The Henry B. Plant Museum

Return to the Gilded Age by visiting the Henry B. Plant Museum. Designated a National Historic Landmark, the former Tampa Bay Hotel is now home to both the University’s Plant Hall and the museum.

The opulent 1891 hotel was built by Henry Bradley Plant, the transportation magnate who was instrumental in the reconstruction of the South, as well as the development of Florida and modern Tampa. The Moorish silver minarets atop his hotel have become symbols of the city.

Visitors enjoy the 14-minute video, The Tampa Bay Hotel: Florida’s First Magic Kingdom. The permanent exhibit of the Spanish-American War shows archival photographs of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in Tampa when this building was Army headquarters. Then, patrons can glimpse the lifestyle of the early Florida tourist and marvel at the magnificent original furnishings from the hotel’s heyday.

The museum offers a strong educational program, with frequent exhibits of period lifestyles and art, speakers and the annual Victorian Christmas Stroll, which has become a holiday tradition for all of Central Florida each December. The museum store is a great place to pick up extraordinary gifts year round. Staff and students always are admitted for free and receive a 10 percent discount in the museum store. The Plant Museum is on the first floor of Plant Hall. Hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon until 5 p.m. Sunday. Each Sunday at 2 p.m. (September through November and January through May) enjoy the award-winning theatre program “Upstairs/Downstairs at the Tampa Bay Hotel.” Single-character vignettes bring turn-of-the-20th-century Tampa Bay Hotel staff members and guests to life. For further information, visit www.plantmuseum.com.