All Aboard the Winter Village Express!

Winter Village Express operates Sundays through Dec. 22!

The holiday season is so close, we can almost feel Jack Frost nipping at our nose - 65° at night. Brr! ❄

The Tampa Downtown Partnership is once again holding their Winter Village, featuring an ice rink, a cafe with warm beverages, and a holiday marketplace with local boutiques! The winter wonderland is located in Curtis Hixon Park and will take place from November 22 - January 5.

Along with the Winter Village, comes the transformation of the TECO Line Streetcar System into the Winter Village Express! Launching November 24, the Winter Village Express offers a festive experience aboard a holiday-themed Streetcar. Enjoy treats, music, and fun, while on board!

The Winter Village Express will operate every Sunday through December 22. You can pick up the Winter Village Express at either Whiting Station in Downtown Tampa (Station #11) or Centro Ybor Station (#2) in historic Ybor City.

The Winter Village is open 11/22-1/5

Winter Village Express Operating Schedule:

Whiting Station in Downtown Tampa:

• 3:25 p.m.
• 4:25 p.m.
• 5:25 p.m.
• 6:25 p.m.
• 7:25 p.m.

The cost of the Winter Village Express is $10.00 for a roundtrip ticket. Tickets are ONLY available online. All trips are first-come, first-serve, due to limited availability. Arrive early!

For more information on Winter Village, or the Winter Village Express, visit http://www.wintervillagetampa.com/.

Happy Holidays!

Downtown on Ice is back!

Get out of the heat and into the rink this winter! Experience the best of both worlds at Tampa's Downtown on Ice at Curtis Hixon Park. Enjoy 90 minutes of ice skating for only $10! No age limit on the ice and skate rentals are included in the price.

The rink opened on November 21 and will remain open until January 5. Open daily, the rink closes at 9 or 10 p.m., depending on the day of the week.

Overtime: Make it a night in Ybor with a streetcar ride for only $5 all day or the Family Pass, valid for 2 adults and up to 3 children or 1 adult and up to 4 children for only $12.50!

Click here for more information on Downtown on Ice.
Happy Holidays!

Streetcar Extension = Urban Excellence!

Communities are only as great as the transit that serves them.

There is a special relationship between mass transit and the community it serves. Mass transit connects communities, mobilizes residents and fosters growth and civic pride within the community.

Investments made in transportation are investments made in the community. 

Rendering of CAMLS facility showing streetcar connectivity

The TECO Line Streetcar has been credited with spurring $1.2 billion in development along the streetcar line since 2005.  Development such as the $30 million University of South Florida's Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), which recently opened just south of the new Whiting Station.

CAMLS' proximity to the streetcar will provide mobility along the line to doctors in town for the facility's research and training innovations. The TECO Line Streetcar has spawned patterned growth and foot traffic (with money to spend) to businesses along the line.

In addition to CAMLS, the extension also provides improved connectivity to a larger number of hotels, restaurants, residents, retail, office and government buildings.

This investment in expanded downtown connectivity was rewarded on Feb. 29., when the TECO Line Streetcar extension to Whiting street was awarded with an "Urban Excellence Award" from the Tampa Downtown Partnership. The Tampa Downtown Partnership is a not-for-profit downtown Tampa business advocacy group.

"Your efforts encourage a more vibrant and connected environment between the cultural, residential and business destinations in Downtown Tampa and Ybor City," remarked the Partnership.

HART officials posing with Urban Excellence Award

About the Urban Excellence Awards

The Downtown Tampa Urban Excellence Awards celebrate businesses, organizations, individuals, events and projects that have made significant contributions toward creating a unique, vibrant and diverse downtown environment – and have made a lasting, positive impact on downtown Tampa. Each year an awards jury representing a cross-section of downtown constituencies selects six (6) award winners honoring the leadership, innovation, hard work, talent and community spirit.

Phase IIa

The original 2.4-mile system opened in 2002 and was built to allow for phased expansion. Phase IIa Streetcar Expansion Project extended service an additional .3 miles into the core downtown Tampa district. Click here to view a map of Phase I and IIa of the TECO Line Streetcar System. 

On Track for the Future

The Urban Land Institute Panel, a non-profit organization of land use experts, lauded the streetcar expansion and encouraged future extensions during their presentation of the September 2011, Tampa Central City Conceptual Development Plan. In keeping with the original visionary approach of the streetcar system, the Phase IIa extension was built to allow for future system expansion.