Some Bay area traditions fade away to distant memory. The Henry B. Plant Museum's Victorian Christmas Stroll uses distant memory as the foundation for its annual tradition. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the halls and rooms of the former Tampa Bay Hotel feature 25 richly decorated trees created to represent the best trees of past strolls and many are themed to complement the room or hall in which they are located, like the Cups and Saucer Tree in the Dining and Entertainment exhibit room. Other special trees include a Cobweb Gift Tree illustrating a Victorian gift-giving tradition, a Children's Tree surrounded by antique dolls, wooden animals, German blocks and Victorian games, and a Cigar Tree adorned with tastefully brimming boxes of cigars.
Guests also enjoy complimentary spiced cider and cookies on the veranda, a daily performance by a musical ensemble or an actor impersonating a person from the original days of the Tampa Bay Hotel and evening concerts by soloists and ensembles. Proceeds from the stroll support the museum's educational programming as well as continued restoration and preservation projects.
25th Annual Victorian Christmas Stroll, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, extended through Dec. 31, at the Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, $10 adults/$4 children 12 and younger, 813-258-7302, plantmuseum.com.
