Tarpon Springs

The region, with a series of bayous feeding into the Gulf of Mexico, first attracted attention as a place for winter homes about 1876. Some of the newly arrived visitors spotted tarpons jumping out of the waters and so named the location Tarpon Springs. The first Greek immigrants arrived to this city during the 1880s, when they were hired to work as divers in the growing sponge harvesting industry.

In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs. Cocoris recruited Greek sponge divers from the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, in particular Kalymnos, Symi and Halki leading, by the 1930s, to a very productive sponge industry in Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year.

The 1953 film Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, depicting sponge diving, takes place and was filmed in Tarpon Springs.

When a red tide algae bloom occurred in 1947, wiping out the sponge fields in that region of the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of the sponge boats and divers switched to fishing and shrimping for a livelihood. The city then converted most of its sponge-related activities, especially the warehouses where they were sold, into tourist attractions.

The Sponge Docks are now mostly shops, restaurants, and museums dedicated to the memory of Tarpon Springs' earlier industry.

Most sponges sold on the docks are now imports; relatively few sponges are harvested from the area, although attempts have been made in recent years to restart local sponge harvesting.

There are many restaurants serving traditional Greek cuisine and fresh seafood that dot the street as well as quaint boutiques that sell everything from real sponges to imported goods.

We met up with fellow loopers at Hella's Restaurant for a fun filled evening of some of the best Greek food in town.

Hella's Restaurant offers many appetizers and entrées and passed down family recipes. Our courteous waiter was happy to suggest the best appetizer in the house, Saganaki (Flaming imported Greek cheese).

OPA!

 

Bob dug into his lamb and beef Gyro Special and I had Hella's Grouper, which was to die for! We ate our way through Tarpon Springs.

We stayed at a lovely, quiet marina called Turtle Cove off the main channel, where crab boats passed us daily at sunrise and sundown each day. 

This was such a nice place to be, we stayed here two weeks, and ate, and ate, and ate. We are leaving tomorrow to go explore St. Petersburg. What a life.