Living in Tampa Bay. Loving it!

Plant Hall, a national historic landmark and the main academic and administrative building for the University of Tampa, has an extraordinary history. Formerly the Tampa Bay Hotel, the building represented, and still remains, a symbol of the city of Tampa and its history.

The South wing of Plant Hall houses the Henry B. Plant Museum, where guests can see furnishings and art original to the hotel. and explore exhibits tracing this history of the hotel and the Tampa area.

The hotel was built in 1891 by transportation magnate Henry B. Plant. With its splendid Moorish architecture, opulent furnishings, and spectacular tropical gardens, Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel attracted celebrated guests such as Teddy Roosevelt, Sarah Bernhardt and Babe Ruth. The hotel's 511 rooms were the first to be electrified in Florida, and the building featured all the latest luxuries, including telephones in every guest room! Building was financed by Plant himself, rather than investors, at an extravagant cost of $2.5 million with a additional $500,000 spent on furnishings. Click Here to learn more about the unique history of Plant Hall.

The University of Tampa, established in 1961 as a private institution, occupies the former hotel to this day. Students take classes in the historic hotel and live in dorms on the property, which is located along the Hillsborough River. Downtown Tampa is just a short walk across the river.

In the Spring, the museum hosts an Old Fashioned Afternoon in the Park, where families can picnic, play period games, enjoy ice cream, and listen to music. At Christmas time, the museum rooms are decorated in period-style for the holidays, and tea and cookies are served on the porch.

If You Go: Free parking for the museum is available in front of Plant Hall. For hours and events, visit http://www.plantmuseum.com. A donation of $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12 is requested; members of the museum are admitted at no charge. The museum also features a very nice gift shop.

Blog penned by: Nicole Doyle

A.J.'s Assistant, Meet me at http://www.ajsellstampa.com/MeetMyAssistant