fit: couples, families, art lovers and anyone spending an afternoon downtown before sunset at the Pier.