Yeah, that's like you know four or five years ago maybe and I was like what is that across the river?

Because it really stands out, it almost looks like a weird, not weird, just very unusual architecture compared to everything else around in the area.

So I was always, I was always kind of interested in knowing what that was.

This is actually a university.

Uh it used to be the Tampa Bay Hotel which opened in the late 1800s, but now it is a university, the University of Tampa with a little museum on the side.

Yeah, yeah there's a little museum on the side, so we're trying to check out what it was about and see the history um because supposedly Henry B Plant is a big part of Tampa's history and that's why it's named after him.

So we'll find out what that's all about.

But this area itself is really beautiful.

Initially I found out about this place because when I'm looking up where to shoot portraits, this location comes up a lot because the architecture here is so gorgeous, it makes for pretty pictures for sure.

Not only the building, but there's a park right next to it to that is gorgeous.

I think it's called Henry B Plant park right, probably, I think probably is about, I guess I thought I saw a sign when we're driving in that, but anyways, yeah, the park is gorgeous, the trees are so pretty here, as far as parking here, We were here on a sunday and we found some street parking right in front of the museum, but they also do have a dedicated parking on the other side, so there's no problem parking around here.

Uh, it's on a weekend, maybe weekday might be a little bit different because they do have school hours, so I'm not sure how it is on the weekdays, but generally you can park anywhere around here or you can go across the street where riverwalk is and then cross the bridge from there, walk the bridge from there and come to this museum as well, so lots of options.

You have parking is not a problem, but today we came on a sunday because we heard that they do plays every sunday at two p.m. It's basically portraying what it was like back in the day to be in that hotel.

So it ranges from like um and every week it changes too, from the perspective the person's perspective, so today, I'm not sure what it was today, I forgot to look it up, but I think last week was Henry Dobson, which was a soldier that used to um that stake here at this hotel during that time and then, you know, they do plays on teddy Roosevelt and the Rough riders when he was here around that time.

So I just thought it was really interesting that they actually do a play.

Yeah, I don't think I've ever been to a museum where they had like a play going on and it's not even extra, it's like part of the museum cost.

Yeah, so that's pretty cool.

Yeah.

So All right, well you ready to hit on it?

Yeah, let's go, mm.

Mhm.

So we just got done with touring the museum and it is very interesting.

Now we know why Henry B Plant is called king of florida, which first we went in there like okay what king of florida?

Okay, just like this guy is so full of themselves and not only king of florida but also that it was the first Magic kingdom.

And we're like what you mean like Magic kingdom, like walt Disney.

Yeah, we were so confused.

But when you go in there's you kind of scan a QR code And you can listen to an audio tour.

But before the I highly suggest watching the intro video that they have in the room.

It was about what, 15 minutes or so it gives a great brief overview of Henry B plant and what he did to Tampa.

Well about this hotel to which is now a university.

So the hotel Tampa Bay Hotel was built in the late 1890s.

And it was by Henry B plant, hence why the museum is called after him.

So he's the one who built this massive resort in Tampa and before this resort there wasn't much in Tampa florida at all.

And so with his railroad system and his steamship system, more people were able to come to Tampa and see this resort and this resort was fancy.

It was huge.

I mean they mentioned in the video is like all the wealthy people around the US wanted to come and stay here because it was the place for the wealthy people to come and visit and yeah, because it's not even just a hotel, there was like a golf course, casino, horseback riding.

Was there a pool to?

I mean they just listed so many things, I'm just like, ok, it really was like a magic kingdom, a hole on resort and he spent $2.5 million building it plus another half a mil to furnish it because he got some of the best furniture from europe, some were Marie Antoinette's collections, like the best of the best from paris.

So he went all out and some of the original furnishings are actually in the museum, which is um yeah, when you walk in and you can tell it all right, this is the most expensive.

Yeah, probably had to be super rich to stay here.

Yeah, yeah, because even now in modern times when you look at it, you just kind of sense that, wow, this was luxurious.

Just to give you a sense of how luxurious this hotel was.

Every room came with a telephone and a fireplace which is kind of like even today it's unheard of, well telephones.

Yeah, I feel like a fireplace.

Um but if you in the bottom rooms were like the best rooms and the further up you go it's more of like the maids and stuffed it or like the lesser important people who stayed up there.

But on the first floor we got to see one of the suites and we saw the telephone in there.

We saw the fireplace.

Oh man, it is, it is gorgeous and it doesn't even look like a hotel room.

It looks like someone's house.

I mean they obviously had to be rich.

Really, I look like they're wealthy if you're staying there.

And like we saw a replica of a bathroom to the bathroom even looks super nice.

Yeah, I mean I would love to have a bathroom like that now.

Yeah, it's a super nice bathroom.

So I mean this is back in the late 18 hundreds.

So yeah, they're definitely, you definitely have to be wealthy to stay here living the life.

Yeah, so the museum itself is very small but each room does have a story to tell and it gives you a really great information about the hotel itself but also the history of Henry B plant and also there's an exhibit right now going on with Booker T Washington and the black history.

So that's a great exhibition to check out.

Yeah.

And then one of the great things about this using every sunday, they have a little play and that comes with the purchase of a ticket which is the tickets only $10.

So It's great.

You get a free play which we just watched it was for 30 minutes.

And um what was the name of the play?

Uh another day?

Eat your person.

Yeah so each week they change it up, they rotate.

Um I think they have like four different characters that they do and today's character was Edith Roosevelt.

So Teddy Roosevelt's wife And yeah they stayed here back in the late 1800s.

So she kind of basically told the story of her visit here And the reason why she was here or Teddy Roosevelt was here is because it was from the Spanish American War which happened in the late 1800s to free Cuba.

So teddy Roosevelt was famous for being here and staying here with his rough riders.

Always love that thing.

Yeah, yeah.

She basically came down to visit from new york to basically see him one last time before he went off to war again.

So yeah, I don't know that.

I was like oh yeah so the spanish american war was a huge thing here in Tampa to, it was like the headquarters, this Tampa hotel.

So a lot of soldiers stayed here, one of the guests and the five.

So it's a significant part of history if you do decide to visit.

There is one thing that I think is really fun and interesting um there's an elevator which is not in the museum, it's right next to the museum inside the school and it is the original elevator that was built here and supposedly it is still working today and supposedly it is the oldest elevator in florida.

It was actually the first elevator in florida is what they say.

So when we would, when we went to check it out we're actually little bit scared walking in because we're like is this thing gonna fall like there's like no sign explaining anything, it just talks about the elevator when it was built and that's it.

So we're like we're gonna go in like a little worried about walking and we're walking in like on tiptoe.

We, it's very like it's crazy how beautiful the elevator is because you know, elevators nowadays this is like this boring silver box or something.

When you walk into this elevator it's huge, it's really dark but the wood carvings are very, very beautiful.

Yeah, I think I think that was made out of a Cuban mahogany.

Yeah it's really rich, rich, luxurious.

I mean I don't even think I've ever been in a hotel that I mean an elevator that pretty you know it was really gorgeous but creepy right now to go into because it's I mean I'm sure it's fine, but when you walk in you just kind of want to, you get this feeling like I need to be careful.

I don't want you like it feels like Tower of Terror really feels like Tower of Terror, like it's about to drop anyway, it was really fun kind of going in there and looking at it because it's the original and supposedly it's still working, so that's really cool.

But yeah, so we highly recommend coming here if you want to learn a little bit more about Tampa, this is the place to come, you get to learn all about Tampa and how it started, how Henry B Plant was the man who started Tampa florida king, the king of florida.

Uh so and and plus you know the architecture, the park in front, everything around here is super beautiful.

So yeah, I hope this review helped you out.

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