The Dalí Museum

"In St. Petersburg, Florida there's a museum that will certainly cause you to double-take. The Dali Museum houses a treasure trove of works from the artist's prolific career. Much of the collection includes works collected by Reynolds and Eleanor Morse. The Morses' became enamoured with Dali's works when they saw one of his traveling exhibits in 1942 at the The Cleveland Museum of Art. They bought their first Dali painting in 1943. It was "Daddy Longlegs of the Evening, Hope!" That same year they met Dali and his wife and became lifelong friends. The museum itself opened in 2011 and reflects the artist in every way possible. From the many galleries dedicated to to his works to the design of the building and its the interior. Over 1,000 glass triangles create an undulating geodesic wave that wraps around the thick and imposing concrete walls. The $36 million dollar museum was designed by Yann Weymouth, who was also instrumental in helping design the glass pyramid at The Louvre. There are several small salons along the outer walls, and natural light pours into them from skylights.  According to The Dali Museum: "The new building combines the rational with the fantastical: a simple rectangle with 18-inch thick hurricane-proof walls out of which erupts a large free-form geodesic glass bubble known as the “enigma”. The “enigma”, which is made up of 1,062 triangular pieces of glass, stands 75 feet at its tallest point, a twenty-first century homage to the dome that adorns Dali’s museum in Spain. Inside, the Dali houses another unique architectural feature – a helical staircase – recalling Dali’s obsession with spirals and the double helical shape of the DNA molecule." Outside there's a garden overlooking the waterfront. The Mathematical Garden invites visitors to "experience the relationship between math and nature." There's also a labyrinth to roam around and explore. There's also a sizeable museum store and a Spanish cafe." - Roadtrippers