Henry B. Plant Museum
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Photos: Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Our take
By Matt Spaulding, Founder and writer
The silver minarets above the Hillsborough River are the most photographed thing in Tampa, and this is the building underneath them: Henry Plant's 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel, now the University of Tampa. The museum holds the south wing of the ground floor, furnished with the hotel's own Gilded Age pieces and the Plants' European and Asian collection, alongside exhibits on the railroad that built the city and the Spanish-American War troops who staged here. Know what you are buying, though. The museum is one wing of one floor. The rest of that quarter-mile building is university classrooms and closed to visitors, so this is a single self-guided loop rather than an afternoon: the audio tour runs 45 minutes, the orientation film another 14, and most people are finished inside 90 minutes. That is a fair trade if you want the interior of a landmark you have already photographed from the road, and a poor one if you pictured roaming the whole thing. One practical detail the ticket page does not lead with: strollers are not allowed inside, which is awkward for a museum that sells infant and youth tickets. Bring a carrier if you are bringing a small child.
Quick facts
- Best for
- Gilded Age history, architecture, and anyone who has photographed the minarets and wants inside
- How long
- About an hour to 90 minutes. The audio tour alone runs 45 minutes
- Included
- Self-guided route through the furnished rooms, a 45-minute audio tour, and a 14-minute orientation film
- What it is not
- One wing of one floor. The rest of Plant Hall is university classrooms and closed to visitors
- Heads up
- Strollers are not allowed inside, despite infant and youth tickets being sold
- Where
- Inside the University of Tampa's Plant Hall, the surviving core of the 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel
Where it is
401 W. Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606, inside the University of Tampa's Plant Hall
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How long does a visit take?
An hour to 90 minutes for most people. The complimentary audio tour is 45 minutes on its own and the orientation film is 14, so budget that plus browsing time rather than an afternoon.
Do you get to see the whole building?
No, and this is the thing to know. The museum occupies the south wing of the ground floor. The rest of the quarter-mile building is University of Tampa classroom space and closed to the public.
Is it worth it if I have already seen the outside?
That depends what you want. The exterior with the minarets is the famous part and it is free to look at. What the ticket buys is the interior: original hotel furnishings, the Plants' collection, and the exhibits on the railroad and the Spanish-American War.
Can I bring a stroller?
No. Strollers are not permitted inside the museum, which catches families out given that infant and youth tickets are sold. A carrier is the workaround.
Is it suitable for children?
It sells infant and youth tickets, so children are welcome, but this is a furnished historic-house museum rather than a hands-on one. Pair it with the children's museum a few minutes away if you need something more active.