Nature’s palette is on beautiful display in Central West Florida, from award-winning beaches to huge expanses of woods and wetlands.
But culture kicks in its share of visual delights here; and in fact, the area comprising Tampa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Sarasota is one of the state’s most culturally minded enclaves, encompassing both masterworks by Salvador Dali and a jaw-dropping miniature circus.
Your group can take it all in by private tour, but why not take it a step further and make a day or evening of it? The major museums in Central West Florida welcome private events, are convenient to local hotels and convention centers, and have the added bonus of artful decor built right in.
“Sarasota offers cultural sites for off-property soirees and events; we’re known as ‘Florida’s Cultural Coast,’” notes Shelby Connett, meetings and group manager for Visit Sarasota County. “[Among the] cultural gems ripe for off-site parties are Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Sarasota Opera House.”
Sarasota also is home to the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, one of many inspired settings for gatherings in Central West Florida.
Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota
Housing priceless works of art from the 16th century onward as well as the new Center for Asian Art, Sarasota’s John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is part of a 66-acre estate that includes formal gardens and a bayside mansion that was bequeathed to the state in 1936 by circus impresario John Ringling, whose Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus wintered in Sarasota. The museum also includes formal gardens and Cà d’Zan, the bayside mansion where Ringling and his wife Mable lived.
Private events are held in the Museum of Art Courtyard, surrounded by magnificent statuary; at the Cà d’Zan terrace and Bayfront Promenade; and at the Circus Museum, where groups can self-tour the 44,000-piece Howard Bros. Circus Model.
“We offer clients the ability to give their guests the ‘wow’ factor that is often hard to do in a hotel ballroom,” says Stevie Ramsey, The Ringling’s public functions coordinator. “Each venue’s architecture and history is so unique and spectacular that guests feel like they have been transported to a different country or even a different era.”
Tampa Museum of Art
Set directly on Tampa’s downtown Riverwalk—a two-mile promenade fronting the Hillsborough River that winds past hotels, attractions and the Tampa Convention Center—the Tampa Museum of Art enjoys perfect proximity to the city’s convention hub.
“The Riverwalk has completely transformed the city and has helped elevate Tampa as a ‘walking’ city,” says Ann Frechette, director of hospitality for Mise En Place, the museum’s caterer and event planner. “A lot of groups also will transport their guests via water taxi to the museum.”
Museum spaces for corporate events and meetings include a variety of private rooms, the lobby atrium with an adjacent lecture hall, and a covered terrace overlooking a park, the river and the iconic minarets of the University of Tampa.
“The museum is a stunning venue in and of itself,” Frechette says. “Within the past year or so, more and more art has been added to the public spaces.”
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University of Tampa
Across the river from the Tampa Museum of Art, the University of Tampa offers a number of rentable venues, including Plant Hall, which started life as the Tampa Bay Hotel in 1891 and now houses three ballrooms, each with domed ceilings created by the building’s distinctive minarets. Largest of the three is the 6,400-square-foot Fletcher Lounge, accommodating 500 for cocktails and 230 for sit-down dining and featuring its own small kitchen and restrooms.
Other areas include the open-air East Verandah overlooking the river and Plant Park, whose eight acres also are available for private events.
Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg
Across Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg is home to such notable cultural hot spots as the Morean Arts Center, which features multiple venues offering different group experiences.
The Arts Center itself hosts rotating exhibits and is available to groups after-hours, with classroom spaces handling small to large meetings. For something a bit more hands-on, Morean’s Glass Studio & Hot Shop offers daily glassblowing demonstrations and extends that to private events at night, when groups gather, cocktails in hand, to watch molten glass transform into works of art.
“If we have a corporate group come in, the artist will blow a piece in the color of their logo and the group can take it with them,” notes Marketing Manager Sarah Knott Aldrich.
Speaking of glass, the Morean Center includes the Chihuly Collection, with works by renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly housed in a 10,000-square-foot setting that can hold up to 150 for private events. In August, the entire collection will move to a larger location across the street, and for groups that will mean additional garden space, a catering kitchen and a 40-seat theater.
Meanwhile, a mile away from the main building in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District, the Morean Center for Clay features gallery space, artists’ studios and room for up to 175 seated.
“Here is where groups can get really hands-on with art projects,” says Knott Aldrich. “They can come in, BYOB, and work with clay. We can do hands-on for upwards of 50 people there.”
The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg
Set in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg and housed in a stunning building that drew international attention when it opened, the Dali Museum includes a vast collection of works by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali, with 2,000 pieces encompassing 100 oil paintings, 100 water colors and drawings, and 1,300 prints, photographs, sculptures and objects d’art.
For special events, groups have access to the Dali’s Avant-garden overlooking the downtown waterfront; the third-floor Atrium and Dyer Family Bay Vista; the Raymond James Community Room; and the spectacular Helical Staircase for group photos and selfies.
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Venue variety continues at St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts, where rental spaces include a two-story glass conservatory with an adjacent terrace offering bay views. Also available for groups are the Sculpture Garden and Spanish-style Membership Garden.
Highlights of the museum, which debuted in 1965, include a Steuben glass gallery as well as its permanent collection, including works by Renoir, Cezanne and Monet.
South Florida Museum, Bradenton
The South Florida Museum in Bradenton, north of Sarasota, touts itself as the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. An Environmental Wing focuses on Florida’s ecology and biodiversity, including Pine Uplands, Estuary and Riverine exhibits. Also on-site are the Bishop Planetarium and Parker Manatee Aquarium.
Group venue options include a Spanish Plaza with period details such as ornate wrought-iron gates, picturesque columns and an eye-catching fountain complete with a statue of Hernando de Soto.
