Peek behind the scenes at the Henry Plant Museum. Travel back in time via historic trivia & etiquette A visit to the Henry B.
When you’re building a railroad to nowhere, how do you make the journey worthwhile? …. If you’re railroad magnate Henry Bradley Plant, in the midst of the sand swamps that would be Tampa, you construct the most astonishingly magnificent hotel of its day, then fill it with treasures from around the world. With its splendid Moorish architecture, opulent furnishings, and spectacular tropical gardens,
06/19/2026
This is just one of many characters you will meet at the Museum.
On your next visit try and find the image of a frog tossing another frog. Clue: check the vases!
For highlights from the Museum's collection: https://www.plantmuseum.com/exhibits/permanent-collection
Did you know our Writing and Reading room is the most historically accurate room in the Museum? Executive Director Charles Groh is giving us insight into what it took to bring the room back to its Gilded Age splendor in the 1890s.
Tampa's history begins here: https://www.plantmuseum.com
06/12/2026
Did you know Tampa's very first zoo started in the 1930s in Plant Park? It all started with local gators and turtles caught at the downtown courthouse! 🐊🐢
Eventually gamekeepers were stationed on the University of Tampa campus overseeing some of the more popular animals like the brown and black bear and anteater.
Following WWII, the Plant Park Zoo closed, and the Lowry family helped move it to its current location and is known today as ZooTampa at Lowry Park ! 🌴🐒
For more information on the Tampa Bay Hotel and Tampa's rich history https://www.plantmuseum.com
Photo courtesy of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
06/09/2026
Join Tampa Theatre and the Henry B. Plant Museum for a free community screening of writer/director John Sayles’ Sunshine State on the University of Tampa campus.
This fictional drama, starring Angela Bassett and Edie Falco, takes a comical look at how encroaching development targets a community and threatens to pave over paradise.
This screening is presented in celebration of the Museum’s “Gaspar's Gold: Carnival and Community in a New South City” exhibit while the Theatre’s historic auditorium is closed for restoration.
Sunshine State (2002)
2h 21m / PG-13 / Drama
🗓️ Saturday, June 13
⏰ 1:00 pm
📍 Reeves Theater (Vaughn Center)
Ticket not required for this event. Seating in the Reeves Theater is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open 30 minutes before show time, followed by a Film Talk discussion.
For more information https://www.plantmuseum.com/events/free-movie-series
06/06/2026
Take a step back in time and enjoy our weekly Upstairs/Downstairs theatrical series, featuring single character performances that bring turn-of-the century Tampa Bay Hotel staff members and guests to life.
Maggie Stroud, Laundress, 1920
Maggie is a lively and ambitious woman who has a story or two to tell about famous guests at the Tampa Bay Hotel including her favorite, Sarah Bernhardt. As a personal maid, Maggie has seen some of the finer things in life. As for the not so fine, she has her dreams and her religion that keep her hopeful.
🗓️ Sunday, June 7
⏰ 2:00 p.m - 2:30 p.m.
📍 Henry B. Plant Museum
For details https://www.plantmuseum.com/events/programs/upstairs-downstairs-at-the-tampa-bay-hotel
06/05/2026
Enjoy a FREE walk-up tour with Museum admission!
No registration required
🗓️ Sunday, June 7
⏰ 1:00 p.m.
📍 Henry B. Plant Museum
For more information https://www.plantmuseum.com
Discover the stories that helped define Tampa during the Spanish American War.
Executive Director Dr. Charles McGraw Groh takes us inside our "Tampa At War" exhibit to examine the life experiences of men and women as told through artifacts, photos, and letters they left behind.
To watch the documentary "Letters from Tampa: Two Spanish-American War Stories" https://www.plantmuseum.com/exhibits/online-exhibits/letters-from-tampa
06/04/2026
Please join us on Friday, June 5, for free admission and genealogy workshop.
Our Curator of Education will present expert genealogy tips and insights through an in-depth case study of Philomena Oakes, a laundress at the Tampa Bay Hotel.
Whether you're just starting your family history or an advanced genealogist, get answers to your questions.
For more information visit https://www.plantmuseum.com or contact Selena Martinez at 813-258-7304 or [email protected].
🗓️ Friday, June 5
⏰ 4:30 p.m - 7:00 p.m.
📍 Henry B. Plant Museum
06/02/2026
The Museum Store will be temporarily closed Tuesday, June 2 and will reopen on Wednesday, June 3.
Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more great shopping soon!