Most Florida retirement communities have quality museums nearby. For a comprehensive list of museums in Florida visit Florida Association of Museums website at http://www.flamuseums.org

Ringling Museum of Art

The name should ring a bell if you’ve ever been to the circus. This museum, containing over 10,000 works of art including paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs and decorative arts, is located on the west coast of Florida in Sarasota. Created by circus owner John and his wife Mable, the Ringling Museum has been in operation since 1927 and is now run by Florida State University.

For more information visit http://www.ringling.org

Salvador Dali Museum

Visited by over 200,00 people each year the Salvador Dali Museum is the largest collection of Dali’s work in the world. Previously housed in Cleveland, Ohio, the museum opened in St. Petersburg in 1982. The museum has such a collection that it frequently loans its work out to other institutions throughout the world.

For more information visit http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org

Florida Museum of Natural History

Located in Gainesville at the University of Florida, the largest museum of natural history in the southern United States, the Florida Museum of Natural History holds over 20 million specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles, mollusks, fish, butterflies, and fossils. One highlight of the museum is a 6,400 square feet Butterfly Rainforest exhibit.

For more information visit the museums website at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu

Southeast Museum of Photography

Located in Daytona Beach on the campus of Daytona Beach Community College, the Southeast Museum of Photography is one of fewer than 12 facilities in the United States dedicated exclusively to photography and is the only one in the southern United States. A special cultural and educational resource for anyone interested in photography, the museum features exhibitions covering a wide variety of photographic styles, and lectures featuring prominent photographers and critics.

For more information visit their website at http://www.smponline.org

World Golf Hall of Fame

I think the website says it all: “If you love golf, you’ve got to go!” Previously located in Pinehurst, North Carolina, the World Golf Hall of Fame moved to St. Augustine and a new multi-million dollar facility in 1998. The museum contains historical artifacts and personal memorabilia from all the game’s biggest stars. Also on the grounds of the museum is an 18-hole natural grass putting course and an IMAX Theater. There are also two golf courses in what is called World Golf Village. King and Bear, co-designed by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and Slammer and Squire, designed by course architect Bobby Weed, who consulted with Sam “The Slammer” Snead and Gene “The Squire” Sarazen. The World Golf Village offers “stay and play” packages so that you can visit the museum as well as play the courses while in town.

For more information visit http://www.wgv.com