![Downtown Tampa overlooking Seddon Channel - Eric Statzer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Downtown_Tampa_overlooking_Seddon_Channel_-_Eric_Statzer.jpg)
Downtown Tampa is the
central business district of
Tampa,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, United States, and the chief financial district of the
Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the Unite ...
.
It is second only to
Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown include
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
,
Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (known as Citizens Utilities Company until May 2000 and Citizens Communications Company until July 31, 2008) is an American telecommunications company. The company previously served primarily rural areas and s ...
,
Marshall & Ilsley,
PNC Financial Services,
SunTrust
SunTrust Banks, Inc. was an American bank holding company with SunTrust Bank as its largest subsidiary and assets of US$199 billion as of March 31, 2018. The bank's most direct corporate parent was established in 1891 in Atlanta, where it was h ...
,
Sykes Enterprises
Sykes Enterprises, Inc., stylized as SYKES, is an American multinational business process outsourcing provider headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The company provides business process outsourcing (BPO) services, IT consulting, and IT-enabled servic ...
,
TECO Energy
TECO Energy Inc. is an energy-related holding company based in Tampa, Florida, and a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric Company, which provides electricity to the Tampa Bay Area and parts of C ...
and
Truist Financial
Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was formed in December 2019 as the result of the merger of BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company) and SunTrust Banks. Its ...
. The
Tampa Convention Center
The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in downtown Tampa, Florida at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. It has both waterfront views of Tampa Bay and views of the city's skyline. Harbour Island is across the epony ...
is located on the river.
Description
Downtown Tampa is bounded by the
Hillsborough River to the west,
Channelside to the east,
Interstate 275 to the north,
Davis Islands and
Harbour Island to the south. The total area for the area is . Historical
Fort Brooke
Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native Seminoles who had been confined ...
was located at the southern end of downtown Tampa, near the mouth of the
Hillsborough River. The
TECO Streetcar takes passengers from downtown to other core areas of Tampa.
Municipal services
![Tampa City Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Tampa_City_Hall.jpg)
*
Tampa City Hall
*
Tampa Police Department
The Tampa Police Department (TPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Police Department has over 1,000 authorized sworn law enforcement personnel positions and more than 350 civilian and support staff ...
Arts and culture
Aquarium
![Florida Aquarium Channelside](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Florida_Aquarium_Channelside.jpg)
The
Florida Aquarium
The Florida Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, publicly operated institution located in downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It is a large scale, aquarium and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means ...
is a large scale, aquarium and is accredited by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in ...
. The facility is home to more than 20,000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and all over the world. The facility is located in the Channel District near the SS American Victory and the Port of Tampa's cruise terminals.
Museums
![Florida Museum of Photographic Arts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Florida_Museum_of_Photographic_Arts.jpg)
*The
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) occupies the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Cube, Rivergate Plaza's six-story atrium building. Since 2012, FMoPA has been located in the Cube, which was selected as one of the Top 100 buildings in Florida ...
(FMoPA) occupies the 2nd and 3rd floors of the architecturally significant Cube an adjacent to
Rivergate Tower. FMoPA is part of the Waterfront Arts District, along with the Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children's Museum, all located alongside the Tampa Riverwalk.
![Glazer Children's Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Glazer_Children%27s_Museum.jpg)
*The
Glazer Children’s Museum is located in central downtown, next door to the Tampa Museum of Art and Curtis Hixon Park, alongside the Tampa Riverwalk. It is part of the Waterfront Arts District. Based in a facility in downtown Tampa, Florida, the Museum has 170 hands-on exhibits in multiple themed areas. Exhibits are designed to engage children in the discovery process through play.
![Henry Plant Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Henry_Plant_Museum.jpg)
*The
Henry B. Plant Museum
The Henry B. Plant Museum (Plant Museum) is located in the south wing of Plant Hall on the University of Tampa's campus, located at 401 West Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa, Florida. Plant Hall was originally built by Henry B. Plant as the Tampa Bay Ho ...
is located in the south wing of Plant Hall on the University of Tampa’s campus, at 401 West Kennedy Boulevard. The museum's exhibits focus on the
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...
lifestyle of the old Tampa Bay Hotel’s guests during the 1890s, when Tampa was experiencing sudden population and economic growth, including the beginning of the local tourist industry.
*The
SS American Victory
SS ''American Victory'' is a Victory ship which saw brief service in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the final months of World War II, Korean War from 1951–1954, and Vietnam War from 1966–1969. Built in June 1945, she carried amm ...
a
Victory ship
The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were sli ...
built during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and is located in the Channel District near the Florida Aquarium. American Victory was preserved in 1998 to serve as a museum ship. She is the main feature of the American Victory Ship & Museum, also known as the American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship.
![Tampa Bay History Center 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Tampa_Bay_History_Center_1.jpg)
*The
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa Bay History Center is a history museum in Tampa, Florida. Exhibits include coverage of the Tampa Bay area's first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, and historical figures who shaped the area's history, as well as a reproduction of ...
is history museum located in the southern part of downtown near the Channel District and
Amalie Arena
Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tampa Bay Lightni ...
. Exhibits include coverage of the Tampa Bay area's first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, and historical figures who shaped the area's history, as well as a reproduction of a 1920s cigar store.
![Tampa Museum of Art](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Tampa_Museum_of_Art.jpg)
*The
Tampa Museum of Art
The Tampa Museum of Art is located in downtown Tampa, Florida. It exhibits modern and contemporary art, as well as Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. The museum was founded in 1979 and debuted an award-winning new building in 2010 just north ...
is located in central downtown, next door to the Glazer Children’s Museum and Curtis Hixon Park, alongside the Tampa Riverwalk. The museum was founded in 1979 and debuted an innovative new building in 2010 on the banks of Hillsborough River just north of its original site. The current location is part of Tampa's Riverwalk and the Waterfront Arts District along with the Glazer Children's Museum and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and includes a gift shop and SONO Cafe, a restaurant operated by Mise En Place.
Performing arts
![Tbpac](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Tbpac.JPG)
The
David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, Florida in July 1987 and has welcomed more than 10 million guests. The Straz Center is located in northern downtown on a site along the east bank of the Hillsborough River. As the second largest performing arts complex in the Southeastern United States (behind the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts), the venue provides an environment for a variety of events. It has a leading Broadway series, produces grand opera, is the home of the resident professional theater company
Jobsite Theater Jobsite Theater is an American professional theater company incorporated in 1999 and located in Tampa, Florida, United States. They are the resident theater company of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts (formerly Tampa Bay Performing Arts Ce ...
, and also presents a wide variety of concerts and other events.
Theaters
![Tampa Theater](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Tampa_Theater.jpg)
The
Tampa Theatre
The Tampa Theatre is a historic U.S. theater and city landmark in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Designed as an atmospheric theatre style movie palace by architect John Eberson, it opened on October 15, 1926.
The theatre features a wide range of ind ...
a historic
U.S. theater and city landmark in the Uptown District of downtown Tampa, Florida. On January 3, 1978, it was added to the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Theatre features a wide range of independent, foreign, and documentary films on a daily basis. It is Tampa's only non-profit movie theater and operating costs are largely covered by its membership program, various corporate sponsors as well as ticket sales. It has periodically been used as a backdrop for movies, MTV videos and local programming.
Downtown Districts
Uptown District
Also known as the River Arts District, this northwestern chunk of downtown contains the majority of nightlife and dining in the neighborhood. Important cultural landmarks such as
Tampa Theatre
The Tampa Theatre is a historic U.S. theater and city landmark in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Designed as an atmospheric theatre style movie palace by architect John Eberson, it opened on October 15, 1926.
The theatre features a wide range of ind ...
,
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
The Straz Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1987 as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and was renamed in 2009.
The Straz Center is located downtown on a site along the e ...
, the John F. Germany public library,
Glazer Children's Museum
The Glazer Children's Museum is a non-profit children's museum located in downtown Tampa, Florida, next to the Tampa Museum of Art and Curtis Hixon Park, alongside the Tampa Riverwalk. It is part of the Waterfront Arts District.
Housed in a 53 ...
, and the
Tampa Museum of Art
The Tampa Museum of Art is located in downtown Tampa, Florida. It exhibits modern and contemporary art, as well as Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. The museum was founded in 1979 and debuted an award-winning new building in 2010 just north ...
are all centered around
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is an public park located along the Hillsborough river in downtown Tampa, Florida that opened in its current configuration in 2010. It is adjacent to the Tampa Riverwalk, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tam ...
, which has been called "Tampa's town square". Collectively, this area represents the focal point of downtown proper due to having a large concentration of interest points and establishments.
Channel District
Although technically downtown,
Channelside is often thought to be adjacent to the main CBD. This district is the location for many prominent downtown venues. The
Tampa Convention Center
The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in downtown Tampa, Florida at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. It has both waterfront views of Tampa Bay and views of the city's skyline. Harbour Island is across the epony ...
,
Amalie Arena
Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tampa Bay Lightni ...
,
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa Bay History Center is a history museum in Tampa, Florida. Exhibits include coverage of the Tampa Bay area's first native inhabitants, Spanish conquistadors, and historical figures who shaped the area's history, as well as a reproduction of ...
, the
Florida Aquarium
The Florida Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, publicly operated institution located in downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It is a large scale, aquarium and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means ...
and the
SS American Victory
SS ''American Victory'' is a Victory ship which saw brief service in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the final months of World War II, Korean War from 1951–1954, and Vietnam War from 1966–1969. Built in June 1945, she carried amm ...
are located in the Channel District. Twin 30 story condos were completed in 2007, called the
Towers of Channelside. Many other residential mid and high-rises have been completed since. Many locals know the Channel District (often abbreviated to Channelside in local parlance) for its nightlife. The
Channelside Bay Plaza
Channel District is a residential neighborhood in the City of Tampa that includes an entertainment complex, just east of Downtown Tampa, Florida. It is bordered by Ybor Channel, Tampa, Ybor Channel on the east and Garrison Channel, Tampa, Garrison ...
, which has views of the downtown skyline, is located in the middle of the district. Entrepreneurs have founded companies that operate
NEVs to shuttle clubgoers to/from Channelside and Tampa's other core districts:
Hyde Park,
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
, Downtown, and
Ybor City.
University Area
The University area is the city's educational hub and is the location of
The University of Tampa a medium-sized private co-educational university. Making up the City's western boundary and located just across the Hillsborough River from downtown the university is home to 6,900 students.
Encore
The northern half of downtown is undergoing huge construction projects including retail, condos, and a large grocery store. The district, which will fill the gray zone between Downtown and
Historic Ybor, will be called "Encore" and will be a "city within a city."
/sup>
/sup>
/sup> A stimulus grant amounting $38 million was secured to help fund the project, the remaining to be derived from private funding. It is expected to create thousands of jobs for the area including at least 1,000 permanent ones.
/sup>
/sup>
/sup> The district is being created with its African-American heritage in mind, having been built over the site of the former Central Avenue Business District and later Central Park housing project.
Riverwalk
The Tampa Riverwalk is a 2.4 mile long walking and biking trail that winds along the edge of Tampa's downtown, running along the Hillsborough River and the Garrison Channel from the Channel District
Channel District is a residential neighborhood in the City of Tampa that includes an entertainment complex, just east of Downtown Tampa, Florida. It is bordered by Ybor Channel on the east and Garrison Channel on the south. Channelside is a nick ...
on the southeast end to Waterworks Park to the northwest. The Riverwalk's wide pathways, boardwalks, and bridges connect most of Tampa's waterfront parks, attractions, sports and entertainment venues, and hotels, including the Tampa Convention Center
The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in downtown Tampa, Florida at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. It has both waterfront views of Tampa Bay and views of the city's skyline. Harbour Island is across the epony ...
, Amalie Arena
Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tampa Bay Lightni ...
, the Straz Center, and many others.
The idea for the Riverwalk was first proposed by mayor Bill Poe in the mid-1970s as a way to redevelop Tampa's downtown waterfront, which had long been dominated by large warehouses, port facilities, and other industrial uses. The project was initiated in 1976 with a short walkway of wooden planks behind old Curtis Hixon Hall
Curtis Hixon Hall was an indoor sports arena, convention center, concert venue, and special events center which was located at 600 Ashley Drive along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa, Florida. It opened in 1965, and was the primary co ...
. However, funding and interest waned, and the project stalled for almost 30 years until mayor Pam Iorio
Pamela Dorothy Iorio (born April 27, 1959) is an American politician and author, who served as mayor of Tampa, Florida from 2003 to 2011.
Early life, education, and family
Iorio moved with her family to Temple Terrace as an infant and attended H ...
made completing the project a city priority upon taking office in 2003. Construction began in phases in the mid-2000s, and the originally planned Riverwalk was completed in 2016, with further extensions to be added on both ends. The total cost of the completed project will be about $32 million, with most of the funds coming the city of Tampa along with a $11 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States a ...
.
Hotels and accommodations
Downtown Tampa has 9 hotels located throughout the downtown core that create a total of 2,791 rooms. Major hotels in downtown are:
*Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Downtown with 141 rooms is located in northern downtown in the arts district.
* Embassy Suites Tampa Downtown with 360 rooms is located in the south part of downtown and is connected via skybridge to the Tampa Convention Center.
* Barrymore Hotel Plaza Hotel with 316 rooms
*Hilton Hotel Downtown Tampa with 521 rooms
*Residence Inn By Marriott Tampa Downtown with 109 rooms is located in northern downtown in the arts district.
*Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel with 277 rooms is located in the center of downtown and sits along the Hillsborough River and the riverwalk.
*Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina with 719 rooms is in southern downtown and is situated between the convention center and the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
*Westin Hotels
Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline.
History Wester ...
Harbour Island with 299 rooms is located on Harbour Island and is just south of the convention center.
The following are boutique hotels:
* Aloft Hotels is in the former 8 story Mercantile Bank building. The hotel has 130 rooms and includes Aloft brand’s signature W XYZ bar and is located along the Hillsborough River
* Floridan Palace Hotel with 193 rooms, 15 Junior Executive Suites, and 3 Penthouse Suits is located in northern downtown near the Tampa Theatre
The Tampa Theatre is a historic U.S. theater and city landmark in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Designed as an atmospheric theatre style movie palace by architect John Eberson, it opened on October 15, 1926.
The theatre features a wide range of ind ...
* Le Méridien in the old County Courthouse Building with 130 rooms.
Transportation
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (also known as the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART)) provides public transportation for Hillsborough County, Florida. The agency provides fixed-route local and express bus service, door-to-door paratransit ...
(HART) operates Tampa's public transportation. HART operates many bus lines through downtown and also operates the TECO Line Streetcar
The TECO Line Streetcar is a heritage streetcar transit line in Tampa, Florida, run by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority (HART), owned by the city of Tampa, and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc. It connects Downtown ...
, a 2.7 mile streetcar line that extends from central downtown through Channelside and into Ybor
Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly from Cuba, Spai ...
. HART's main hub, the Marion Transit Center is located in the north end of downtown and is serviced by 30 local and express routes and a future stop for HART's MetroRapid Green Line.
See also
*Bayshore Boulevard
Bayshore Boulevard is a waterfront road on Hillsborough Bay in South Tampa, Florida. Located south of downtown Tampa
Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the ...
, street known for its long sidewalk and waterfront view. Runs due southwest from downtown to Hyde Park and SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
* Harbour Island, adjacent to downtown and channelside south across the Garrison Channel.
* Hyde Park, historic neighborhood southwest of downtown abutting Bayshore and Kennedy Blvd.
* Tampa Heights, historic neighborhood just north of downtown, now northern end of Riverwalk.
* Westshore, a business district located adjacent to Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective December 30, 2021. T ...
and Rocky Point. This area actually eclipses downtown itself for most jobs in the region.
* Ybor City, historic district adjacent to downtown from the northeast.
References
External links
Official City of Tampa Website
Official Tourism Website
Downtown Tampa Guide
Tampa Downtown – Hillsborough Community Atlas
Collection of historic downtown Tampa photos
{{Tampa neighborhoods
Tampa, Downtown
Economy of Tampa, Florida
Neighborhoods in Tampa, Florida
Populated places on Tampa Bay