TARPON SPRINGS, FL

Tarpon Springs came to life somewhere in the 1860's and 1870's. Turtle fishermen from Key West discovered sponge beds off the west coast of Central FL in 1873. Greek immigrants expanded and refined sponging in Tarpon Springs. Early Greek divers were from Kalymnos, Halki, Spetsi, Aegena and other Greek islands. Today, most of the sponge boats are owned and operated by people of Greek descent. Sponges from Tarpon Springs are sold all over the world. Tourism has replaced sponging as 'Tarpon Springs' major economic activity.

We had never visited Tarpon Springs, so we decided we'd try to find it, with our GPS, maps, and a little research. We had a great day and now we want to go back. It was a perfect day for a cruise out to the Gulf of Mexico along the Anclote River, from the Tarpon Springs sponge docks. We saw many bottle-nose dolphin, swimming in the wake of our boat on the way back to shore. We visited one of the barrier islands where a very old lighthouse is located. No wonder there were so many boats in this beautiful area! I can imagine the sunsets must be the most spectacular in Florida.