Virginia Park is an inland neighborhood in central South Tampa, bounded by Bay to Bay Boulevard and Palmira Avenue on the north, Dale Mabry Highway on the east, Euclid Avenue on the south and Manhattan Avenue on the west, about 5 miles by road southwest of downtown Tampa. It is a grid of ranch homes, bungalows and newer custom builds, with Friendship Park inside its northern edge and the Palma Ceia Design District about a mile east.
Living in Virginia Park
The neighborhood takes its name from a 1915 subdivision plat, but most of its homes were built in the middle of the 20th century. Its east-west streets carry Spanish names such as Santiago, Obispo, Empedrado, Tacon, Granada, Barcelona and San Pedro, and El Prado Boulevard crosses the neighborhood. The layout is a regular grid between two busy roads: Dale Mabry Highway on the east and Manhattan Avenue on the west.
Parks and shopping near Virginia Park
Marcelino "Chelo" Huerta Jr. Friendship Park, at 4124 W. Bay to Bay Boulevard, is the neighborhood's city park. It has a playground, picnic shelters and sports courts. Bay to Bay Boulevard runs east from the park to the Palma Ceia Design District, about a mile away, where boutiques and cafes cluster around MacDill Avenue. Britton Plaza shopping center is just across Dale Mabry Highway to the southeast. Bayshore Boulevard's 4.5-mile waterfront sidewalk on Hillsborough Bay is less than 2 miles east. Ballast Point Park, with a splash pad and a 24-hour boat ramp, is about 3 miles southeast.
Getting around Virginia Park
Dale Mabry Highway, on the neighborhood's east side, is one of Tampa's main north-south roads. It runs north past Raymond James Stadium and Tampa International Airport and south to its end at MacDill Air Force Base. About a mile south of Virginia Park, Gandy Boulevard crosses Dale Mabry. From there, the Selmon Expressway (a toll road) runs to downtown and Brandon, and Gandy Boulevard continues west to the Gandy Bridge to St. Petersburg. Downtown Tampa is about 5 miles by road, and the airport about 6.
Homes in Virginia Park
Most of the housing stock is single-family homes, many built between 1940 and 1969, with a steady share of construction since 2000. Expect ranch homes and bungalows, many updated, alongside newer two-story custom homes built on lots where an older house once stood. Homes range from three bedrooms to five or more. The neighborhood is not on the water.
