TAMPA, Fla. – When Sparkman Wharf opens on Friday, it'll have at least nine restaurants, a Biergarten, retail and office space and new views of Tampa Bay.
The outdoor space at 615 Channelside Drive used to be the home of Channelside Bay Plaza, a closed-off jumble of bars, restaurants and a movie theater that stood for almost 18 years.
Strategic Property Partners, the developers behind Sparkman Wharf, reinvented the space named after former U.S. Rep. Stephan Sparkman. He's credited for getting congressional approval to dredge Tampa's port.
Sparkman Wharf is the first project of the $3 billion Water Street Tampa development near Amalie Arena and the Florida Aquarium. It features about 180,000 square feet of office space and 65,000 square feet of retail space.
Sparkman Wharf opens to the public Friday
Here's what you'll find at Sparkman Wharf:
Dining Garden
-- Boat Run Oyster Company
-- BT in a Box
-- Flock and Stock Chicken & Burgers
-- Foundation Coffee Co.
-- Gallito Taqueria
-- Montados Tapas & Wine by Mise en Place
-- Edison's Swigamajig
-- The Corners
-- Whatever Pops & Bowls
Fermented Reality Biergarten
Features more than 3,000 square feet of covered seating with cooling mist fans. The Biergarten is set to have more than 30 beers on tap with at least half of them being local brews.
Outdoor entertainment
Almost an acre of artificial turf makes up a lawn area for games, outdoor movie screenings and local bands. The area filled with lounge chairs, love seats, benches, swings and tables and chairs seats about 500 people. The grand opening celebrations continue this weekend with live bands, a silent disco, lawn games and sunset yoga.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
