For the last 10 years, author Kristen Hare has filled weekends and vacations with adventures around the state. Her book 100 Things To Do In Tampa Bay Before You Die is now in its third edition. It took about that long for her to realize she still wasn’t quite living up to her motto, “don’t let the tourists have all the fun.”

Why? Because the tourists were getting to enjoy Florida’s historic hotels, motels and inns, and she only sometimes wandered in for a cold drink or a look-see.

After learning about few Tampa Bay lodgings through obituaries she wrote, Kristen pitched the idea to her publisher for a book dedicated to the stories and histories of Florida’s hotels, motels and inns.

The book based on that work, Hotels, Motels and Inns of Florida: Historic and Beloved Places to Stay in the Sunshine State tells the stories of more than 60 properties around the state that are still operating. It includes a section on the once-thriving hotels, motels and inns owned by Black Floridians through the Jim Crow era. And you’ll find a handful of modern marvels. (Who has a guitar-shaped hotel and a tiny village of Pyramids? Florida does.)

Pictured above: Guests at Beach Haven Villas (Image courtesy Beach Haven Villas) Pictured on About The Book: Venetian Pool, Coral Gables (Image courtesy Digital Commonwealth)