The City of Tamp has officially launched the Tampa Soulwalk — a new art and heritage trail that tells the rich history of Tampa’s Black communities and highlights the diverse, thriving creative community in present-day Tampa. The Soulwalk spans approximately 46 miles and 25 neighborhoods, and currently includes nearly 100 stops that visitors can explore.
The new trail and accompanying programming aim to strengthen Tampa neighborhoods and contribute to building communities through storytelling, public engagement, and documentation to foster a sense of shared history and connection.
The Tampa Soulwalk
Soulwalk is a collaborative initiative between the City of Tampa and several local and regional partners. Interpretive content about the Soulwalk sites was developed with historians from the Tampa Bay History Center, and two new essays were commissioned from professors at the University of South Florida to contextualize the trail. Partnering institutions include:
- The Florida Humanities Council
- Visit Tampa Bay
- University of South Florida
- The University of Tampa
- Hillsborough Community College
- Hillsborough County
Stops on the walk
In 2023 and 2024, the Tampa Soulwalk will feature over two dozen new public art installations added to its route. On-site signage will be installed at each of the stops to provide visitors along the trail with additional content.
Some stops include:
- Scrub Houses: The two last remaining homes of the pioneering Black community that lived in the Scrub neighborhood after the Civil War.
- Perry Harvey Sr. Park: Located along Historic Central Avenue, the park includes several dynamic artworks. This also includes iconic gateway sculptures by James Simon and a history walk by Rufus Butler Seder.
- Dozens of other public art installations, historic landmarks, museums, cemeteries, and more.
Future events related to Soulwalk will include a community cookbook, panels, talks, and workshops by artists and historians, and more. Community events and educational opportunities will take place throughout the year to announce new additions to the trail, raise awareness, and offer opportunities for community input as the trail develops.
Visitors can traverse the trail on foot, bike, or by car. They can also access more information about each of the existing locations on the Soulwalk website.
In addition, Bloomberg Philanthropies has developed a digital guide allowing visitors to experience Soulwalk onsite using Bloomberg Connects.