Samantha Brown's Places to Love

– Samantha: I'm in a city that lives just beyond the spotlight, located along a bay built by hard work, fueled by immigration and carried forward by people with determination and drive.

A destination where culture, nature and history overlap in unexpected ways that deliver one hidden gem after the next.

From a traveler's perspective, it's a city not well known, but after this, there will be no staying silent.

[ Rooster crows ] I'm in Tampa Bay, Florida.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world, and I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my Places To Love.

Major funding of "Places to Love" provided by Oceania Cruises.

– Announcer: A journey aboard Oceania Cruises is designed to cultivate curiosity.

Evenings offer craft spirits, international wines and dishes prepared by our master chefs.

That's the Oceania Cruises small ship experience.

– Announcer: Ever wonder where your sense of wonder went?

Maybe it's winding its way along the banks of the Colorado River or waiting in the shadows of giant canyons or maybe it's revealed in all the moments in between.

Introducing Canyon Spirit, a rail experience between Denver, Moab and Salt Lake City.

Canyon Spirit, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

– Announcer: Railbookers helps you discover the world by train.

From bucket-list dreams to iconic scenic journeys, a Railbookers itinerary includes trains, hotels, sightseeing, transfers and more.

Railbookers offers guests a seamless way to explore the globe on vacation.

– Announcer: Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.

For a city to be considered great, it still needs to have that district that gives us a sense of where it all began.

Like, where did the city get its start?

And for Tampa, it's Ybor City.

This was founded in the late 1800s, and it still has its buildings from a bygone era.

There are red-brick roads, even a trolley system, streetcars that take you to downtown Tampa.

[ Trolley bell dings ] It's also known for free-roaming, street-smart chickens, descendants from livestock of Ybor City's immigrant communities from over a hundred years ago.

They are now higher on the pecking order as a beloved part of the community.

Ybor City is even designated a bird sanctuary, which protects them from being trapped, harmed or harassed.

And they're not the only thing in Ybor City dating back that far.

– Drew: The cigar industry built Tampa in 1885, and so what Tampa is today is a direct legacy of the cigar makers and the families and the businesses that came here and built our city 140 years ago.

– Samantha: J.C.

Newman was one of 200 cigar factories in Tampa.

Today, they are the only factory of its kind left in the United States.

-My great grandfather started as a one-man cigar factory in the barn behind our family house in Cleveland, Ohio, and he grew from that one-man shop to progressively larger factories.

And here we are, four generations later, still rolling cigars the same way that he did in 1895.

Down here in the basement is where the wrapper, the outer leaves of tobacco are prepared.

But we can't roll cigars with dry tobacco.

The leaves will simply crack.

We have to rehydrate the leaves, adding moisture back to them so they can be stretched and pliable.

– Samantha: Once they're pliable, the leaves head up to the third floor.

So these machines are almost 100 years old.

– Drew: They are.

– Samantha: If we put, like, a black and white filter on this, we could pass this off as 19, you know, 35, right?

How do you keep them working?

-We've got a team of mechanics.

We have a full machine shop, a full-time carpenter, full-time electrician, and really a dedicated team that keeps it all humming along.

-And these are the leaves that we saw in the basement.

– Drew: Exactly, yeah.

– Samantha: So then they come up to floor two.

-Yes.

-And then the filler is added.

– Drew: Yes.

The filler is prepared on the third floor.

The outer wrapper is prepared in the basement and they come here to the second floor.

They'll be rolled together in the same way that we did 100 years ago.

– Samantha: The third floor is where the bespoke hand-rolled cigars are created, and they offer classes on how to roll your own.

They even get to test for quality control.

From Ybor City, you can take the free trolley 15 minutes to downtown Tampa and it's revitalized Riverwalk.

Public spaces, museums, and a university all sit along its length.

So I feel like Tampa is, to me, this massive city, and there's so many different parts to it.

But the river and the Riverwalk, it really gives us a sense of the energy and the culture that is -- that is Tampa.

-It's almost a lifeline for Tampa because it connects all the different neighborhoods.

I heard when my grandparents were young, it was, like, yucky to live on the river, which is kind of mind-blowing.

– Samantha: I'm at the restaurant Ulele and this is Andrea Gonzmart, a fifth-generation restaurateur.

Her great great grandfather in 1905 founded the famous Columbia restaurant in Ybor City, where she started working at the age of 10.

Do you feel like a part of being a restaurateur is also being able to tell a story?

-The story is everything.

There's a story behind the name of the restaurant.

Ulele was a famous princess from the Tocobaga Indian tribe.

And so this was the land that they lived on and ate in and grew their families.

– Samantha: Wow.

– Andrea: The idea behind the menu is we try to bring back the things you think they would have eaten.

So we have our famous charbroiled oysters, which have Parmesan cheese, butter and garlic.

You kind of can't go wrong.

They're delicious.

And then we have our native chili.

It has four in it.

It has duck, ground chuck, alligator in it.

– Samantha: Whoa.

– Andrea: Venison.

So this is literally like a true Native American chili.

So we try to bring those indigenous things, like the oysters.

And we're trying to bring oysters back to Tampa Bay right now because it filters the water.

We've got okra, which grows probably all over Florida.

-Yes.

-Fried.

It's so simple, so great.

No breading.

So kind of not very traditional.

– Samantha: Okay.

– Andrea: Got fresh lime juice and then our homemade ketchup and sea salt.

-No Ybor chicken.

-No!

[ Both laughing ] The chickens are protected in Ybor.

-Exactly.

[ Both laughing ] Tatiana, I feel like we're sort of in this hidden gem of Tampa Bay.

– Tatiana: We're at Mobbly Bayou, and this is a little estuary that leads into the old Tampa Bay, which is the biggest estuary in the state of Florida.

Tampa Bay is.

This is the part that a lot of people don't get to explore because they don't know about it.

I am Tatiana Cox Lopez.

I am the co-founder of Tampa Bay Kayak Anglers.

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to ethical angling, safe boating and promoting conservation efforts.

– Samantha: We're using sit-on-top kayaks with the pedal system that allows anglers to focus on fishing and not paddling.

It makes us feel like we're taking a walk through the woods.

So we're on a trail, a paddle trail?

– Tatiana: We're in a paddling trail, just like you would go walking in a trail.

You just paddle and they're numbered so you won't get lost.

You can explore.

You can get your exercise, your mental break.

This is the best of Florida for me.

– Samantha: We made it to Tatiana's lucky fishing spot.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that whenever cameras are rolling, we're pretty much guaranteed to not catch a fish.

In fact, I've never caught one in my life.

– Tatiana: You pitch the line, open bail.

– Samantha: Open the bail.

– Tatiana: Cast, and then close.

You're gonna catch a fish today.

-Woo-hoo!

What do I do?

What do I do?

-You're gonna reel.

You're gonna reel.

Reel.

Keep that closed and you start reeling.

And then -- Yep.

-I think I got a shark.

-Go ahead.

Go ahead.

You got this.

– Samantha: I've never caught a fish before, so at this point, I really don't know what to do.

– Tatiana: I told you my friends live here.

I've really got -- Yeah, yeah.

Uh-oh.

Alright, let me see.

I think he took you under a branch, so let's open it.

-I think he got out.

Yep.

Another camera-shy fish.

He was that.

But Tatiana saw it another way.

-That means they're there.

-Okay.

-We know they're there.

-Alright.

-So we're gonna go for it.

– Samantha: So you must have done all types of fishing.

Why do you prefer this?

– Tatiana: I love to escape the sounds of the city.

– Samantha: Mm-hmm.

-It's easier to get to these spots through kayaks than anything else.

And one of my personal missions is to get more women out on the water, especially kayak fishing.

This is so good, not only for the physical aspect of it, the exercise, but also mental health.

-Well, I don't disagree.

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

-Yep, yep.

-Oh.

-Yes, yes, yes.

Go ahead.

Here we go.

-Keep going?

Keep going?

-Yep, keep going.

– Samantha: Oh!

[ Laughing ] Oh, my gosh!

I've been doing this for 25 years.

I've never -- Don't.

You're gonna let him go.

– Tatiana: No, no.

– Samantha: Oh.

Okay.

– Tatiana: Listen.

Mission completed.

-Wow.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] It has been a pleasure.

It's been a true pleasure.

Alright.

Thank you.

Go tell your friends.

-Go tell them you're famous.

-We're gonna need you to sign a release!

Come back!

Tampa has a jewel rarely found in cities -- Tampa Theatre, a national historic site and a nonprofit movie palace.

What's a movie palace, you ask?

This is incredible.

– John: Right?

– Samantha: Totally different than a theater.

– John: Totally different than a theater.

Because movie palaces were built in this, like, little specific, wonderful window of time in the 1920s when the movie studios had all this money and they just were selling so many tickets, they just began to build more and more theaters, bigger theaters, ridiculous theaters, over-the-top theaters like this.

And they were called movie palaces because that's exactly what they were.

– Samantha: When I go to the movie theater, the movie is what transports me to somewhere else.

But here the actual theater is doing it as well.

-The theater's architect -- Tampa Theatre's architect John Eberson -- invented this style of architecture.

So instead of, like, gold leaf everywhere and a chandelier hanging and a beautiful ceiling, he decided to sort of literally take the top off and create this illusion that you're in this romantic Mediterranean courtyard at night.

– Samantha: John Bell has been at the helm of this 1,200-seat historic site for 40 years.

– John: This was built for the common man and woman who had never had access to opulence on this scale before.

It was built for them.

– Samantha: How much was it?

– John: It was 25 cents to get in.

Right?

So by 1929, the movies were so popular in America that 90 million tickets a week were being sold to motion pictures.

– Samantha: What was the population?

– John: The population was 130 million across America, but 90 million tickets a week were being sold.

– Samantha: The Tampa Theater has something that I did not know existed any longer.

And I thought, "Oh, my gosh."

And that is, it plays silent films, and it has the organ and an organist who plays along the silent film.

[ Organ playing ] There's nothing quite like riding up on this, this theater organ It's not every day you get to make an entrance like this.

Wow.

Wow.

This is pretty cool.

– John: I know.

– Samantha: I mean, come on.

– John: Yeah.

This is like the "E" ticket in Tampa Theatre.

-So this is the organ that played for the silent films.

-Mm-hmm.

-Plays for the silent films.

Is it the original?

-Actually, this console is a little bit different than the original, but it's the pipes.

The pipes are original.

-Okay.

– John: Of the 3,000 theater organs that were put into theaters in America in the 1920s, only 40 are in their original homes.

– Samantha: Oh, my gosh.

– John: This is one of them.

– Samantha: So I'm looking here now, and the pedals say train, beep, cymbal.

-You only find those on a theater organ, right?

Because there's special effects.

Because stuff happens in a... -You mean Johann Sebastian Bach didn't write... -He did not have an oogah horn.

-...toots into any of his... -Not an oogah horn in his score anywhere.

– Samantha: And John let me take the organ for a spin.

-Take your left foot and press and hold the siren button.

[ Siren blaring ] -Samantha: [ Laughing ] -John: Okay.

And then we have an oogah horn next to it.

– Samantha: Oh.

Oogah!

[ Oogah horn plays ] [ Laughing ] -So all these effects were happening.

I mean, it must be a blast to play this.

-Oh, my gosh.

-I wish I could, but I can't play it.

– Samantha: So you're playing a silent film here, and there's an organist that plays along with the silent film.

– John: Yes.

– Samantha: That's so magical.

– John: We have an artist in residence.

His name is Dr.

Steven Ball, and he has got a PhD in organ performance.

He writes his own scores, he performs, he's magnificent.

And he just draws you into the film.

So for people who've never seen a silent film before... -Samantha: Yeah, yeah.

– John: ...like, five minutes into this thing, you're hooked.

– Samantha: Tampa Theatre hosts over 700 events each year with an emphasis on first-run, classic, and, yes, even silent films.

– John: I hate the fact that the people call them silent films because they were never silent.

– Samantha: The Tampa Theatre isn't the only historic building bringing people together.

A more recent renovation happened in this 1891 building.

Oxford Exchange is a clubby gathering place with shopping, drinking and pouring.

Candles, that is.

My nose is getting a workout at The Candle Pour, where you craft your own customized candle by carefully choosing up to four scents and then mixing.

-We ask like, "Where is it gonna live?"

You know?

-Sure.

-So if it's a bathroom candle, we would probably go more fresh or, you know, in the living room.

But sometimes -- Like, a kitchen candle could either be super clean or somebody wants it more gourmand.

– Samantha: But never rule out the power of sense memory and scents memory.

– Misty: It's like the tomato leaf.

I grew up on a farm.

– Samantha: Oh.

-So, like, as soon as I smell that, it just takes me back to, like, riding on the farm with my dad and, like, you know, it's just really neat how scents can do that, like, immediately.

– Samantha: Once I've chosen my four, it's time to blend them.

The wax is poured.

We down the shot.

– Samantha: ...and stir for two minutes.

-Just to make sure we blend it completely.

– Samantha: I've got two hours to kill for the wax to set.

What to do, what to do?

Just outside of Tampa is the stunning natural refuge, Hillsborough River State Park.

It's what the locals call the real Florida.

And I'm here with a real Floridian.

Lauren, I have seen you ice fish in Norway.

I have seen you scuba dive and snorkel, but you feel like this is one of your favorite places to get outdoors and have some adventure.

– Lauren: When I get to be home, right, this is a nice place to just disconnect, to kind of just be one.

I like to meditate, forest-bathe a little, and even if there's people, you still feel like you're just getting away.

I am Lauren Gay, the Outdoorsy Diva, and I'm an adventure, travel content creator.

I lead group trips, and my whole mission is to empower people, particularly women, to step out of their comfort zones and to embrace nature as their therapy.

– Samantha: This is such a great bridge.

It moves just -- just enough to make you think, "Okay, this was built in 1930."

[ Both laughing ] Below us is the Hillsborough River, the very same one that flows through Tampa and out into the bay.

– Lauren: Being outdoors is not something that I grew up doing.

It wasn't innate to me, and so I wanted people to not feel how I felt.

I didn't see representation.

I didn't see other single moms.

I didn't see a lot of black people doing outdoorsy things.

And so I thought, "Hey, why not be that representation?"

– Samantha: Lauren takes me to her favorite spot.

Rapids in Florida?

– Lauren: Rapids in Florida.

I think class-2 rapids.

This is as close as I can get to, like, a close waterfall.

– Samantha: It's a place that feels like it's out of a painting with wildlife posing for you as well.

Herons fly... Oh, my gosh!

...and gators rest.

– Lauren: Oh, looks like there's two alligators.

-Are they usually that little here?

-They can get up to 10 feet.

It's just about being in nature, exploring, having that adventure.

– Samantha: On every Sunday for the last 30 years, there is a culinary event that in one afternoon showcases the diversity, hospitality and foodie city that Tampa is.

-Thai people love tasty, spicy and delicious food.

-Is this American Thai or Thai Thai spice?

-Half and half.

[ Laughter ] -I'm Joy Maney.

I had been volunteer for Wat Mongkolratanaram of Florida for a few years.

I've been enjoyed very much to meet everyone and very proud to be part of the community and so grateful to see every nationality come to see our temple.

Our temple has started with a humble beginning.

We established in 1981, but at that time, we hasn't had any market or anything yet.

12 years later, in 1993, our committee has come up with the idea that we should have the market.

We start with the giant pot of soup, which is our favorite, especially in the winter.

And we have grown to be today with all the big many stalls of food and many volunteers to participate.

-I feel like a total amateur because I got everything.

Like, I ate with my eyes first, and now I'm eating with my mouth.

-Absolutely.

We eat with our eyes first.

– Samantha: Thailand may be thousands of miles away, but here along the river, it feels a lot closer.

And I see that some people actually arrive by boat.

– Joy: They did, and they can dock right there.

It is great.

It's amazing.

-So you have the temple.

It's a Buddhist temple.

-Yes.

-You teach Buddhism.

You practice the traditions of Buddhism here.

How large is then your... I want to say congregation, but, you know, the -- your members of your temple.

How many?

– Joy: I would say more than 10,000.

I would say at least.

– Samantha: Whoa.

– Joy: We're teaching meditation here.

We teach our children would be the place for us to gather.

-And eat.

-And eat.

-Because if you feed people first.

-Absolutely.

-And then they love you.

-Food bring everybody together.

Because when you eat the food, you kind of know about the person, right?

Yeah.

So, you know what are we about, try our food.

– Samantha: Back in Ybor City, a yoga class is held one Sunday a month at Hotel Haya, and it's clucking awesome.

-Instructor, Colleen: Taking hands behind the neck, opening through the underarms, lifting chin a little higher, winding hands all the way down into tabletop pose.

Taking a minute to align your body to also remind yourself that we are in a yoga class with chickens, but just keep the yoga poses going.

The occasional pet of the chicken is alright.

-I'm Dylan Breese.

I'm the founder of the Ybor Misfits Microsanctuary.

So we have a historic feral flock in the streets.

The ones who have something going on, they're hurt, they're sick, or maybe they were illegally abandoned are the ones that we bring in.

And since they no longer fit with the feral flock, we call them the misfits.

And they come to the sanctuary with us.

– Samantha: So whose idea was it for chicken yoga?

-It was actually Hotel Haya.

And she, um, was trying to get as many Ybor-centric things started here with the hotel.

-Uh-huh... -And one of the first calls she made was to us and she suggested chicken yoga, and we thought it was a fantastic idea.

– Samantha: You did?

Because when I first heard about it, I thought, "Well, this is kind of gimmicky.

Is it really gonna be something that...?"

And it's lovely.

I had no idea, like, how warm -- They feel like little, like, hot-water bottles... -Dylan: Absolutely.

– Samantha: ...against your skin.

And they're really -- They are calming.

It is a tranquil experience with the chickens.

-And they love it, too.

A lot of them had to receive some care.

-Yes.

-So they're in the house getting their care, being rehabbed, and they get used to being held.

And if you feel they're even vibrating, sometimes.

They purr.

-Yes.

-Because they're so content, so happy.

-And these are diapers?

-Diapers.

– Samantha: The ones that I come upon on the streets, though, they're -- they're pretty skittish.

Like, I can't hold them like this.

– Dylan: No, they don't want to be anywhere near you.

– Samantha: Exactly.

So why are these chickens different?

-Well, some of them are drop-offs.

So she was a pet that somebody decided they didn't want anymore.

-Oh, okay.

-Others just had a long rehab process with a lot of hand-holding.

Um, a lot of care.

So they got used to it.

-So these can never be set out on the streets of Ybor City.

They're now yours.

They're your misfits.

-Right.

Although we will adopt some out to qualified homes.

-Okay.

I always love how animals, even chickens, humanize us.

– Dylan: I would say the highlight is just seeing how the change in the community, um, they've come to embrace them so much more.

They were always here, but it wasn't a big deal.

It was normal.

Now they're kind of a big deal and I feel like we were a part of that.

– Samantha: I'm ending my time in Tampa at a legendary spot with full endorsement from the chickens.

Bern's Steak House.

Opened in 1956, it's known for its cut-to-order, dry-aged steaks and a 200-page wine list.

But I'm going to skip the first course and get right to the "of course."

Lauren and I are doing a second hike upstairs to its one-of-a-kind dessert room, where we'll be enjoying a classic Bananas Foster.

This room is so special, you need a separate reservation to be seated.

Whoo!

Nice!

– Server: Fireworks.

Little cinnamon.

– Lauren: My favorite part.

-Tampa Bay has a little bit of everything.

And it's, to me, one of the greatest city in the world.

We have everything from food to theme parks to beaches.

But not many people know about kayak fishing.

And you don't have to go very far.

-I love the fact that we're in a desert-only space.

I love this idea that there's a second location for desert where you get sat in these, like, cubbyholes and you have it to yourself.

It's just so unique, right?

– Drew: Cigars built Tampa 140 years ago.

But today Tampa is full of -- of -- of history, culture, great food, nature.

Tampa is an undiscovered place and we can't wait for you to see it.

-This is their famous macadamia nut ice cream.

Have you ever heard about it?

It's, like, famous.

-I have not.

The city itself has this rich history.

They've done a great job in bringing that Riverwalk to life.

I think it's just awakened the whole city.

So it really is just a great place to live, but also to come and play.

– Samantha: I'm not sure what the phone is for.

Is that use it like if we need something else?

Like if we need a 10th dessert?

-Ybor City is the crown jewel of Tampa.

It's the historic Latin Quarter.

It's on the National Historic Landmark District list, and it's a place where everybody can come and feel welcome and have a great time and see some adorable wild chickens.

[ Rooster crows ] -And that's why Tampa is a Place To Love.

One more time.

You just need it one more time.

[ Rooster crows ] For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Major funding of "Places to Love" provided by Oceania Cruises.

– Announcer: A journey aboard Oceania Cruises is designed to cultivate curiosity.

Evenings offer craft spirits, international wines and dishes prepared by our master chefs.

That's the Oceania Cruises small ship experience.

– Announcer: Ever wonder where your sense of wonder went?

Maybe it's winding its way along the banks of the Colorado River or waiting in the shadows of giant canyons or maybe it's revealed in all the moments in between.

Introducing Canyon Spirit, a rail experience between Denver, Moab and Salt Lake City.

Canyon Spirit, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

– Announcer: Railbookers helps you discover the world by train.

From bucket-list dreams to iconic scenic journeys, a Railbookers itinerary includes trains, hotels, sightseeing, transfers and more.

Railbookers offers guests a seamless way to explore the globe on vacation.

– Announcer: Since 1975, we've inspired adults to learn and travel in the United States and in more than 100 countries.

From exploring our national parks to learning about art and culture in Italy, we've introduced adults to places, ideas and friends.

We are Road Scholar.

We make the world our classroom.