Tampa Bay area museums offer free admission Saturday for Museum Day

Get some culture on the cheap this weekend. Museums and cultural venues throughout the Tampa Bay area are offering free general admission Saturday in honor of Museum Day. This is the fifth year for the promotion organized by the Smithsonian magazine, and more than 1,200 museums throughout the country are slated to participate. Some museums may require forms of ID with address to prove local residency. Others may ask for an "admission card" available at http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html. (If your favorite museum isn't listed, you should call to check whether it is participating.)

St. Petersburg

Florida International Museum at St. Petersburg College

244 Second Ave. N

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Features: Christopher Still will be featured at the Artist Talk at 11 a.m. Saturday. The museum features the Gulf Coast Museum of Art collection that includes works by Salvador Dalí, Clyde Butcher and George Inness.

Info: (727) 341-7900 or spcollege.edu/fimuseum

St. Petersburg Museum of History

335 Second Ave. NE

Saturday hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Features: St. Petersburg's first museum opened more than 80 years ago. It features archives and photos chronicling the history of the city and Pinellas County.

Info: (727) 894-1052 or spmoh.org

Salvador Dalí Museum

1000 Third St. S

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Features: Billed as the most comprehensive collection of works by the Spanish surrealist.

Info: (727) 823-3767 or salvadordalimuseum.org

Great Explorations Children's Museum

1925 Fourth St. N

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Features: The hands-on children's museum features 18,000 square feet of exhibitions that include the Animation Station, raceway, tree house and touch tunnel.

Info: (727) 821-8992 or greatexplorations.org/

Museum of Fine Arts

255 Beach Drive NE

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Features: There are more than 4,600 items to see, stretching in time from antiquity to the modern including French impressionist paintings, Stueben glass, pre-Columbian objects and more.

Info: (727) 896-2667 or www.fine-arts.org/

The Pier Aquarium

800 Second Ave. NE

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Features: Multiple freshwater and saltwater aquariums with household, tropical and exotic fish. There is a touch tank and daily fish feedings from 1 to 4 p.m.

Info: (727) 895-7437 or www.pieraquarium.org

Morean Arts Center

719 Central Ave.

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Features: The 35,000-square-foot center showcases work by local artists.

Info: (727) 822-7872 or www.moreanartscenter.org

Tarpon Springs

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art

600 Klosterman Road

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Features: A 6,000-piece collection of 20th century art. The 53,000-square-foot museum also features works by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Max Ernst.

Info: (727) 712-5762 or www.spcollege.edu/central/museum/

Tampa

Ybor City Museum State Park

1818 E Ninth Ave.

Saturday hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Features: The museum, housed in the former Ferlita Bakery, includes exhibits on the history of Ybor City and its founder, Vicente Martinez Ybor, the cigar industry, area social clubs and more.

Info: (813) 247-1434 or www.ybormuseum.org/

Tampa Bay History Center

801 Old Water St.

Saturday hours: Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Features: The 60,000-square-foot museum on the city's waterfront offers a 12,000-year historical tour of the Tampa Bay area.

Info: (813) 228.0097 or www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts

200 N Tampa St., Suite 130

Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Features: The museum showcases works by national and international photographers.

Info: (813) 221-2222 or www.fmopa.org/

Cracker Country

5100 Orient Road (on the Florida State Fairgrounds)

Special Saturday hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Features: This rural outdoor "living history" museum includes 13 original buildings, dating from 1870 to 1912, moved to their current location from throughout the state, then restored and furnished with antiques.

Info: (813) 627-4225 or www.crackercountry.org

Museum of Science and Industry*

4801 E Fowler Ave.

Saturday hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Features: Various interactive and educational exhibits for children and adults, and an IMAX theater.

Info: (813) 987-6100 or www.mosi.org/

*Note: MOSI will offer one free admission, including standard 45-minute IMAX film, with one paid adult admission.