Want to celebrate the season with a 19th century-style experience? Several Bay area institutions host happenings that take locals back to a simpler era, before commercialism reigned and Santa Claus was Chief Christmas.
Henry B. Plant Museum has made its annual transformation into the Tampa Bay Hotel circa 1891 for the 27th annual Victorian Christmas Stroll. The halls and rooms are decked out in period holiday adornments — glittering 19th-century themed Christmas trees in each room, scattered gifts, antique toys and dolls, and a 3-story Victorian dollhouse. Free spiced cider and cookies are served on the veranda every day, and carolers perform each evening. The museum welcomes author Les Standiford for a related event — a champagne and hors d'oeuvres reception followed by a discussion and signing of his new book, The Man Who Invented Christmas: The True Story of How Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits.
The other local Victorian-era historic mainstay, Safford House Museum — the 1880s home of one of Tarpon Springs' original developers — stages its annual Victorian Candlelight Tour, which features holiday decorations, appearances by St. Nick, live holiday music, Victorian carolers and refreshments.
Cracker Country offers a more rural feel to the old-fashioned holidays with its Christmas in the Country and Lamplight Tours. Visitors experience hands-on historical depictions and enjoy live music, holiday decoration-making and holiday shopping opportunities at the General Store. Lamplight tours through select historic homes and community buildings begin at dusk.
Finally, the St. Petersburg Museum of History presents an "Old-Fashioned Holiday Bazaar, Lecture and Fundraiser." Toy historian Tim Walsh talks about retro toys and subjects he covers in his new work, The WHAM-O Super Book; attendees can also shop for vintage jewelry, Tampa Bay Rays autographed memorabilia, art, gourmet bakery items, food and drink at the bazaar, and make bids on arts and crafts, hotel stays, restaurant certificates and more in a silent auction. Proceeds support SPMOH and the Mount Zion Progressive-Teen Community Center.
Victorian Christmas Stroll, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through Dec. 23, $10 adults/$4 children 12 and younger ($6 adults/$3 children Dec. 8-9 and 15-16), and The Man Who Invented Christmas, 6 p.m. Mon., Dec. 8, $20 members/$25 general (includes admission into the stroll), Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-254-1891 plantmuseum.com. Victorian Candlelight Tour, 5:30-8 p.m. Thurs.-Sun., Dec. 4-7, Safford House Museum, 23 Parkin Court, Tarpon Springs, $12 general/$6 members and children, 727-942-5605. Sat., Dec. 6: Christmas in the Country, 10 a.m-4 p.m., $6 adults/$5 children 6-12 and seniors, and Christmas Lamplight Tours, 6-9 p.m., $5 adults/$4 ages 6-12 and seniors; combo tickets $10 adults/$9 children and seniors), Cracker Country at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301 N., Tampa, 813-627-4225, crackercountry.org. Old-Fashioned Holiday Bazaar, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., Dec. 7, SPMOH, 335 Second Ave. N.E., St. Petersburg, free admission, 727-894-1052, spmoh.org.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2008.