Ballast Point in Tampa, Florida

Ballast Point is a South Tampa neighborhood on the west side of Hillsborough Bay, just north of MacDill Air Force Base, according to the City of Tampa neighborhood page.

The neighborhood page describes Ballast Point Park as dating back to Tampa's earliest days, with walkways along the water, shady trees, views of downtown Tampa and quick access to Bayshore Boulevard for jogging, walking or rollerblading. The City park page places the park at 5300 Interbay Blvd. on the east coast of South Tampa, facing sunrises over Hillsborough Bay.

Ballast Point was a separate community until 1953. The City neighborhood page states that the community was annexed by Tampa in 1953 and ties the area's economic and industrial growth to the construction of MacDill Field, which the page dates to the 1950s. The neighborhood page also lists a current City capital project in Council District 4: a Wastewater Interbay pump station force main replacement, estimated at $156,000 and paid from the PIPES program.

Last verified: October 18, 2026, against the City of Tampa Ballast Point neighborhood and park pages, the City's September 2025 pier release and its two pier RFQs (26-C-00002 and 26-D-00002).

Jules Verne Park was the tropical park that the owner of Tampa's first electric trolley company developed at Ballast Point in 1894 as a terminal for her line, according to the historical marker quoted by the City of Tampa.

The City neighborhood page notes that a historical marker at the park reflects its previous name of Jules Verne Park and quotes it in full. The marker states that Mrs. Chester W. Chapin, owner of the company which operated the city's first electric trolley cars, purchased these acres and in 1894 developed this site as a tropical park as a terminal for her line. She named it for the French writer Jules Verne, who in his novel From the Earth to the Moon, first published in 1865, chose Tampa as his launching site for the imaginary shot of his rocket.

The octagonal gazebo near the playground is the Ballast Point structure the City still offers for events, according to the City park page.

The City park page describes the Ballast Point gazebo as situated in a shady spot near the playground, with a domed roof, ornate support pillars and wooden railings, and says it is unfurnished and can be requested for special occasions. The pier is the other structure with roots in the resort era: the City's September 2025 release says the original pier was destroyed in the 1921 Tarpon Springs hurricane and rebuilt and reopened in April 1925. The City's 2026 design solicitation adds that the destroyed gazebo at the end of the pier, 14 by 25 feet, is to be duplicated on the new structure.

The Ballast Point Pier has been closed since hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, and in 2026 the City is hiring designers for its replacement.

A City of Tampa news release of September 4, 2025 says the original pier was destroyed in the 1921 Tarpon Springs hurricane, was rebuilt and reopened in April 1925, and stood until hurricanes Helene and Milton battered the Tampa Bay area in September and October of 2024. That release announced that, after engineering reports, the City had determined the 100 year old pier could be restored rather than rebuilt, with stronger pilings, new boards, upgraded plumbing, lighting and electrical systems and better fish cleaning stations, and that the pier would remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week once completed.

The City's later solicitations describe a new Ballast Point pier instead. The table lists the City documents in order, and they give three different lengths for the same structure.

The 2026 design RFQ also notes that the Ballast Point pier is a loading point for the Jose Gaspar vessel during the Gasparilla parade events, and both RFQs say dimensions will be verified by a field survey. Submissions for the design contract were due by 2 p.m. on October 8, 2026; no award or reopening date had been posted in the documents checked for this page.

Ballast Point Park still offers a splash pad, playground, picnic shelters, a boat ramp and dock, a fitness center and a restaurant, with posted hours set by the City of Tampa.

The City park page is inconsistent about the Joe Abrahams Fitness and Wellness Center at Ballast Point: its opening notice still lists the center as closed as of Spring 2025, while the feature listing says the 2024 hurricanes took the center out for a year and that it has come back with new equipment, and it posts current weekday and Saturday hours. A call to (813) 832-1207 settles which applies before a visit.

The boat and boarding dock just north of the fishing pier is lined with cleats for free temporary docking, and the boat ramp's four trailer spaces fill up quickly, according to the City. The playground is semi shaded with a Tot Lot for younger children, uncovered picnic tables are first come, first served, and many shelters have grills. The City's pier listing notes that Florida saltwater fishing licenses are required on the Ballast Point pier and that equipment rental is available from the local concessionaire.