Tampa Riverwalk, Waterfront park in Tampa, Florida.
Tampa Riverwalk is a waterfront path that stretches 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) along the Hillsborough River and Garrison Channel, linking several downtown neighborhoods. Paved trails pass by green spaces, restaurants and buildings of glass and steel, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to travel the route comfortably.
The city started the project in the early 2000s to transform the waterfront into a public space and bring residents and visitors to the water. Several sections opened over a decade, with the final extension completing the connection between different neighborhoods.
The Riverwalk hosts community events, notably festivals at Curtis Hixon Park and the arrival of the pirate ship Jose Gasparilla, which moors behind the Convention Center during the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Bronze busts on the Historical Monument Trail honor figures such as Vicente Martinez Ybor, Henry B. Plant and Clara C. Frye.
The path runs 2.6 miles (4.2 km) from Channelside to Tampa Heights, with the widest stretch across the river from the University of Tampa. Bicycles and motorized scooters can be rented at stations along the route, and a water taxi links the Riverwalk with Hyde Park, West Tampa, Harbour Island and Davis Islands. The TECO Line Streetcar runs parallel along the Garrison Channel toward Ybor City.
Since 2012 the Friends of the Riverwalk have placed bronze busts of Tampa figures along the path, sculpted by Steven Dickey at $15,000 each. Honorees include Vicente Martinez Ybor, Henry B. Plant, suffragist Eleanor McWilliams Chamberlain, Clara C. Frye and James McKay Sr., plus the Mocoso, Tocobaga and Pohoy peoples.
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