Sights & Scenes: The Tampa Riverwalk

Completed in 2016, the Tampa Riverwalk is a two-mile pedestrian and bike path along the Hillsborough River and Garrison Channel. Popular since day one, it is the tie that connects the majority of major development projects underway within Tampa's Central Business District.

Armature Works

Situated in a warehouse built in 1910 that once was the storage and maintenance facility for Tampa Electric’s (TECO) streetcar system, the Armature Works project is everything that a traditional retail center is not.

The $20 million adaptive reuse development, which is named after the phosphate machinery manufacturer that acquired the space after the TECO streetcar system was abandoned, incorporates original brick, doors, skylights and even an overhead crane into a space featuring an in-house market, two restaurants, event, and co-working space. Heights Market, a 22,000-square-foot food hall, serves as the development’s central anchor offering several vendor-like stalls leased by local independent chefs and eateries.

Water Works Park

Renovated in 2014, Water Works Park features an open lawn, children’s splash pad and playground, amphitheater and dog park. In addition, a memorial garden honoring Clara Frye was built at the park.

Clara C. Frye was a nurse who established the Clara Frye Hospital, using her dining room table as the operating table in for Tampa’s black patients in 1908. The father of The Jaxson’s Ennis Davis was born at Clara Frye Memorial Hospital in 1945.

The riverwalk goes under Interstate 275 just north of Downtown Tampa. This section of Interstate 275 originally opened in the 1960s as a part of Interstate 4.

The riverwalk also serves as a local heritage trail by highlighting past residents that played a significant role in the city’s history.

The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors in July 1987. It is the second largest performing arts complex in the Southeast U.S. behind the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

A $70 million, 23-story apartment tower for University of Tampa students is under construction adjacent to the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park

Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is the centerpiece of Tampa’s Riverwalk. Anchored by the Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children’s Museum, the park features a great lawn, interactive fountains, a children’s playground and a dog park.

Curtis Hixon Dog Park

Tampa Museum of Art