Franciscan Center

Rooted in the spirit of Francis of Assisi, The Franciscan Center is an oasis of peace and community welcoming people of all faiths who seek spiritual growth, healing, and joy. Situated on eight acres along the Hillsborough River, the Center offers a peaceful setting for private reflection, retreats, and professional meetings. Conveniently located in Tampa, it is just ten minutes from downtown, fifteen minutes from Tampa International Airport, and upriver from the downtown River Walk.

The Center host religious retreats, staff gatherings, meetings, and luncheons, with a minimum of fifteen attendees required for a full day/overnight use. Its main conference room seats up to one hundred in theater-style and includes river views, audiovisual equipment, and free Wi-Fi. The St. Clare Room seats twenty at tables or thirty auditorium style, while Sabbath House accommodates up to twenty-two in a home-like setting with indoor and outdoor meeting spaces. A waterfront pavilion seats forty to fifty and the dining room overlooking the grounds and river seats up to eighty.

Overnight accommodations are available for up to sixty-four guests in handicapped-accessible buildings and surrounding grounds. The main building includes forty-bedroom/bathroom suites, (twenty-three double rooms and eighteen single rooms). The campus provides comfortable lodging for up to 64 occupants within a handicapped-accessible environment. Sabbath House includes a hermitage with bedrooms for two and a small meeting room. All linens are provided, along with full dining services in all meeting spaces and kitchenette access is provided for private retreatants.

Spiritual features include a main chapel, second-floor meditation chapel, Chartres Cathedral design labyrinth, outdoor Stations of the Cross, an art gallery and library. Manicured lawns, walking paths, benches, a screened porch and wheelchair-accessible boardwalk to the riverfront pavilion, enhance prayer and reflection opportunities. Dining options include plated meals, buffets, boxed lunches and complimentary coffee and tea for all guests.