Sunset Park is a waterfront neighborhood in South Tampa on Old Tampa Bay, about 5 miles by road southwest of downtown Tampa. It runs from the bay east to Manhattan Avenue, with Beach Park Isles and the Culbreath neighborhoods to the north and El Prado to the south, and West Shore Boulevard, Henderson Boulevard and Bay to Bay Boulevard cross it. It is known for its bayfront and canal-front homes, and for streets named after famous poets.
Living in Sunset Park
The City of Tampa describes Sunset Park's waterfront streets as sitting on the west side of the Tampa peninsula, with streets named for famous poets. Driving through, you pass Tennyson, Keats, Longfellow, Poe, Dickens, Homer, Browning, Emerson, Lowell and Dante, among others. Sunset Boulevard curves through the neighborhood, and the grid gives way to canals and bayfront lots closer to the water.
Parks and water in Sunset Park
The neighborhood's newest public space is Butterfly Glade Park (officially South Dundee Park), at 2703 S. West Shore Boulevard. The City of Tampa opened it on April 7, 2026. The half-acre park has a pendulum swing, a climbing net, balance logs and posts, a butterfly garden and artwork. On the water side, canal-front lots have docks and sheltered boating access to Old Tampa Bay, and bayfront homes look straight out across the bay. Friendship Park, with a playground and picnic shelters, is about a mile east on Bay to Bay Boulevard. Cypress Point Park's beach, trails and paddleboard rentals are about 2 miles north. Bayshore Boulevard's 4.5-mile waterfront sidewalk is roughly 2 miles east, across the peninsula.
Shopping, dining and getting around Sunset Park
Everyday shopping is a short drive in several directions. WestShore Plaza is about 2 miles north, with International Plaza and Bay Street about 3 miles north in the Westshore business district. Britton Plaza, near Dale Mabry Highway, is about 2 miles southeast. Bay to Bay Boulevard runs east from the neighborhood's edge to the boutiques and cafes of the Palma Ceia Design District. Downtown Tampa is about 5 miles by road, and Tampa International Airport is about 5 miles north. West Shore Boulevard leads south to Gandy Boulevard, less than 2 miles away, for the Gandy Bridge to St. Petersburg and the Selmon Expressway toward downtown and Brandon.
Homes in Sunset Park
Sunset Park's housing splits roughly by distance from the water. Along the canals and the bay, many lots hold modern custom homes built to take advantage of the water, often with private docks. Inland, the streets hold older ranch homes and Spanish- and Tudor-style houses on spacious lots, mixed with renovations and newer builds. Bayfront properties face west over Old Tampa Bay.
