Tarpon Springs Hotel & Suites

Tarpons Springs Historic...

by Tolik

Tarpons Springs Historic District.
The town center is two miles from the coast, where Tarpon Ave (SR 582) meets Pinellas Ave (US 19A). It’s a pleasant place to stroll, full with shops and restaurants. Due to its historic significance, downtown is listed in The National Register of Historic Places. On the Cultural Center (Pinellas Ave) you can learn the town’s history. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the most striking symbol of Tarpon Spring’s Greek Heritage. The cathedral, a replica of St. Sophia in Istanbul, was built in 1943 using marble delivered from Greece. If the cathedral is open, you should see the three huge Czech chandeliers and the 23 stained glass windows.

~ Tarpon Springs, Florida ~

by noidiotsplease

In the north end of Pinellas County, travelers can visit the sponge-diving capital of the world, Tarpon Springs. The town, proud of its residents’ Greek heritage, has the vibe of a Greek fishing village with lots of shops and eateries located in close proximity to the main sponge docks.

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West Central Florida

by jonellis

"My Winter Home"

From the end of September until the end of April I live near Tarpon Springs, Florida. Here I have a boat building shop as a hobby, and on occasion take my Kayak to local rivers to see the wildlife and the "wild people" that frequent the area. (sunbathers, lovers, etc.)

North of Tarpon Springs at Homosassa Springs, one can kayak alongside the Manatees in crystal clear waters from an underground river. There is also a Florida State Park in this area that has many of the local animals and marine life on desplay. There is a small fee.

Just South of there is the Weeki Wachee River which starts at a spring alongside US Rt 19 near Spring Hill, Florida. That Spring is also part of the same underground river system that actually starts in the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia. The water in these rivers is very clear and when one launches at the headwaters, all you have to do is steer as the gentle current will take you 9 to 12 miles. There is a local Kayak rental dealer that will pick you up at the lower end, give you a ride, and trailer the kayak back to where you started for a small fee.

Tarpon Springs

by Tolik

My wife and I visited this lovely town on the Gulf of Mexico coast during a day trip from Tampa.

Surprisingly there are no springs in Tarpon Springs. They say that the town’s name originated with a remark made by a landowner’s daughters in the late 1800s. They saw fish jumping in the bay and said, “Look at those tarpon spring”.

Some people claim that the town is a “Sponge Capital of the World” because Greeks arrived in this lovely town about one hundred years ago to harvest Tarpon Springs’ fertile sponge crops, 30 feet below. We found that influence remains strong in the town’s sponge market, Greek pastry shops, onion-domed St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. You will find Greek restaurants, an Athens street, a Poseidon gift shop etc. With a lively atmosphere, the historic Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard are great place to spend an hour browsing the shops selling sponges while Greek music comes from everywhere.