Hit the road and explore the city of Tampa in a brand-new episode of Florida Road Trip. WUCF’s Emmy Award winning program returns with all new episodes exploring the history and stories that make up Florida.
On Thursday, September 29, travel to Tampa and explore the many stories surrounding how the city got its name. Veteran television journalist and host Buddy Pittman will take viewers to the Plant Museum, to explore the impact Henry Plant left on the Tampa area.
“Henry Plant wanted to build something fantastic a playground for wealthy and famous guests to come and stay this building, the Tampa Bay Hotel, was the crown jewel of the plant system. The building is a quarter of a mile long. It had 511 hotel rooms,” said Lindsay Huban, Interim Director of the Plan Museum. ”This building was a technological marvel, telephones in every room, electricity throughout. There was even one of the first elevators in the state of Florida right here in this building. What I always say is without Henry Plant, Tampa doesn't exist as we know it today. And I mean that quite literally. Henry Plant took a sleepy fishing village and turned it into a metropolis that we all enjoy today.”
Learn how the Tampa-area became home to the cigar industry and journey into Florida’s oldest restaurant, The Columbia. Viewers will explore the rich sports history of the Tampa Bay area, exploring long-held connections with baseball and dive into the Florida Aquarium, home to over 10,000 different animals.
Florida Road Trip: Tampa, airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on WUCF TV, on wucf.org and on the PBS Video app. WUCF Passport members will also get early access, starting Thursday at 8 p.m. to next week’s episode, Florida Road Trip: The Everglades.
Learn more about the show at floridaroadtrip.org.
