One of my favorite places in Tampa is a 4.5 mile long sidewalk in South Tampa officially known as Bayshore Blvd Linear Park. This sidewalk is the longest continuous sidewalk in the world. It runs parallel to Bayshore Blvd from Gandy Blvd in the south ending at the Platt Street Bridge in the north just outside of Downtown Tampa. It hugs the Bay with concrete balustrades that adds to the promenade feel of this park. Walking along Bayshore you will be joined by many people also out walking, jogging, rollerblading and biking. Here and there, some people fish from the wall and some kayak along it. I have seen schools of stingrays swimming along the seawall, birds diving for fish and even manatees playing just offshore.
The views of the water, downtown, and the homes along Bayshore Blvd are wonderful. Some early mornings when the sun is just coming up and the air is a little misty, the downtown buildings loom like silhouettes of a giant fortress in the dawn light. The smokestacks of Tampa Electric's Big Bend power plant seem like like those of a far off ocean liner.
You will also sometimes see some cruise ships while walking along Bayshore, coming back or leaving out to the Gulf of Mexico. The houses along Bayshore are some of the nicest in Tampa. From mediterranean-like mansions to bungalows with porches facing the bay there are styles for all tastes. I always bring visitors from out of town to see Bayshore as it is definitely a jewel of Tampa Bay.
