Blue waters, white stone buildings, and delicious baklava...no, I am not talking about Greece, but the little Greek town of Tarpon Springs. The Greeks settled here in the early 1900s bringing their rich culture and delicious food. Sponge diving is what brought notoriety to this town. You can still visit the historic sponge docks and grab a few to bring a little ocean scrubbing back to your home.
Anytime I get a little itch for the Mediterranean coast but don't have the time to fly over there, I pop on over to Tarpon Springs.
There are plenty of options for parking. The first time I visited, I parked in a lot on Dodecanese Boulevard. Turning left on to Dodecanese Boulevard, you will see it immediately on your left. It only costs a few dollars, and you are very close to the main sponge dock area. The second time I visited, we parked in downtown Tarpon on East Tarpon Avenue. The street parking is free, and it is near restaurants and shops. It is about a 15-minute walk to the sponge docks. It was an enjoyable walk with some fun stops along the way.
Back to my first experience in Tarpon Springs, I arrived early in the morning, wanting to start my day with delicious Greek pastry and some needed coffee. I happened upon this pastry shop called Taste of Greece, which is on the main thoroughfare. While looking at pictures of some of their treats, I saw an elderly man who seemed like a comfortable local enjoying his morning breakfast. I asked him if he had any recommendations on what I should get. He said you have to get the baklava. So that is what I did.
I went to sit down by myself at one of the outdoor tables and chairs. The elderly gentleman kindly asked if I would like some company. I said that would be delightful and moved to join him at his table. His name was Eugene, and he grew up in Cyprus. Like many of the people the moved to Tarpon Springs, they originally hailed from the sparkling islands of Greece. Having lived in both Greece and Tarpon Springs, he was a wealth of knowledge and great stories.
Finishing my delicious baklava and delightful coffee, I told Eugene I had to be off for I had a boat tour. He told me to have fun and enjoy my day!
I strolled down the road to a part of the docks where Odyssey Cruises sails out. On my stroll, I passed the historical sponge docks. You can still see boats pull up and unload all the natural sea sponges they have harvested. You will also see decorated themed bikes all along the main road.
With Odyssey Cruises, I did the Dolphin Adventure Island Cruise. Hint, there are some decent restrooms over by the parking lot next to where you get on the boat. The boat tour took us down the Anclote River out into the Gulf. We saw the refurbished, historical Anclote Lighthouse and plenty of dolphins. We made our way out to this island that can only be reached by boat. It felt so nice to cool off in the water, and you can find some pretty impressive shells at this secluded beach.
The whole adventure is about 2 hours and a great way to see another side of Tarpon Springs.
One can not go to Tarpon Springs and not get some sea sponges. So I started back up the boulevard to purchase the well-known commodity and take a little piece of Tarpon home.
Well, Eugene was still visiting with people in front of the cafe when I walked by. He asked how my tour was and what I was up to next. I told him that I was on a mission to purchase some local sponges. He got up and escorted me to the neighboring shop called Lori's Soap & Sponges. He and the owner are very good friends. The store has a variety of sponges for a good price. They have them classified according to their best uses. The store also has homemade soaps, some are infused with a sponge. All the soaps are handmade with goat's milk. My mom is sensitive to over-perfumed soaps, and she loves the ones I get her from this store.
After a successful shopping adventure, it was time for another pastry. Eugene suggested getting a slice of galaktoboureko, which is a Greek custard pie. If you like tres leches, you definitely should try this dessert. While eating my creamy, delectable pie, Eugene regaled me with more stories about growing up in Cyprus. I also got to meet a few of the other locals who were originally from Greece.
As delightful as the pie was, there was no way I could come to Greek town and not have some lamb. I asked the locals where to eat, and they suggested Costas or Mama's. Always listen to the locals when it comes to food.
Walking down the side road of Athens street is where you can find both these restaurants. You will also find a Greek food market called Agora and Amvrosia, which has shoes, jewelry, and other trinkets imported from Greece.
On my first trip to Tarpon Springs, I ate at Costas. It was the first time I had ever eaten a proper Greek salad. We are all familiar with a Greek salad having cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta. But if it doesn't have potato salad on it, it is not truly a Greek salad. I will tell you I am forever changed and can not eat a Greek salad if there isn't potato salad on it. Also note, this potato salad is different from the one you might get a Fourth of July barbeque.
I ordered the broiled lamb chops for my main course. The lamb was perfectly tender, and the simple herbed marinate was all that it needed. The potatoes oven roasted with a hint of lemon complemented the lamb well. All in all, a delicious meal, and I would go back.
Wrapping up my first trip to the Tarpon, I headed over to Sunset Beach to watch the sunset. I did have to make my way back to my car and drive there, but it was only a few minutes away.
Sunset Beach is not the most sandy of beaches, but it does live up to its name.
There is a sandier beach called Howard Park Beach nearby if you are wanting some beach day fun.
All in all, I was so happy with my first adventure at Tarpon Springs. So, I was excited when I got the chance to visit again recently.
This time, we parked on East Tarpon Avenue in downtown Tarpon for free. There are fun little shops and restaurants nearby. From there, it was about a 20-minute walk to the sponge dock area where I was before. It was a pretty easy walk. We saw sights like Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. We also noted some spots we wanted to check out on the way back.
We came at a great time of day because we saw them unloading sponges off one of the boats from the morning haul.
It was lunchtime, so we decided to check the other restaurant called Mama's Greek Cuisine. I will say aesthetically compared to Costas, with its white walls, blue roof, and patio Mama's seemed to transport you to Greece.
They had a two-for-one deal for sangria, so obviously we took them up on that. For an appetizer, we had spanokopita, which is a spinach and feta phyllo dough pie, and a pan-fried fish called smelts. I would compare the smelts to a combination of calamari and fish sticks. Then for our meal, we shared the lamb kabob platter. It did come with my favorite legit Greek salad, but it wasn't as big as the one at Costas. Our meal was delicious, but I would pick Costas over Mama's by just a hair. But go, and make your own decision.
We popped across the street to 5 Branches Brewing. They were not there when I visited the first time. We taste-tested a few beers, but most of the ones they had were quite fruity and not what we were craving at the moment. So we continued our journey through Tarpon.
I did stop into the store I had mentioned before called Amvrosia. I spotted some beautiful leather sandals that I wanted. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size, but I suggest visiting this store and for unique finds.
We took our time exploring the sights of the sponge docks. There are plenty of statues, murals, and boats to see.
You can't go to a Greek town and not get a pastry. We went back to the pastry shop where I had met Eugene a few years ago for some coffee and baklava. I asked one of the ladies behind the counter if Eugene was around. They said he had stopped by this morning as he always does and was doing well. I told them to tell him I said hello.
On our walk from downtown to the sponge docks, we had seen a distillery that piqued our interest, so we popped in on our way back. The owner, Lisa, and one of the staff, Jessie, were the only ones in there. They gave us the story of how they bought the place and how they work hard to acknowledge the roots of the building and town. Originally the building was used to store and sell sponges and was owned by Stephen Katzaras. One of the liquors they make is named Papa Ouzo to honor Stephen and the town's Greek heritage.
They gave us a tour of their distillery, and you could tell they were very knowledgeable of the distilling process, as well as passionate. We did a tasting of their ouzo, gin, claresso, and moonshine. They really knew how to pair and set up the tasting so you could really taste and notice all of the notes. Normally, I am not a gin person, but their gin was so smooth, and their specialty gins were fun and unique. We got their Hot & Dirty gin for making dirty martinis and another specialty gin for making bloody marys, and of course, we had to go home with some Papa Ouzo.
Not only is the liquor fantastic, but so were the people. We hung out until past closing, chatting and tasting. The owner kindly offered to drive us back to our car, so we didn't have to walk the rest of the way. Right now, the Tarpon Springs Distillery can only do tours and sell bottles, but soon they will be able to make cocktails with their liquor and serve it. They also have a whiskey coming out soon. So make sure to add this place to the Tarpon Springs visit!
Once we dropped off at the car, we thought about heading home, but then we heard some fantastic jazz music and had to check that out. Diagonally from our parking space were some old houses that had been renovated into restaurants. It became obvious that the jazz music was coming from H'ours Creole Smokehouse. Taking a detour from Greece to New Orleans, we grabbed a table outside to enjoy the jazz music and some grits.
Small towns have a way of using their charms to enchant you. With the warmness of their hospitality, the mama's kitchen quality to their food, and the stories. So if you get an itch for a visit to the Greek islands, take a drive down to Tarpon Springs until you get the chance to take a flight.
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