Tampa's George Sugarman sculpture is the big, bright, swirling burst of yellow, black, and white…read moremetal that locals jokingly call the exploding chicken. It was originally installed downtown in the mid‑1980s and later moved to its current home on Channelside Drive. George Sugarman himself was a prolific, boundary‑pushing American sculptor known for vivid color, pedestal‑free forms, and a restless experimental streak. Officially titled "Untitled," it is about 36 feet tall with layers painted in a bright yellow, black and white. There is no pedestal and no single viewing point, which makes it a perfect installation for a traffic roundabout. The sculpture was commissioned in 1985 by NationsBank (later Bank of America) and installed at the corner of Ashley Drive and Kennedy Boulevard soon after. In 2011, it was donated to the City of Tampa and relocated to the roundabout on Channelside Drive, where it now serves as a gateway for visitors heading toward the port and Ybor. George Sugarman (1912-1999) was an American artist whose work defied easy categorization. He was known for vividly painted metal sculptures that broke from the tradition of bare steel modernism. [Review 124 of 2026 - 2235 in Florida - 25314 overall]

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."…read more-Michelangelo This 25 foot tall sculpture is located along the Tampa Riverwalk near the Laurel Street (Madame Fortune Taylor) Bridge. It was originally installed at the Hillsborough County Public Library in 1977 but moved here in 2016 as part of Tampa's public art project. It is by Philadelphia-born artist Barbara Neijna who now lives in Florida. The modernist sculpture consists of two striking red steel structures, each a rectangle and an acute triangle and they stand 18 inches apart. This design could be a ritual entryway, asking spectators to interact with the space in a symbolic way. Or a literal way since you can step between them easily. The bridge red color provides a flash of color to the Riverwalk. [Review 334 of 2025 - 1989 in Florida - 23896 overall]

The Tampa Police Law Enforcement Memorial sits in a quiet corner of downtown, and even with the…read morebuilding behind it wrapped in scaffolding for construction or repair, the space still carries a sense of calm respect. I visited on a weekday in the early evening when the light was soft and the city had settled into that in‑between moment where the workday is ending but the nightlife hasn't quite begun, and the memorial felt like a small pause in the middle of all that motion. The names etched into the stone draw your attention in a steady, unhurried way, reminding you that this is a place meant for reflection rather than spectacle. The construction work does change the backdrop a bit, but the memorial itself remains fully accessible, and once you step into the space the scaffolding fades into the periphery. What stands out instead is the care taken in the design, the clean lines, and the way the setting encourages you to slow down for a minute. Even with the temporary clutter of repairs nearby, the memorial holds its purpose firmly, offering a respectful and grounded moment in the middle of downtown Tampa. [Review 130 of 2026 - 2241 in Florida - 25320 overall]

We were in tampa exploring the parks and public art and came across this mural. I am a big fan of…read morepublic art and landmarks so I had to add it to Yelp for others to see. When I got back home I looked up what the story was about this mural. According to the tampa website for public art. In their initial concept, artists Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and Guillermo Portieles wanted to represent the hard working individuals in West Tampa "who embraced a thriving a social and cultural community through its broad mix of nationalities and religions." From this concept and through much input from community leaders and historians, the mural "Kaleidoscope: a Heritage of Color" was created. " Cool piece of public art to check out

I discovered this beautiful 17 feet high by 22 feet wide mosaic mural in historic downtown Tarpon…read moreSprings. The brightly colored mosaic is on the side of the Meres building adjacent to the parking lot that was once Mother Meres garden. The mural was a gift to the city from the Garden Fairies of Tampa Bay, a group of civic, artistic gardeners who have spent seven months creating the massive multimedia art piece. The Garden Fairies received no public funds for the $60,000 mural. It was created through their fundraising efforts and a benefit party by the Chamber of Commerce. It took 2,000 hours to complete the installation of 46 panels over Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 2010. Even the concrete walls surrounding the nearby dumpster also were decorated with 86 smaller panels. The mural commemorates Amelia Petzold Meres, a city pioneer and amateur horticulturist from the early 20th century. Mother Meres loved plants and people. She was born in Germany in 1845 and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was 5. In 1882, she moved to Tarpon Springs with her husband, Walter to run the Ferns Hotel on the corner of Tarpon and Pinellas avenues. Amelia Meres and her husband had a home east of the hotel and on their land she created a lush jungle garden that fed the hotel guests fresh fruits and vegetables and honey produced in the garden. Eventually she was bestowed the nickname of "Mother Meres." In addition to the garden she also planted the cycads that gave Tarpon Springs' Cycadia Cemetery its name later replacing them with oleander after the cycads dies off in a freeze. She held the town's first Christmas party, brought plants to the sick, and helped plant trees to beautify city. With a kapok seed giver to her by her friend botanist David Fairchild of Miami, she planted the famous kapok tree at the former Kapok Tree Inn on McMullen-Booth Road. Mother Meres died at the age of 78 on Oct. 20, 1923. After her death the garden became a city park with benches and a band shell. In the 1950's the park was turned into a parking lot. The parking lot is also the site of the Sunday Tarpon Springs Farmers Market. It is so nice to see Mother Meres love of gardening and generous spirit is still honored and thriving 100 years later.

The design is colorful, unique, and full of intricate details that you do not usually see anywhere…read moreelse. Every corner has something interesting to look at, from the flowing shapes to the mosaic style elements that really capture that Gaudí inspired feel. It is one of those places where you keep stopping just to take everything in. The atmosphere is peaceful and artistic, making it a great spot for photos, inspiration, or just appreciating something truly different from your typical attraction. You can tell a lot of care and creativity went into every part of it. Overall, it is a must visit if you appreciate art, architecture, or just cool unique places. Easy 5 stars and a truly memorable experience.

Love this mosaic art installation in Safety Harbor, FL. There's so much cool public art in the…read morearea. They even have a cool list of them. This was the first time I saw Ode to Gaudi. It's a 40 ft bench decked out in mosaic art. Ode to Gaudi is named after a Spanish architect named Antoni Gaudi. The mosaic artists created this bench as a tribute to life in Spain - tradition, culture, and cuisine. It's so colorful with lots of fun designs all through out. Many of which you can find in Florida, like sunshine, sea, shore, & flowers. This is located on the back side of what is now Bicycle Boutique which use to be Tupelo on 4th. What a beautiful site to see.

I found this cool piece of public art right before you enter the pier in St. Petersburg, Florida…read more This large free flowing net sculpture is very eye catching. The piece was made by internationally known, Tampa Bay native Janet Echelman. The title of the piece, Bending Arc is taken from Dr. Martin Luther King's words "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Echelman decided to honor the civil rights movement because the site where the sculpture hangs was a location where local citizens protested segregation in the 1950's. The protests led to the 1957 US Supreme Court ruling that allowed people of all races to use the city beach and pool. According to the artist the new pier was designed to be welcoming to everyone. She has said "When I look at the piece moving in the wind you see these arcs move across as the wind blows through. It's a moment to contemplate the interconnectedness of the entire human race. And it's a reminder for us to be grateful for and celebrate the courage of the people who came before us. Who brought us to where we are and the job that we have to do bring ourselves forward again." The art installation was created to coincide with the open of the new 26 acre St. Petersburg Pier. Echelman has created several other net sculptures that are located all around the world. She took inspiration for this piece from historical postcards that had blue and white striped beach parasols and combined the colors with the geometric forms made by colonies of barnacles growing on the underside of the pier. When the wind blows it changes the shape of the soft sculpture. Bending arc is made of 1,662,528 light weight fiber knots and 180 miles of twine. It is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), an engineered fiber which has been turned into a thread like textile. The strands are braided together and wrapped around sewing bobbins to form the mesh netting that is knotted by hand. The sculpture is 424 feet long and it is 72 feet at its tallest point. It covers 47,500 square feet and weighs a total of 5,330 pounds. The sculpture was paid for by private donors and its infrastructure was part of the new Pier District project. Echelman's contract for the piece with St. Petersburg was for $1.47 million dollars. During the day Bending Arc is blue and white. At night it is illuminated with LED lights so that it appears purple and magenta. You can see it across the water from the parks lining the bay. There are some chairs set up under the sculpture so you can sit and watch the wind blow the netting overhead. I love public art and this is just one of many interesting elements that have been added to the new pier.

This is a wonderful mural that my family and I saw while we were in Tampa. We are big fans of…read morevisiting murals and seeing the different paintings across different cities that represent their cities. Pretty cut and dry it's just a huge mirror that has the word Tampa yeah the different things they offer