Not too long ago there wasn’t much to do along the waterfront in downtown Tampa.
The Riverwalk now connects Tampa’s dynamic cultural venues, family oriented parks and the city center’s vibrant business community creating connectivity and eclectic synergy.
But now there is something for just about everyone no matter the time of day, manner of taste, level of energy or size of the wallet.
Note from Storm: As a former 15-year resident of the Tampa Bay area, I join Tampa leaders and residents in celebrating the fulfillment of a dream that’s been decades in the making: the new Riverwalk trail that (finally!) reconnects the downtown to the beautiful Hillsborough River.
A brief history of the Riverwalk:
- 1975 – Riverwalk project conceived by Mayor Bill Poe in 1975 as a bi-centennial event
- 1976 – Waterfront walkway of wooden planks installed in the Curtis Hixon Park area
- 1989 – CNBC Plaza (Rivergate Tower) and ramp constructed
- 1989 – Wooden planks replaced with granite pavers
- 2000 – Marriott Waterside Hotel opened
- 2003 – Cotanchobee Ft Brooke Park opened
- 2005 – MacDill Park opened
- 2006 – Phase I Master Plan completed
- 2006 – USF Park opened
- 2008 – Platt Street Bridge Underpass opened
- 2009 – Tampa Convention Center, Cotanchobee/Ft Brooke Park extension, South Plaza completed
- 2010 – Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park opened; Cass Street crosswalk enhancement completed
- 2012/13 – Brorein Street Underpass, Brownstone, CapTrust and TCC connector completed
- 2014 – Water Works Park completed
- 2015 – Kennedy Boulevard Plaza – 1460 feet over water completed – Funded by TIGER Grant
- 2016 – Straz Center to Water Works Park – Funded by TIGER Grant
Photos by Storm Cunningham.