By Sharon Kennedy Wynne

Times Staff Writer

Expect the Tampa Bay area to go museum crazy Saturday as crowds line up for Smithsonian Free Museum Day and St. Petersburg's Arts Alive. It'll be even crazier than usual this year as the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg reopens its gorgeously renovated galleries on the free day. And in Tampa, the Tampa Bay History Center has a new exhibit on Florida maps (see the review in Sunday's Latitudes section).

The annual national Museum Day was created by Smithsonian magazine in the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., which offers free admission daily. There are also a few locations unaffiliated with the official event that will offer free or reduced admission.

Most of the museums affiliated with the Smithsonian event require a free ticket, but some don't. We say play it safe and get one regardless; many places will not let you in for free without a Museum Day ticket. Sign up for a ticket for two free admissions to one museum at smithsonianmag.com.

If your chosen museum isn't on the list, it might still be free. Some museums and galleries will also have performances, demonstrations and arts discounts.

Take note that one of the most popular stops on this day, the Dalí Museum, is free for Pinellas County residents only. Also, MOSI in Tampa is not free, but has a $5 Day.

Here is a list of museums offering free admission Saturday. See smithsonianmag.com for a complete list.

ART

Creative Clay, 1124 Central Ave., St. Petersburg

Dalí Museum (free for Pinellas residents only), 1 Dalí Blvd., Bayshore Drive at Fifth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg

Morean Arts Center galleries, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; and Morean Center for Clay, 420 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg

Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 200 N Tampa St., Tampa

Polk Museum of Art, 800 E Palmetto St., Lakeland

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, 600 Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs

Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota

Florida Craftsmen Gallery, 501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg

OTHER

Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, 2240 Ninth Ave. S, St. Petersburg

Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 Fifth St. S, St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 Second Ave. NE, St. Petersburg

Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Old Water St., Tampa

Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

Ybor City Museum State Park, 1818 E Ninth Ave., Ybor City

More deals

Chihuly Collection, 400 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, $1 admission

Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), 4801 E Fowler Ave., Tampa, $5 entry