Downtown, FL

Downtown Tampa is the business and civic center of the city, set on the east bank of the Hillsborough River where it meets Hillsborough Bay. People come for the Tampa Riverwalk, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the museums and performing arts venues along the river, and an easy streetcar ride to Ybor City.

Things to do in Downtown Tampa

The Tampa Riverwalk is the spine of downtown, running along the river past Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children’s Museum. Across the river, the silver minarets of the Henry B. Plant Museum rise over the University of Tampa campus, with Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park beside it. The Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the restored 1926 Tampa Theatre host shows most nights.

Curtis Hixon hosts many of the city’s festivals and events, and the Riverwalk carries crowds during Gasparilla in January. Water Street and the Channel District are a short walk east, and our Tampa guide covers the rest of the city.

Getting around Downtown Tampa

Downtown is about 15 minutes from Tampa International (TPA) via I-275. Once there, walk the Riverwalk or ride the TECO Line Streetcar to the Channel District and Ybor City. Parking is mostly in garages and metered street spaces, and weekday business hours and event nights are the busiest times.