James Museum & Stillwater Tavern St Petersburg
St. Petersburg is truly becoming a hub for the arts! It is great to see galleries, museums and murals popping up all over, attracting visitors to the Sunshine City.
And the art scene is quite eclectic, from sculptures to paintings to pottery and from surrealist to contemporary. It is not surprising that Tom and Mary James chose St. Pete to be the home to exhibit their vast collection of Western and Wildlife art, which they built during their many travels, and planted that collection on Central Avenue. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art is, indeed, an extraordinary experience! We were welcomed by Ashlie Hampton, Special Events Manager, to a meeting room full of delicacies, carefully prepared by Laura Storey and her team from DRG Hospitality. From the churros to the fish tacos and the mole chicken, everything was perfect! We enjoyed some beverages before starting our tour of the exhibit. The main entrance to the museum is majestic, guarded by the imposing sculptures of Native American chiefs, leading to a magnificent fountain cascading from the second floor. We headed up to the beginning of our tour, which brought us in time to the days of the wild west, like the old “Cowboys and Indians” movies and TV series. The collection is really impressive, which include a section dedicated to the Pioneer era, some very nice pieces made by Native American artists, as well as some modern Western art. The end of the tour brought us to the Wildlife collection, to enjoy beautiful masterpieces depicting many animals we all know and love. Without a doubt, it is A MUST SEE when visiting downtown St. Pete. General admission is $20 and have public parking behind the building on 1st Ave. South, plus they are a block from the Sundial Parking Garage. They also have a gift shop with some interesting picks to bring home or delight someone with. The James Museum is located at 150 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Then, we headed to Beach Dr., walking distance from the museum, to visit our dear friends at Stillwaters Tavern. Every time we have had an event with them, they have treated us like royals! Jason Lette, the General Manager and Sara-Ellen Burnett, Events Manager, welcomed us to the reserved space and offered some delicious soft pretzels with beer sauce as well as BanMi as appetizers with an open selection of beverages to complete our evening. Most of you remember the remarkable event we had last year with them. This year, was not an exception! Captain Mark Guthrie from St. Pete By Water Excursions gave us a brief introduction to his business and what he could offer to our guests, and presented us with some photos of his new purchase yacht. We had a raffle to experience the yacht tour, so join me in congratulating the winners:
- BURNETT, Sara-Ellen
- FACINELLI, Dave
- GONZALEZ, Candice
- HARTIGAN, Amy
- HIDU, Gary
- LETTE, Jason
- MALOGRIDES, Jeff
- McCOMB, Martin
- SCHILTZ, Suzanne
- VASILE, Gillian
It was quite a relaxing time at a tavern with a charming atmosphere. They have Happy Hour daily from open until 7:00pm and Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Suggested parking at the Sundial Parking Garage. Stillwaters Tavern is located at 224 Beach Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
We want to thank everyone responsible for such splendid evening! The tour guides at the James Museum, Laura for some great bites, the bartenders at both places, servers, the kitchen crew…so many to mention. To all of you, our extended gratitude! Downtown St. Petersburg has never been disappointing and it is bound to get better! It’s artsy, it’s vibrant…it’s OUR BURG! Until we see again.