Davis Islands is a Tampa neighborhood built on two man-made islands at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, about 2.5 miles by road from downtown Tampa, roughly a 10-minute drive across the Davis Boulevard bridge. Developer D.P. Davis dredged the islands from the bottom of Tampa Bay during the 1920s Florida land boom. Today they hold waterfront homes with seawalls and docks, 1920s Mediterranean Revival buildings, a general-aviation airport, and a walkable business district along East Davis Boulevard.
Living on Davis Islands
East Davis Boulevard is the islands' commercial street, with several blocks of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops along its sidewalks. Tampa General Hospital occupies the northern tip of the islands, and Peter O. Knight Airport sits at the south end. The airport was built as a Works Progress Administration project and served as Tampa's main airport from 1935 to 1945. Today it is used mainly for general aviation. Each January, the Gasparilla pirate flotilla sails up the channel right past the airport on its way into downtown.
Parks, beaches and the water
The Davis Islands Trail is a 10-foot-wide paved path that runs about 1.3 miles from Channel Drive and Davis Boulevard to the parking lot at Peter O. Knight Airport, with benches and water fountains along the way. Davis Islands Beach is one of four beaches the City of Tampa manages on Tampa Bay, open from sunrise to sunset. Near the Seaplane Basin on Severn Avenue, the Davis Islands Dog Beach pairs a shoreline where dogs can swim with a fenced off-leash dog park.
The city's recreation facilities on the islands include the Roy Jenkins Pool on Columbia Drive, built in 1929 as the Davis Island Swimming Pool, plus the Sandra W. Freedman Tennis Complex and the softball fields at Davis Islands Park. Marjorie Park was donated to the city by Davis and named for his wife. At the south end of the islands, Davis Island Yacht Club is a private, member-owned club devoted to sailing, with a full racing schedule and a cruising fleet.
Homes on Davis Islands
Davis planned a resort community, and many of the original 1920s Mediterranean-style buildings still stand. Some carry national historic designation and local protections, and the Palace of Florence and Mirasol are two of the best known. Development slowed in the 1930s, so later decades filled the islands with a mix of architectural styles, from those early stucco homes to newer houses. Waterfront lots along the canals and the bay often come with seawalls and private docks. The housing also includes multifamily buildings such as the Palace of Florence.
Getting around from Davis Islands
The islands connect to the mainland at their north end, where Davis Boulevard crosses to South Plant Avenue near Bayshore Boulevard and Tampa General Hospital. From there, downtown's core is about 2.5 miles by road. Hyde Park Village and the Bayshore Boulevard waterfront sidewalk are a short trip west, and Harbour Island is just across the channel to the north.
