Tampa is stepping straight into a Charles Dickens Christmas this December. Plant Hall at the University of Tampa hosts the 44th Annual Victorian Christmas Stroll from December 4 through 23, turning the former Tampa Bay Hotel — the city landmark crowned with silver minarets — into a full Victorian holiday celebration.
Inside the historic 1891 building, period rooms glow with elaborate decorations, antique holiday displays and the kind of old-fashioned Christmas detail that has made the Stroll a Tampa tradition for more than four decades. Two extra evenings stretch the magic after dark: Extended Hours run December 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on December 19 the Bayshore Drive side of Plant Hall lights up with the Dickens Festival, a free outdoor celebration with appearances by Dickens characters, Victorian-era diversions and a live reading of A Christmas Carol.
Regular Stroll hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $14 for children ages 4 to 18, with discounts for University of Tampa faculty, staff, students, alumni and military members. Every dollar of admission supports the Henry B. Plant Museum’s preservation and education programs. Tickets are available at the door or online through Eventbrite, and the Dickens Festival itself is free.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
