My Downtown Tampa

A note from our friends at the Henry B. Plant Museum:

Come experience the holiday season in a new light: escape the commercialism and stress of a modern Christmas and capture the warmth and joy of an old-fashioned holiday with your loved ones. The Henry B. Plant Museum presents its Victorian Christmas Stroll from December 1st to 23rd, 2008, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily.

Bring family and friends together in the soft glow of 1891 lighting as you discover a lavish Christmas at the former Tampa Bay Hotel. There are numerous rooms, each dazzling with trees designed in unique 19th century themes. While strolling down the Grand Hallway, your spirits soar as you become immersed in Charles Dickens, beautifully wrapped gifts, Christmas stockings and Santa Claus.

Is it possible to think of Christmas without thinking of children and toys? Antique toys, lovingly handed from generation to generation, are strewn under decorated trees and displayed in antique cabinets. For Victorian girls there were dolls – dolls to dress and play with, and dolls with porcelain heads and fabric bodies. There were also dollhouses. Some were simple playthings and others were perfect architectural miniatures. For Victorian boys there were trains and boats, toy soldiers and forts, games of chance and skill, cowboys and Indians.

New this year is a three-story Victorian-styled dollhouse, complete with chandeliers, stained glass windows and fireplaces. The exquisite furniture was handmade by Bill Thirkill of Housemartin Miniatures, Nottingham, England. Bill once worked for Pinewood Studios, and helped build many of the spectacular James Bond sets. These days, Bill is better known for his fine dollhouse furniture, a skill, he says, he owes to his dad. As a boy he used to watch him working with wood for hours, and together they used to make model airplanes. His delight in woodwork had begun. Today, Bill designs furniture ranging from Tudor chairs to 1930’s bedroom furniture.

At the Victorian Christmas Stroll, the essence of an old-fashioned holiday is observed and honored as Tampa’s most popular family tradition. Complimentary spiced cider and savory cookies will be served on the veranda every day, and each evening carolers will perform music for our merriment. Visitors are invited to sing with the carolers in front of the 18-foot tree in the hallway. Admission is $10 for adults and $4 for children 12 and younger. Discount Days are December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 when admissions are reduced to $6 for adults and $3 for children. Group tours are welcome: please make reservations for parties of 20 or more with Sally Shifke, Museum Relations Coordinator, (813) 258-7302.

The Museum Store has a huge selection of merchandise, from fanciful ornaments to embroidered linens. It specializes in exquisite holiday accessories. The Museum Store also offers books, fragrances, jewelry, children’s toys, stationary, and home accessories. Enjoy shopping in a unique Victorian atmosphere: the Museum Store is open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily and no admission is required.

Proceeds from the Victorian Christmas Stroll fund significant museum restoration and preservation projects, as well as educational programming.

Find out more about the Henry B. Plant Museum at the University of Tampa.

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