Summary

Sulphur Springs is a historic spring site located along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. Once one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations, the spring attracted visitors in the early 1900s for its mineral-rich water, large spring-fed swimming basin, and amusement park atmosphere.

Today the area is a public park where visitors can enjoy river views, wildlife, and one of Tampa’s most historically significant springs.

The natural spring emerges near the river and historically filled a large concrete swimming basin built around the spring vent. Over time, changes in water quality led the city to restrict swimming in the natural spring. In 2000, a separate municipal swimming pool was constructed nearby, while the original spring and its outflow remain part of the park landscape.

The spring flows toward the Hillsborough River through a short channel known locally as Spring Run.

History of Sulphur Springs

Sulphur Springs has been an important part of Tampa’s history for more than a century. The area gained popularity around 1900, when a resort-style park was developed around the spring. Bathhouses, walkways, and a large spring-fed swimming basin were built to accommodate visitors seeking recreation and the mineral water that early tourism brochures promoted as health-giving.

Guidebooks from the early 1900s described the spring as having a very high flow rate and attracting thousands of visitors each year. The park eventually expanded to include attractions such as a zoo, dancing pavilion, hotel, and amusement rides, making Sulphur Springs one of Tampa’s most notable leisure destinations at the time.

Access to the park improved when a streetcar line reached Sulphur Springs in 1907, allowing visitors from downtown Tampa and nearby communities to easily reach the resort.

By the late 20th century, environmental concerns and water quality issues changed how the spring could be used. In 1986, high coliform bacteria levels forced the city to close the natural spring and lagoon to swimmers. A modern public swimming pool was later built nearby in 2000, while the original spring became part of the surrounding park landscape.

A municipal swimming pool built near the spring in 2000 served the neighborhood for decades, but the facility has been closed since 2023 while engineers address structural issues caused by groundwater from the spring beneath it.

Read more on the history of Sulphur Springs here.

Nearby Springs

Several other spring sites can be found in the Tampa area:

• Purity Springs Park

• Eureka Springs Conservation Park

• Ulele Spring

• Lithia Springs Park