Tampa Riverwalk
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The Tampa Riverwalk is a open space and pedestrian trail along the Hillsborough River in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. The Riverwalk extends along most of the
downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown ...
waterfront from the Channelside District on the eastern terminus to the mouth of the Hillsborough River and then north along the riverside to
Tampa Heights Tampa Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, situated in the central part of the city. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 16,393. Historic buildings in the area include the Tampa Free ...
, forming a continuous path that connects a multitude of parks, attractions, public spaces, and hotels. Among the notable points of interest along the Riverwalk are 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 ...
,
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 Lightning ...
, 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 ...
,
Rivergate Tower The Rivergate Tower, also known as the Sykes building or the Beer Can Building, is a skyscraper in Tampa, Florida. With 31 floors, it is the seventh tallest building in Tampa. Rivergate Tower's principal tenant is Sykes Enterprises, a publicly-t ...
,
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 ...
, Water Works Park, and the Waterfront Arts District which includes 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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
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 ...
. Locations along the Riverwalk play host to many community events, most notably the numerous festivals held at Curtis Hixon Park and the arrival of the "pirate ship" ''Jose Gasparilla'', which moors at the Riverwalk behind the Convention Center during the
Gasparilla Pirate Festival The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida almost every year since 1904. The theme of the festivities is a friendly invasion by the mythical pirate José Gaspar (also known as Gasp ...
. According to the city, the purpose of the Riverwalk is to "enhance the image of Tampa as a beautiful and unique destination" and highlight Tampa's waterfront.


Origin and description

Tampa's Riverwalk has its origins in the 1970s, when much of the downtown waterfront consisted of aging warehouses and industrial facilities related to the nearby
Port of Tampa Port Tampa Bay, known as the Port of Tampa until January 2014, is the largest port in the state of Florida and is overseen by the Tampa Port Authority, a Hillsborough County agency. The port is located in Tampa, Florida near downtown Tampa's Cha ...
. Tampa mayor
Bill Poe William F. Poe (July 22, 1931 – May 1, 2014) was the mayor of Tampa, Florida from 1974 to 1979. He later served as the Chairman of a Florida-based property and casualty insurance company. He served in the Air Force, and received his bachelor's ...
conceived the idea of a park and walkway behind
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 ...
, a civic center along the Hillsborough River that was one of the few public spaces in the area. The city built a short stretch of boardwalk on the east side of the river behind the Hall, but a lack of funds to buy adjoining properties and subsequent mayors' disinterest in the project paused further construction. Tampa renewed its push to revitalize its "desolate" downtown in the mid-1980s, and over the next decade, obsolete Curtis Hixon Hall was replaced by a riverside park and the Tampa Convention Center, Amalie Arena, and 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 ...
were constructed with mostly public funds along the waterfront. However, change was limited by many underutilized spaces and poor transportation options inside the downtown area. In 2002, mayoral candidate
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 ...
pledged to jumpstart the Riverwalk project if elected. She won, and construction soon began on two parks behind
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 Lightning ...
and a connecting pathway along the
Garrison Channel The Garrison Channel is one of several channels for boat traffic in and around the Port of Tampa in the City of Tampa, Florida. The Garrison Channel is anchored by the Channelside District on the East, leads to the Ybor and Sparkman Channel and ...
. The Riverwalk progressed in phases over the next few years with funds from the city, a $20 million fundraising campaign, and occasional state and federal grants. The project reached a significant milestone in 2010 when
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 ...
, a new
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 ...
, and the
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 ...
all opened near the location of the original 1970s boardwalk, which had been replaced by the widest portion of the modern Riverwalk directly across the river from the
University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...
.
Bob Buckhorn Robert Francis Buckhorn Jr. (born July 29, 1958) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Tampa, Florida from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party who also served two terms on the Tampa City Council. Early life and ed ...
, who succeeded Iorio as Tampa's mayor, was a strong advocate for downtown redevelopment and continued the push to expand the Riverwalk. In 2014, a federal transportation grant was used to complete a $9.2 million boardwalk under the Kennedy Boulevard bridge, connecting all existing segments into one continuous path about two miles long. A further northward extension completed in 2016 stretched the path past the
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 ...
and under Interstate 275 to newly opened Waterworks Park in the adjoining neighborhood of
Tampa Heights Tampa Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, situated in the central part of the city. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 16,393. Historic buildings in the area include the Tampa Free ...
, bringing the total length of the Riverwalk to . Upon completion, Tampa's Riverwalk quickly became both a community gathering place and a busy non-vehicular corridor connecting various downtown attractions and hotels. Besides pedestrian traffic, bicycles and motorized scooters are available for rent at many stations along the path, and a
water taxi A water taxi or a water bus is a watercraft used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or o ...
provides service between the Riverwalk and nearby areas such as
Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...
,
West Tampa West Tampa is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, United States. It was an independently incorporated city from 1895 until 1925, when it was annexed by Tampa. West Tampa is located west of the Hillsborough ...
, Harbour Island, and Davis Islands. In addition, 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 ...
runs parallel to the Riverwalk along the Garrison Channel and provides a connection to the interior of downtown and the nearby historic neighborhood of
Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, 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 ...
.


Future plans

In 2022, the city announced plans to develop new segments of the Riverwalk along the west side of the Hillsborough River, across from the existing path. The west bank addition would stretch north into the neighborhood of
West Tampa West Tampa is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, United States. It was an independently incorporated city from 1895 until 1925, when it was annexed by Tampa. West Tampa is located west of the Hillsborough ...
and would be connected to a "Green Spine" of pedestrian and bike-friendly greenways and protected lanes that extend into areas well away from the river, adding an additional to the combined project and creating a large loop.


Public art

In recent years, the city has installed a color-changing
LED lighting An LED lamp or LED light bulb is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps and can be significantly more efficient than mos ...
system along portions of the Riverwalk to add nighttime color to the path and nearby bridges. It is specially lit for various events, such as green and gold for
University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...
commencement ceremonies and blue for
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
games.


Historical Monument Trail

In 2012, commissions for six $15,000 bronze busts of prominent figures from the History of Tampa were secured by the Friends of the Riverwalk with sculptor Steven Dickey. Nine historians including, former Tampa Tribune reporter
Leland Hawes Leland Mosley Hawes Jr. (June 18, 1929 – May 18, 2013) was an American newspaper reporter for the ''Tampa Tribune''. The first honorees were: *
Vicente Martinez Ybor Vicente Martinez Ybor (7 September 1818 – 14 December 1896), was a Spanish entrepreneur who first became a noted industrialist and cigar manufacturer in Cuba, then Key West, and finally Tampa, Florida. Martinez Ybor is best known for his fou ...
, cigar manufacturer and founder of
Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, 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 ...
*
Henry B. Plant Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 – June 23, 1899), was a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. He was founder of the Plant Sy ...
, railroad developer and builder of the
Tampa Bay Hotel Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Coun ...
*
Eleanor McWilliams Chamberlain Eleanor "Ella" Collier McWilliams Chamberlain (née McWilliams; born September 1848; died July 1934) was an American women's rights activist and journalist who has been credited with starting the women's suffrage movement in Florida. Chamberlain w ...
, leader of Florida's
women's suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to gran ...
* Clara C. Frye, founder of Tampa's first non-segregated hospital * James McKay Sr., key mayor of Tampa * the
Mocoso Mocoso (or Mocoço) was the name of a 16th-century chiefdom located on the east side of Tampa Bay, Florida near the mouth of the Alafia River, of its chief town and of its chief. Mocoso was also the name of a 17th-century village in the province ...
,
Tocobaga Tocobaga (occasionally Tocopaca) was the name of a chiefdom, its chief, and its principal town during the 16th century. The chiefdom was centered around the northern end of Old Tampa Bay, the arm of Tampa Bay that extends between the present-day ...
, and
Pohoy Pohoy (also Pojoy, Pojoi, Pooy, Posoy, Pujoy) was a chiefdom on the shores of Tampa Bay in present-day Florida in the late sixteenth century and all of the seventeenth century. Following slave-taking raids by people from the Lower Towns of the Musc ...
indigenous peoples Additional honorees have been selected and busts added along the Riverwalk in subsequent years. As of 2022, a total of thirty historical figures have been honored. Among them are: *
Frank Adamo Frank Adamo (1893–1988) was an American doctor honored for his medical service during World War II. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was awarded a Legion of Merit medal for his service. Adamo was born and raised in Tampa, Florida ...
, leading local doctor and medical advocate for POWs as fellow prisoner during World War 2 * Cyril Blythe Andrews, prominent local minister, civil rights advocate, and publisher of the ''
Florida Sentinel Bulletin The ''Florida Sentinel Bulletin'' is a Florida bi-weekly newspaper serving the Tampa Bay Area African-American community. History In 1919, General William W. Andrews opened the Florida Sentinel office in Jacksonville, Florida. Later, the office cl ...
'' newspaper * Blanche Armwood, educator and community leader * Elizabeth D. Barnard, first female
postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
of Tampa * Meroba Hooker Crane, businesswoman and owner of the first hotel in Tampa, the Orange Grove Inn; key preserver of
Oaklawn Cemetery Oaklawn Cemetery is the first public burial ground in Tampa, Florida, United States. The location was deeded in the mid-19th century and was described as the final resting place for "White and Slave, Rich and Poor." Oaklawn Cemetery is located a ...
* Edward Daniel Davis, local educator and civil rights advocate *
Cody Fowler Cody Fowler was a lawyer in Tampa, Florida who was noted early in his career for his willingness to defend African Americans in court, something many other white lawyers at the time were unwilling to do. Fowler went on to become chairman of bo ...
, local attorney and civil rights advocate * Herman Glogowski, community leader and first Jewish mayor of Tampa *
Gavino Gutierrez Gavino Gutierrez (26 October 1849 – 8 March 1919), a Spanish immigrant to the United States, was an importer, architect, civil engineer, and surveyor. He was responsible for bringing Vincente M. Ybor to Tampa, Florida and for designing Ybor C ...
, civil engineer who urged Vicente Ybor to locate in Tampa; early developer of Ybor City * Ossian B. Hart, governor of Florida and noted civil rights advocate during the
Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
* Ignacio Haya, friendly competitor to Vicente Martinez-Ybor whose factory rolled Ybor City's first cigars * Kate V. Jackson businesswoman, philanthropist, environmentalist, and local leader * Peter O. Knight, key local politician and attorney during Tampa's early development period * Bena Wolf Maas, businesswoman, civic leader, and humanitarian * Hugh Campbell Macfarlane, attorney, businessman, and developer of
West Tampa West Tampa is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, United States. It was an independently incorporated city from 1895 until 1925, when it was annexed by Tampa. West Tampa is located west of the Hillsborough ...
* Victoriano Manteiga, popular
lector Lector is Latin for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages it takes various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as french: lecteur, en, lector, pl, lektor and russian: лектор. It has various specialized uses. ...
in Ybor City's cigar factories and founder of ''La Gaceta'', the nation's last published tri-lingual newspaper *
Benjamin Elijah Mays Benjamin Elijah Mays (August 1, 1894 – March 28, 1984) was an American Baptist minister and American rights leader who is credited with laying the intellectual foundations of the American Civil rights movement (1896–1954), civil rights movem ...
, nationally known educator and mentor of
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
; leader of the Tampa
Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
in the 1920s * Paulina Pedroso, activist for Cuban independence and civil rights leader * Francisco Aristides Rodriguez Jr., prominent lawyer advocating for fair treatment for African Americans in Florida's criminal justice system; leader of local
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
and La Union Marti-Maceo * Garfield Devoe Rogers, businessman, philanthropist and developer of
Rogers Park Rogers Park is the first of Chicago's 77 community areas. Located from the Loop, it is on the city's far north side on the shore of Lake Michigan. The neighborhood is commonly known for its cultural diversity, lush green public spaces, early ...
* Norma Tina Russo, former
prima donna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pers ...
from Italy who became a strong advocate for the arts in Tampa * Stephen M. Sparkman, first member of the US House of Representatives from Tampa; instrumental in securing federal support for the development of the
Port of Tampa Port Tampa Bay, known as the Port of Tampa until January 2014, is the largest port in the state of Florida and is overseen by the Tampa Port Authority, a Hillsborough County agency. The port is located in Tampa, Florida near downtown Tampa's Cha ...
* Moses White, businessman, community leader and philanthropist * Mack R. Winton, prominent local surgeon; worked with Clara C. Frye to establish an unsegregated hospital, then hospital for members of
El Centro Español de Tampa ''For the similarly named building in West Tampa see El Centro Español of West Tampa'' El Centro Español de Tampa is a historic building in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, in the U.S. state of Florida. Built as an ethnic and cultural club ...


Other art

In 2016, the city of Tampa commissioned a lenticular mural to be placed underneath the Laurel Street Bridge by the Hillsborough River. The mural was created by RE:site, Metalab, Designtex, and
PolyVision Polyvision was the name given by the French film critic Émile Vuillermoz to a specialized widescreen film format devised exclusively for the filming and projection of Abel Gance's 1927 film '' Napoleon''. Polyvision involved the simultaneou ...
and is titled "Woven Waves." "Woven Waves" is designed to evoke the concept of a quilt, inspired by the currents of the river and the diverse cultural makeup of Tampa.


References

{{Hillsborough County, Florida, Points and Events of Interest Parks in Tampa, Florida Landmarks in Tampa, Florida Tourist attractions in Tampa, Florida Transportation in Tampa, Florida