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| Although we both grew up within a couple of hours of Tarpon Springs this was our first visit. |
We finished up our "Florida Adventure" week with four nights at Clearwater Beach. Like we had done in Orlando, we took advantage of some lower than normal rates. This time staying at the Marriott at Sand Key. All the rooms here are two room suites with balconies and nice views of the intercoastal waterway. It's a nice property and because of some status I earned staying at Marriott's while working we were given a nice upgrade to a top floor.
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| Sunrise from the Clearwater Marriott |
We designed this adventure so the "busy stuff" like Sea World and Busch Gardens would be early in the week and the second half was dedicated to the fine art of relaxing. It's all worked out according to plan! Although we did a little bit of exploring by car, there was plenty of hot tub time, walks on the beach and of course eating.
A sign at the entrance to Clearwater Beach proclaims it "Florida's Top Beach". Going a step further, in 2018 Trip Advisor named it the #1 beach in America. We've roamed quite a few miles of the wide, white sand beach and they can certainly make an argument for either title. It hasn't been great beach weather (a little chilly, windy and rainy at times) but we were able to enjoy getting out everyday.
Clearwater Beach
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| The view southward from the Marriott. The intercoastal is on the left and you can catch a glimpse of the gulf between the two buildings |
If you're not familiar with this area and want to check it out for a day visit there is parking along the main stretch of Clearwater Beach. There is even more parking available at Sand Key Park which is located adjacent to the Sheraton Sand Key. Parking here will set you back $5 for the day. There are picnic tables, restrooms, showers, changing facilities and some concessions.
Sand Key Park
Of course you gotta eat and there are plenty of choices in the area. We enjoyed a nice casual lunch at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill. There are actually five Frenchy's restaurants in the area. The Rockaway one is located right on the beach. There are plenty of seafood options on the menu and there is live music most days from 1:00 PM through the evening. Good food at a good price in a very casual beachy atmosphere, there's no downside to that combination. We also enjoyed a nice lunch at the Columbia Restaurant which is located next to the hotel. The Columbia has been serving up some of the best Spanish/Cuban food since 1905. Their first restaurant was in the Ybor City section of Tampa. I'm not sure if it is in the original location but it has the distinction of being Florida's longest continually operating restaurant. There are now four other restaurants and two cafes including one at Tampa International Airport. There are lots of good looking items on the menu but our usual "go to" is a 1905 Salad, Spanish Bean Soup, a Cuban sandwich and a pitcher of sangria (we like the red better than the white but they're both good). You'll also get a piece of nice warm Cuban bread which is delivered daily from the La Segunda Bakery in Tampa. If you've never had real Cuban bread you are in for a treat. A baguette from Paris has nothing on Cuban bread from Tampa.
Frenchy's Rockaway Grill
Columbia Restaurant
On Thursday afternoon we made a short 30 minute drive north on US Alt-19 to the city of Tarpon Springs. This city of around 25,000 has the distinction of having the highest percentage of Greek Americans in the United States (around 12%). Tarpon Springs developed a unique industry back in the 1800's of harvesting sponges from the local Gulf of Mexico waters. In 1905 a Greek immigrant introduced a diving technique that allowed for more productive harvesting of the sponges. The industry continued to grow until a red tide algae bloom in 1947 killed many of the sponges. Although the sponge industry is still alive most are now man made, fishing and shrimp boats have replaced most of the sponge diving boats. Of course with that heavy of a concentration of Greek Americans there is no shortage of Greek restaurants around town, especially in the sponge dock area. Using Trip Advisor as our guide we ended up at Hellas Bakery and Restaurant. We had a really nice Greek Salad, Gyro and Chicken Souvlaki followed up by a couple of tasty treats from the bakery including Baklava...…….Opa!
Hellas Bakery and Restaurant
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| A statue dedicated to the sponge divers of Tarpon Springs |
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| Hellas Bakery and Restaurant |
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| Sponges for sale-all shapes and sizes |
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| A bike that was fished out of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the barnacles it was starting to grow sponges. |
The surprise that we found on the drive from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs was Dunedin. I really couldn't have told you much about Dunedin before Thursday afternoon. I could have picked out it's general location on a map and told you that it was the Spring Training home of the Toronto Blue Jays. It looked interesting as we drove through so we stopped and explored it a bit on the way back. There was a very nice downtown with small shops and restaurants, a waterfront area with a large marina, hotel and restaurant and a very nice waterfront. One of the most intriguing things was the Pinellas Trail. Depending on the source, the walking/biking trail is anywhere from 38 to 53 miles in length from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs. This is part of the "rails to trails" program that converts old railroad lines into walking and biking paths. I think the discrepancy in the length of the trail is simply due to the fact that they are continuing to expand it. Upon doing a little more research we learned that Dunedin has been recognized as one of the most livable small towns in Florida and one of America's best walking cities. Although we didn't spend too much time in Dunedin we spent enough to know that we'd like to come back and take in more of Main Street, the waterfront and the Pinellas Trail.
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| Me and Flipper |
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| One of the many themed decorations along Main Street in Dunedin |
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One of the buildings in downtown had a huge mural titled "Welcome to Dogedin". It was a project by a local artist. All the dogs (and a few cats) that are painted on the mural are real pets. A donation was made by their owners to the Animal Welfare League. Great idea!
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| The Old Dunedin Railroad Station-now it's the local historical society museum |
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| Not a great picture but this is the Pinellas Trail as it passes through Dunedin. |
We're back on AMI now. We'll be here through Christmas afternoon. Ben will be joining us on the 23rd. Then after the traditional Christmas lunch with Beth's extended family the three of us (me, Beth and Ben) will be flying out to California to celebrate Christmas with Sarah, Joey and James. We'll ring in the new year on the west coast which is really nice. We only have to stay up until 9:00 PM local time to see the ball drop in Times Square.
It's a nutty time of year and a nutty world out there. Stay safe and sane!
