Community Corner
It's Been A Long And Winding Road To Create Tampa's Award-Winning Riverwalk
Online voting closes Feb. 6 for USAToday Reader's Choice Travel Awards.
TAMPA, FL — One of Tampa's most popular amenities, attracting 100,000 people a month, is in the running for a 10Best Reader’s Choice Travel Award from USA Today.
Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk are encouraging residents to help make the Tampa Riverwalk the best in the country by casting their votes between now and noon on Monday, Feb. 6.
The 2.6-mile riverwalk has been nominated as one of America’s Best Riverwalks by USA Today based on its scenery and its effectiveness in linking businesses, parks and museums in downtown Tampa.
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Nineteen other riverwalks throughout the country are also in the running for the annual award including the Canal Walk in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Massachusetts; Smale Riverfront Park in Cincinnati, Ohio; the San Antonio Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas; the Milwaukee RiverWalk in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky; the Chicago Riverwalk; the Wilmington Riverwalk in Wilmington, North Carolina; the Mississippi Riverwalk in Dubuque, Iowa; and River Street in Savannah, Georgia.
Online voting through Feb. 6 will determine the winners. To vote, click here.
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The 10Best winners will be announced on Friday, Feb. 17.
“We’re honored to be nominated alongside several amazing cities,” said Friends of the Riverwalk Executive Director MaryBeth Williams. “The Tampa Riverwalk has so much to offer our residents and visitors and we encourage everyone to vote often.”
The Tampa Riverwalk has already been named among the 15 best riverwalks in the United States by Fodor's Travel, competing against many of the same riverwalks it's up against in the USA Today poll.
The Long And Winding Riverwalk
The Tampa Riverwalk's modest origins never hinted at the multi-award-winning pedestrian and bicycling amenity it would become.
Creating a riverwalk along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa was first proposed by former Tampa Mayor Bill Poe in 1975 as a Bicentennial project, with the initial section laid in time for America's 200th birthday.
Over the years, sections were added as buildings and parks were developed along the riverfront. But the project didn't pick up momentum until the Friends of the Riverwalk obtained its nonprofit status, had the city create a master plan and began raising money and applying for grants.
Among the grants, the Friends of the Riverwalk obtained matching funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's TIGER Discretionary Grant Program in 2015 to build a 1,460-foot section over the water and another in 2016 to add the section from Water Works Park to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
The most recent extension connected the riverwalk from the Straz Center to Armature Works in Tampa Heights in 2020.
To date, the Friends of the Riverwalk has spent more than $33 million to build the current 2.6-mile trek from the North Boulevard Bridge south to the corner of Beneficial and Channelside drives. The majority of funds (54 percent) came from federal and state grants, 41 percent came from the city and 5 percent was donated.
More To Come
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said she doesn't plan to stop there.
"The Tampa Riverwalk has substantially transformed the downtown waterfront into a vibrant setting, making our Hillsborough River the center of the city," Castor said. "The connectivity to our cultural institutions and public parks is a dynamic catalyst for economic development, community building, recreational activities and improving our quality of life."
She said the riverwalk provides relief to the big-city environment by connecting residents to Tampa's natural resources.
"The continued progress and enhancements on the existing Riverwalk combined with the future development of the West Riverwalk will serve to define and transform Tampa and add to its success as a great city," Castor said.
With the help of a $24 million award from the U.S. DOT's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant Program, the city plans to connect the riverwalk to the west side of the Hillsborough River, initially running from Bayshore Boulevard and Platt Street in Hyde Park to the popular Rick's on the River bar and restaurant in West Tampa.
The award will also help the city close gaps in the Riverwalk at Tony Jannus Park, Plant Park and the University of Tampa, Blake High School, Stewart Middle School, Tampa Preparatory School and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
Included in the plans are the construction of over-water crossings beneath the Platt Street Bridge, Brorein Street Bridge and Kennedy Boulevard Bridge as well as lighting, landscaping, pedestrian railings, enhanced crossings at major roads, improved sidewalks and on-street bike facilities for a total of 12.2 miles.
The design phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2024 and the new riverwalk section is due to open in 2026. In addition to the U.S. DOT grant, the city will use about $6 million in gas taxes.
Future plans include extending the West Tampa Riverfront north to Columbus Drive and west along Rome Avenue, connecting the riverwalk with the proposed Rome Yard project, a mixed-use redevelopment consisting of 17,000 square feet of commercial space, 954 residential units including apartments and townhouses, a job training center and more than 30,000 square feet of amenities.
Additionally, plans are in the works to extend the riverwalk to the Tampa Cruise Ship Terminal 2, theFlorida Aquarium and the Water Street Tampa and Sparkman Wharf mixed-use developments.
The Tampa Port Authority is still discussing security, safety and liability concerns related to having public access next to the gated cruise ship terminal.
Why Tampa Loves Its Riverwalk
The Tampa Riverwalk gives both residents and visitors easy access to a number of venues including seven waterfront parks along its path that offer activities like eBoats Tampa, water bikes, paddleboarding, bicycle and electronic scooter rentals.
The riverwalk also passes by a number of event venues including the Tampa Bay History Center, the Glazer Children’s Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Patel Conservatory and the Straz Center.
It's the centerpiece of most major events in Tampa including Trick or Treat on the Riverwalk, the Holiday Lighted Boat Parade, Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park, the River O' Green Fest, the Fourth Friday concerts, the Gasparilla Festival and Gasparilla Music Festival, the NFL Experience, Rock the Park, Tampa's Downtown Eggsploration at Easter, Octoberfest Tampa, Boom by the Bay, the River Fest, FreedomFest in Cotanchobee Park and the Stanley Cup boat parades.
Daily Riverwalk joggers and dog walkers enjoy a variety of public artworks along the Riverwalk including a work by artist Heidi Lippman called "Andante," an Italian musical notation. It is made up of large tempered fused glass panels that run 200 feet beneath Interstate 275.
A work by artist Heidi Lippman called "Andante," is made up of large tempered fused glass panels that run 200 feet beneath Interstate 275.
Underneath the Laurel Street bridge is an artwork titled "Woven Waves," featuring folded ceramic steel panels to create a lenticular effect that changes with the viewer's movements. The art team that created the piece, Re: Site Studio, "stitched" traditional West African, Cuban and Scottish cultural patterns, representing Tampa's multicultural communities.
"America, America" by Barbara Neijna, one of the first public art sculptures acquired by the city in 1977, was relocated to the Riverwalk in 2016. This modernist, steel artwork is composed of two vertical forms, suggesting a ritual entryway reminiscent of the "You Are Here" icon used on digital maps.
The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts hosts a rotating exhibit framed in portable outdoor black frames called "Art on the Walk." Two additional installations are String Theory’s "Fin Harp" and The Urban Conga's "Why Sit When You Can Play?" "Fin Harp" is an interactive sculpture with 1,000 feet of musical brass wire, creating a giant interactive musical instrument. "Why Sit When You Can Play?" is an 18-foot sculpture bench that doubles as a marimba.
The Urban Conga's "Why Sit When You Can Play?" is an 18-foot sculpture bench that doubles as a marimba.
The "Lights On Tampa: Agua Luces" by lighting artist Tracey Dear permanently lights five landmark Tampa bridges with low-energy LED lighting with colors changing every 30 seconds.
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Passing by the Tampa Museum of Art, Riverwalk users will encounter "Laura with Bun" by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. "Laura with Bun" is an 18,000-pound, 23-foot-tall cast-iron sculpture that invites viewers to consider aspects of beauty, individuality and human nature.
The Tampa Museum of Art building, designed by Stanley Saitowitz, also features a lighted façade by renowned artist Leo Villareal. The artwork, "Sky," is an LED program that showcases movement and light. The matrix of 144 4-foot LED illuminators displays a visual language of non-repeating patterns.
The "Stay Curious" series of murals that wrap the perimeter of the Poe Parking Garage by artists Bask & Tes One celebrate the arts culture.
"Stay Curious" is series of murals that wrap the perimeter of the Poe Parking Garage by artists Bask & Tes One celebrate the arts culture.
At the main entrance to the Glazer Children’s Museum is an 80-foot mosaic by artist Mari Gardner titled "Spiral Fantasia." Visitors are able to touch the tiles and see their reflections in the fractured mirrored pieces.
"The Portal" consists of pedestrian-friendly digital monitors that are programmed with new media art and digital education exhibits on the environment, history and culture.
Riverwalk visits can also see bronze busts and statues of Tampa icons by Florida artist Steve Dickey ranging from a member of the Mocoso tribe which settled in the area 1,000 years ago to Vicente Martinez-Ybor, who established his cigar industry in Ybor City.
MacDill Park features a collection of artist-designed plaques mounted on granite plinths, illustrating the history and significance of MacDill Air Force Base to Tampa.
On Franklin Street at the Tampa Convention Center is a sculpture titled "Zig Zag" by Linda Howard that greets people as they enter The Sail (formerly the Sail Pavilion), a popular waterfront bar.
Dick Greco Plaza features a statute of twice-elected Tampa mayor Dick Greco who helped revitalize the Channel District and brought the modern streetcar system to the city.
At Cotanchobee Park, visitors will find a ceramic inlay artwork by artist Peter King titled "Tampa in Relief." Also at the park is a piece called "Cenotaph," which means "buried bones. This public art features bronze text panels that recount the complex history of the site when it was Fort Brooke, a major outpost during all three Seminole Indian Wars and the Civil War. There is also a sculpture by Apache artist Bob Haozous titled "Ceremonial Space," a tribute to the Seminole Indians. The sculpture incorporates imagery of the cypress trees that were used for the foundations of Seminole chickee homes.
"The Riverwall" at Beneficial Drive by artist Bruce Marsh is made up of hundreds of photographs that celebrate and document the Hillsborough River.
The 550-foot segment of the riverwalk from the Brorein Street underpass to the Brownstone property at 111 S Ashley St. features a path with 14 engraved literary quotes reflecting on the water.
While traversing the Tampa Riverwalk, visitors and residents may catch glimpses of Florida's majestic wading birds including the little blue hero, the white ibis, the roseate spoonbill, the double-crested cormorant, the anhinga and the great egret.
Keep an eye on the Hillsborough River and you may spot a manatee sticking its nose out of the water or an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin performing water acrobatics.
For a nature guide on the Riverwalk, visit the Friends of the Riverwalk website.
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