The 40th Annual Victorian Christmas Stroll

Last Saturday, Ron and I went to the Henry B. Plant Museum in Tampa for their Victorian Christmas Stroll. During the 1880’s, Henry Plant founded the Plant System of railroads and steamships, connecting the North to southwest Florida, Key West and Cuba. Besides goods, Plant wanted to use his railroad system to bring tourists to Florida, so he built eight hotels, including the Belleview Biltmore in Clearwater. The Tampa Bay Hotel was the grandest of them all. It opened in 1891 and had 511 rooms, an indoor heated swimming pool, racetrack, casino and Florida’s first elevator. After the hotel stopped operating in 1932, it was purchased by the University of Tampa. The building, renamed Plant Hall, now houses the Henry B. Plant Museum, as well as classrooms and offices for the university.

Plant designed his hotel in Moorish Revival style, which was popular during the late 1800s. Although we had seen the building's iconic onion-dome minarets from the interstate many times (and wondered what they were doing in Florida), we had never visited the museum before. I think Ron was as fascinated by the architecture as I was. Before going into the museum, we walked around the outside, marveling at the minarets, horseshoe arches and gingerbread woodwork set against the backdrop of Tampa's skyline.

For the Christmas Stroll, the rooms of the museum had been filled with Christmas trees, some with Victorian-era ornaments, others representing the hotel’s famous guests, such as Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. My favorite tree was the one in the library with shelves overflowing with antique books. The Ladies’ Parlor was dedicated to the Victorian art of paper-crafting and featured a dress made entirely of paper by a local artist. There was also a display of 40 vintage Santa Clauses, in honor of the Christmas Stroll’s 40th anniversary. At the end of the long hallway was a magnificent 14-foot tree.

After our tour, we went to lunch at Armature Works, a marketplace of restaurants and bars in a warehouse dating back to 1910. It was a beautiful, sunny December day - perfect for celebrating Christmas and learning a little of Florida's history.

gingerbread trim and minarets

Teddy Roosevelt tree

Victorian Christmas carolers

playroom with antique goose-feather tree

paper-crafted Victorian dress

the library

Babe Ruth tree

vintage postcard of the University of Tampa

Travel tips: The Victorian Christmas Stroll runs through December 23. Visit the Henry B. Plant Museum’s website for more details and to purchase timed tickets. After exploring the museum, you can enjoy complimentary cookies and cider on the verandah.