Tampa Bay History Center parking guide: Best options for March 22–23, 2025

Planning your visit to the Tampa Bay History Center this weekend? Explore the best parking options, payment methods, and alternative transportation solutions to simplify your trip.

Best parking lots near Tampa Bay History Center

These conveniently located parking facilities are within easy walking distance:

1. Garrison Parking Lot
   Address: 615 Channelside Drive
2. East Cumberland Garage
   Address: 1045 E. Cumberland Ave.
3. Channelside Parking Garage
   Address: 369 S. 12th St.

How to pay for street parking in Tampa

Tampa’s downtown street parking can be quickly managed from your smartphone. The city offers four mobile apps available on the Apple App Store and Google Play:

• ParkMobile
• Passport
• PayByPhone
• Flowbird

Download your preferred app, set up an account, and enjoy a seamless parking experience.

Learn more about Tampa’s pay-by-phone parking

Reserve your parking space with ParkWhiz

Avoid parking hassles by reserving your spot ahead of time through ParkWhiz:

• Reserve parking spaces online or via the app.
• Transparent pricing — no hidden fees.
• Save up to 50% compared to standard parking rates.
• Enter quickly using your mobile parking pass.

ParkWhiz provides access to the largest inventory of reserved parking spaces nationwide, making it easy and affordable to park near the Tampa Bay History Center.

Reserve your parking with ParkWhiz

Alternative transportation options to Tampa Bay History Center

Prefer not to drive? Check out these convenient transportation alternatives:

• Coast Bike Share: Cycle conveniently through Tampa.
• Cross Bay Ferry: Enjoy scenic travel by water. Departures from St. Petersburg are at 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. (Friday and Saturday) or 9:45 p.m. (Sunday). Departures from Tampa are at 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 10:45 p.m. (Friday and Saturday) or 11 p.m. (Sunday).
• E-scooters (Bird, HOPR, Lime, Spin): Available throughout downtown Tampa.
• Pirate Water Taxi: Explore Tampa’s waterfront areas. Daily admission allows for unlimited hop-on, hop-off boarding all day from any of the stops conveniently located along the Hillsborough River and Tampa’s waterways. The History Center is located at Stop No. 3 on the Island Loop, a narrated port tour. Taxis arrive at 11:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m., 1:35 p.m., 2:35 p.m., 3:35 p.m., 4:35 p.m., 5:35 p.m., 6:35 p.m., and 7:35 p.m.
• TECO Line Streetcar: Connect to key downtown locations easily. The History Center is conveniently located at HSBC Station (No. 9) at Morgan Street and Water Street. The streetcar runs every 15 minutes, with service on Saturday from 9:18 a.m. to 1:58 a.m. and Sunday from 8:33 a.m. to 10:53 p.m.

Enjoy your visit to the Tampa Bay History Center, knowing parking and transportation are taken care of!

About the Tampa Bay History Center

Founded in 1989 by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the History Center opened its 60,000-square-foot facility on Tampa’s Riverwalk in 2009. Accredited in 2015 by the American Alliance of Museums and a Smithsonian Affiliate since 2012, the History Center includes three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition galleries focusing on 12,000 years of Florida history.

Beginning with Florida’s first peoples, who inhabited the peninsula some 10,000 years ago, through the arrival of European explorers in the 1500s, to Tampa Bay’s modern role as a port city and industrial hub, the History Center tells the story of the region’s history, heritage and culture.

The museum is also home to the Touchton Map Library and the Florida Center for Cartographic Education.

Dine at Columbia Cafe

Visitors can dine at Columbia Cafe, a branch of the world-famous Columbia Restaurant, offering Spanish-Cuban cuisine that reflects Tampa’s iconic immigrant community of Ybor City. Columbia Cafe at the Tampa Bay History Center has partnered with OpenTable to provide free, secure, and instantly confirmed online reservations. The cafe recreates the charm and flavor of the original Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City and offers a sampling of the Spanish- and Cuban-inspired dishes that made the 118-year-old restaurant famous.

The History Center also features a museum store, classrooms, rotating exhibition spaces, and event rental facilities.