Did you know to-go cups are available at any of the following Riverwalk restaurants? Next time you purchase a drink from the bar, ask for a Riverwalk cup and take it as you stroll along the Riverwalk!
3 Corners Pizza
Columbia Restaurant located in Tampa Bay History Center
Four Green Fields Irish Pub
Hotel Tampa Riverwalk
Malios
Anchor and Brine at Tampa Marriott Water Street
The Pearl Tampa
Publix GreenWise Market at Water Street Tampa
Pirate Water Taxi
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
The Sail Plaza
Ulele
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Specialty Center?
A Specialty Center is a designated area where any organization/business in the area licensed to sell alcohol, can allow their patrons to exit their wet zoned area with a beverage in hand. Exiting a wet zoned area is prohibited by state law if not in a Specialty Center.
What is an open container area?
An open container area is an area that an individual can legally walk around with an alcoholic beverage in hand.
Can I go anywhere I want in the Specialty Area with a drink?
No. A person with an alcoholic beverage can only exit a licensed premise to an open container area, which is defined as the boundaries of the Riverwalk. It does not allow you to walk anywhere within the Specialty Center except the Riverwalk.
Can I enter the waterfront parks with a drink?
No, as they are not part of the open container area. However, if there is an event in the park that designates it as an open container area, then you can do so.
Can I buy a beverage in the open container area?
The open container area has nothing to do with selling alcohol. That can be done only from a business that has a state-licensed to sell alcohol. Every licensed premise has a specified wet zone that the customer is free to walk around in. The open container area only allows one to legally consume a beverage in the area.
How will I know where the open container area is?
It is along the Riverwalk which is a 15-foot walkway along the water’s edge.
Can I bring in alcohol from outside the Specialty Center?
No. The only alcohol that can be legally consumed in the open container area is that sold from licensed businesses within the Specialty Center.
What types of alcohol can I drink along the Riverwalk?
All types – beer, wine and liquor, as long as it is in the specialty cup. No other containers are allowed in the Riverwalk open container area.
What is the specialty cup?
The specialty cup is a specially designated container that is plastic, 10 or 16 ounces and has special marking and color.
Why do I have to drink from the specialty cup?
The specialty cup is necessary to allow police officers to know if alcohol has been purchased from licensed premises within the specialty center. If sold there they will use the specialty cup if you desire to walk along the Riverwalk.
How will enforcement know I bought the drink from a licensed premise inside the Specialty Center?
The beverages will be sold and provided in a special cup. There may also be wrist bands that help identify who have legally purchase the beverage at a licensed event along the waterfront.
How will I get to the Riverwalk from non-collocated licensed premises?
All the businesses that can allow their patrons to exit their premises are on or immediately adjacent to the Riverwalk. There will be a designated path from the licensed premise to the Riverwalk. Each premise will be able to show patrons these pathways.
Can I enter a licensed premise with a drink?
Although it is legal to exit a licensed premise, no one can enter one with a beverage. The beverage must be consumed or poured out before entering the premise.
How many drinks can I carry at one time?
A person can have a maximum of two drinks at any one time.
When can I walk along the Riverwalk with my beverage?
Every day from 11 am to 1 am.
What happens at 1 am?
The patron must consume the beverage before 1 am or pour it out.
Is drinking not allowed after 1 am?
Drinking in the open container area along the Riverwalk is not allowed after 1 am. However, a person may continue drinking in the licensed premises until 3 am, but must stay within the wet zoned area of that premise. The only exceptions on the Riverwalk are licensed premises that include portions of Riverwalk as part of their premise. These areas are the Marriott Waterside Hotel, Tampa Convention Center and the Straz Center.
Are the waterfront parks part of the open container area?
The waterfront parks are not part of the open container area; only the Riverwalk going through the park.
When can I walk in the park with a beverage?
When an event has a vendor that has a license to sell alcohol and the entire park has been designated as an open container area, patrons are free to walk in the park with a beverage during event hours. In some cases, only a portion of the park may be designated as an open container area which will dictate where the person can walk.
When the park is designated as an open container area, can I still walk on the Riverwalk?
Yes, during the hours of 11 am to 1 am.
How will patrons know they can walk along the Riverwalk with a beverage?
The licensed premises within the Specialty Center and event managers will help the city inform the patrons that this is acceptable.
