Henry B. Plant Tour
Tour Description
The railroad magnate, Henry B. Plant, opened the Tampa Bay area up to the rest of the United States, thereby helping to make it the influential and prosperous place it is today. The Plant System laid the foundation for the development of Tampa as a port city and a tourist destination. This tour displays the lasting vision and influence Plant had for the city of Tampa.
Locations for Tour
Tampa Union Station
The great railroad tycoons of the late 19th-century “Gilded Age,” such as Henry Plant and Henry Flagler, facilitated a massive transfer of goods and people into Florida through the railway industries. According to an 1850 census of the Fort Brooke…
The Henry B. Plant Museum
Henry B. Plant was named the “King of Florida” in Success magazine in 1898 because of the growth and prosperity he brought to the state of Florida. The outbreak of the Civil War provided Plant with an opportunity to buy out the southern lines he…
Plant Park
A group called The Friends of Plant Park works to restore and maintain the park that was once the grounds and gardens of the former Tampa Bay Hotel. For example, the remarkable De Soto Oak that stands just at the edge of Plant Park, close to…
The Inn at Port Tampa
The Port of Tampa has come to find worldwide recognition as an important port for commerce and trade. Yet, the Port of Tampa we know today is not the original Port of Tampa. The creation of the original Port Tampa can be traced back to the…
Belleview-Biltmore Hotel
Henry B. Plant’s influence in the hotel business extended beyond the Tampa Bay Hotel. Although the site of his Tampa endeavor now holds a museum of his namesake, Plant actually built or bought eight distinct hotels in the Tampa area and further…
Art of the Tampa Bay Hotel
The Tampa Bay Hotel was famous around the world for the beautiful sculptures and artistic works that lined its walls and the surrounding Plant Park. Guests of the hotel marveled at the pieces that adorned the entryway of the Hotel, all the way down…
The Florida State Fair
The Tampa Bay Hotel has a history of attracting large-scale events and prominent people to its ideal location near the bay. The leadership at work when the Spanish-American War came to Florida around 1898 were eager to set the Hotel up as the home…
Plant City
Plant City, located about 25 miles from Tampa, was founded in 1885 and named after Henry B. Plant. Before it became known as Plant City it was known as Itchepackesassa and was a cotton-picking town. Due its favorable climate farmers soon found that…
University of Tampa
In the 1930’s the Tampa Bay Hotel had to close its doors, and what was once a place of marvel and elegance soon became a shell of its former glory. When the hotel closed it became the target for many thieves who picked off furniture and decor that…
Tour Postscript
With Special Thanks to the Henry B. Pant Museumhttp://www.plantmuseum.com/