Tampa Riverwalk

Downtown Tampa, from the river

⏱ 1-3 hours👤 All agesFree

The Riverwalk was talked about for decades before it was finished; first proposed in the 1970s, it was built in phases and largely completed in the 2010s, transforming a downtown waterfront that had turned its back on the river. Its success has driven much of the new development around it, from Water Street at the south end to the Heights and Armature Works at the north, and national outlets regularly rank it among the best riverwalks in the country: USA Today readers placed it second in the nation for 2025, and TIME has listed it among its World's Greatest Places. A nonprofit, the Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk, raises money for programming and upkeep, and its Historical Monument Trail of bronze busts along the path introduces figures from Tampa's past, a quick history lesson on the walk between museums.

Visit craft: walk it in sections. For a first evening, start at Curtis Hixon Park, look across the river at the silver minarets of the Plant Museum at sunset, and walk south to Channelside for dinner. For a full day, combine the History Center or aquarium in the morning, lunch at Sparkman Wharf or Armature Works, and a Pirate Water Taxi loop in the afternoon. Bikes and scooters are available for longer stretches, and the path is shaded in only a few places, so carry water in summer. The calendar is full: Riverfest with its lantern parade, a July Fourth boat parade, Halloween trick-or-treating, the holiday tree lighting and lighted boat parade, and New Year's Eve, so check what is on before you go.

Practicals and fit: runs about 2.6 miles along the east bank of the Hillsborough River and the Garrison Channel from the Heights to Channelside; free and open to the public, with paid garages throughout downtown and the free TECO Line Streetcar linking the south end to Ybor City. Allow one to three hours. If you are staying on it, the Tampa EDITION and the Tampa Marriott Water Street sit at the Channelside end. Fit: couples, families, history fans and anyone staying downtown.