Every great city deserves a front porch, and in Tampa that porch is Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. This eight-acre green in the heart of downtown rolls in gentle terraces down to the Hillsborough River, framed by two of the city’s cultural landmarks, the Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children’s Museum, with the Riverwalk running along its edge.
The park opened in 2010 on the site of the old Curtis Hixon Hall, and its design is pure Tampa: wide lawns made for picnics and pickup games, shady trees, playful public art such as the glowing screen-tree sculpture, and postcard views across the river to the minarets of the University of Tampa. It is the downtown living room where families spread blankets for outdoor movies, neighbors roll out yoga mats at sunset and festivals fill the grass all year long.
In the cooler months the park puts on its holiday best with the Winter Village, while spring and fall bring food, music and community celebrations to the lawn. Best of all, it connects effortlessly: stroll the Riverwalk north toward Armature Works or south toward the history center, or simply sit by the water and watch the boats drift by. Curtis Hixon is Tampa at its happiest, and it is free for everyone, every day.
Photo: DanTD / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
