Walk Among the Dead….Gothic Graveyard Walk in Downtown Tampa
October 21st, 2008 | Published in Tampa-St. Petersburg
Singles Meetups > TBSAM *** Tampa Bay Singles Adventurers Meetup
Come walk among the dead with TBSAM! Join us for a guided tour of Tampa’s oldest cemetery. Get creeped out and bug bitten on a fall afternoon while strolling back and forth among a garden variety of headstones with noted Tampa historian Maureen Patrick. Those in our group who went last year will attest to her vast knowledge of Tampa and tombstone history.
Dressed in a mourning period costume Ms. Patrick in character wanders around the various graves telling stories of Tampa’s most notorious and prominent citizens, religious customs and taboos, Civil War History, and graphic graveyard and Yellow Fever stories of the 1800′s.
OK, so maybe it’s not your idea of fresh air but we attended this last year and it was awesome!
We will meet just outside the cemetery at 3:15 PM and then proceed inside before 3:30 PM when the tour starts. Allow time for parking since there is only street parking nearby. Meters shouldn’t be checked on Sunday afternoon but park at your own risk. The cemetery is near where a lot of downtown homeless hang out so I recommend parking as close as possible and look for us. Otherwise, you may very well think you have driven onto the set of Dawn of The Dead where zombies run. This is not a big exaggeration. You may also want to bring your camera since our guide will give you many photo ops.
The tour will last about one hour and involves a lot of standing with some reasonable walking. This will be a guided history tour around the graveyard. You will be standing and walking around but this is not going to be any sort of intense walk at all. It’s history and stories about Tampa and the graveyard.
NOTE: This is a legitimate historic tour and it is not designed to scare you. No one jumps out from behind trees.
More Details
Look under FILES to the left of this page for GOTHIC GRAVEYARD WALK to see the official flyer from the Tampa Historical Society.
DIRECTIONS
You are looking for Oaklawn Cemetery near Morgan and Harrison Streets in Downtown Tampa near I-275. See the red pushpin on the Google map at the top of the page by clicking on the location. You will be entering on the Harrison Street side. To find it on the map look about 3 blocks south of 275 and east of N. Orange.
To reach Oaklawn Cemetery, take I-275 South to Downtown East-West (Jefferson St.) exit. Stay far right at bottom of ramp. Go straight ahead at traffic signal; cemetery is on right. Street parking is adjacent to the graveyard.
For directions to any meetup don’t forget you can click on the location in blue under the WHERE at the top of any meetup event and get directions easily.
COST
$5 donation requested at tour’s end.
Benefits Tampa Historical Society, Inc.
www.tampahistoricalsociety.com
Information: (813) 831-5214 or info@historicguides.com
ANYONE UP FOR DOING SOMETHING AFTER THE MEETUP?
We can meetup after this for a bite if there is interest or any appetite left after the cemetery! Suggestions for places to go will include Gameworks and any places you guys want to suggest.
See you above ground!
Tampa, FL 33602 – USA
Sunday, October 26 at 3:15 PM
Attending: 20
Details: http://singles.meetup.com/1394/calendar/8812916/