Outdoor temps got you feeling and looking a bit wilted? You’re not alone. It’s that time of year when we’re all looking for ways to escape the summer heat and humidity.
In Florida, that means heading indoors for family fun and renewing friendships while seeing something new and perhaps even learning a little bit while school’s out for the summer. (Thank you Willis Haviland Carrier and Frederick McKinley Jones, the inventors of modern-air conditioning.)
Among our top choices? Head to a local museum or theater and try to become more literate and cultured than you were last week. But don’t go alone. Take the grands along! Grandma and grandpa as well as the mini-grands AKA your children, your progeny, your descendants. Or a couple of friends or neighbors. You’ll all learn something new and talk to each other about it for bonding conversations that improve relationships and make lasting memories to cherish for years to come.
Number one on our list at the moment? Visit or re-visit the Tampa Bay History Center in downtown Tampa to see new exhibits, some temporary, some permanent.
Be sure to check out Travails and Triumphs,
a new permanent exhibit with 100 artifacts that tell the history of people of African descent whose families have lived and labored in the Tampa Bay Area for over 500 years. Read more about the exhibit in this previous
83 Degrees story by reporter Phil Morgan.
“We wanted to expand our African American history story,” History Center President C.J. Roberts told reporter Paul Guzzo of the Tampa Bay Times in
a recent story. “Those stories had been woven through our other exhibits, but they were never really presented in a way where you could see the whole story in a comprehensive way.”
The exhibit was researched by Fred Hearns, the History Center’s
Curator of Black History who grew up in Tampa and is known as a leading scholar on all things related to the history of Blacks in America.
While you’re there, be sure to stop by the
Columbia Cafe for libations and a taste of Spanish cuisine. Who can resist a soup and/or salad and/or sandwich combo, for example? We especially love Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad and a pressed Cuban sandwich, served with plantain chips. And maybe share the Black Bean Cakes and/or the Calamares Fritos “A La Romana?” And a pitcher of sangria?
Oh, my! We’re getting a little hungry and ahead of ourselves.
Before you go, submit your email address for a chance to win free tickets (maximum 2) thanks to an ongoing media partnership between 83 Degrees and the Tampa Bay History Center.
Simply follow this link to enter:
ticket giveaway. We hope you'll enjoy your visit!
Editor's note: This story and others about history are made possible by underwriting partner support from the Tampa Bay History Center, which is partnering with 83 Degrees Media to help tell the stories of the history of all people in the West Central Florida region. Read additional stories tagged History.
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