The Dunedin Fine Art Center

When you’re on vacation, you’re always on the hunt for something interesting and fun to do.  Of course, after paying for airfare, car rental, lodging, and food, you know you should choose your activities with care, or you may feel chest pains when you arrive home and open your credit card bill.  We don’t always visit art museums, as admission prices often seem rather steep, and we never know how we’ll interact with the art.  But some art museums charge little or nothing, and it’s often those that we enjoy the most.

While staying in St. Pete Beach, we noticed the Dunedin Fine Art Center in our guidebook.  The website looked promising, and at the very least, we figured we’d get to see another part of Florida.  The day we visited, the morning sped past as we explored the exhibits.  They offered something for every age group and interest, including (at the time) a special focus on Science Fiction and Fantasy art.  They also allowed us to photograph their art, so that the artists' works could continue to inspire us long after we returned home.

One child's contribution.

When we approached the helpful staff, one volunteer enthused over all the possibilities her city offered visitors.  But I thought the Fine Art Center was the highlight of our trip to Dunedin.  The facility boasts impressive exhibits, seems to generate substantial community involvement, and offers a range of classes for all age groups and interests.  In an age when subjects like art fall victim to the budgetary knife, such places fulfill an important societal role.

Like I said, substantial community involvement.

There's also a nice reading area, where you can read up on all kinds of art, and gaze up at the Science Fiction and Fantasy toys resting atop the bookcases.  Or you can go read at a table in the cafe, although the aromas wafting from the kitchen may tempt you cruelly.

Come on, can you really say "No" to this guy?

If you live in the Dunedin area, you should visit them, and consider what role the facility could play in your family's life.  If you are vacationing nearby, why not pay them a visit?  It’s an attraction I can recommend wholeheartedly, and doing elicits no chest pains whatsoever.

The life your visit inspires, and benefits, could be your own.

Dragon Dave

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The Dunedin Fine Art Center