The Sponge Capital of the World -- One of Florida's most fascinating small towns and a fine day trip from Tampa, St. Petersburg, or the beaches (30 miles north of St. Petersburg, 23 miles west of Tampa, and 13 miles north of Clearwater), Tarpon Springs calls itself the "Sponge Capital of the World." Greek immigrants from the Dodecanese Islands settled here in the late-19th century to harvest sponges, which grew in abundance offshore. By the 1930s, Tarpon Springs was producing more sponges than any other place in the world. A blight ruined the business in the 1940s, but the descendants of those early immigrants stayed on. Today they compose about a third of the population, making Tarpon Springs a center of transplanted Greek culture.
Sponges still arrive at the historic Sponge Docks, on Dodecanese Boulevard. With a lively, carnival-like atmosphere, the docks are a great place to spend an afternoon or early evening, poking your head into shops selling sponges and other souvenirs while Greek music comes from the dozen or so family restaurants purveying authentic Aegean cuisine. You can also venture offshore from here: Booths on the docks hawk sightseeing and fishing cruises. Make your reservations as soon as you get here; then go sightseeing ashore or grab a meal at one of the multitudinous Greek restaurants and bakeries.
You also can visit Spongeorama (510 Dodecanese Blvd.; no phone; open daily 10am-5pm), a museum dedicated to sponges and sponge divers that sells a wide variety of sponges and shows a 30-minute video on sponge diving several times a day. Admission is free. A scuba diver feeds sharks in the Konger Tarpon Springs Aquarium (850 Dodecanese Blvd.; tel. 727/938-5378; www.tarponspringsaquarium.com; Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm), at the western end of the boulevard. Admission is $5.25 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, and $3.25 for children 3 to 11.
South of the docks, the Downtown Historic District sports turn-of-the-19th-century commercial buildings along Tarpon Avenue and Pinellas Avenue (Alt. U.S. 19). On Tarpon Avenue west of Pinellas Avenue, you'll come to the Victorian homes overlooking Spring Bayou. This creekside area makes for a delightfully picturesque stroll.
The Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce, 11 E. Orange St., Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 (tel. 727/937-6109; fax 727/937-2879; www.tarponsprings.com), has an information office on Dodecanese Boulevard at the Sponge Docks; it's open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:30am to 4:30pm.
To get to Tarpon Springs from Tampa or St. Petersburg, take U.S. 19 North and turn left on Tarpon Avenue (C.R. 582). From Clearwater Beach, take Alt. U.S. 19 North through Dunedin. The center of the historic downtown district is at the intersection of Pinellas Avenue (Alt. U.S. 19) and Tarpon Avenue. To reach the Sponge Docks, go 10 blocks north on Pinellas Avenue and turn left at Pappas' Restaurant onto Dodecanese Boulevard.
