Lisa Browder

I returned to Tarpon Springs with my Las Vegas friend of over 30 years who was here visiting because (a) there are lots of things to do and see (it’s a unique Greek community) and (b) there are great restaurants.

Our main goal was a dolphin tour. The trick was finding the right one. Stroll down the sidewalk and there are numerous companies hawking their dolphin and manatee boat tours. Since we’d already spent our morning at the Primate Sanctuary about 15 minutes away, that left the afternoon, and damned if we were going to miss lunch first. We opted for an hour-long dolphin tour with a great price – $12.

It was a gorgeous day to be out on the water – complete with a comfortable breeze and a personable tour guide serving up soft drinks, water and alcoholic beverages. There were, however, no dolphins in sight. It occurred to us that with so many tour boats in the area, dolphins were not likely to hang out nearby. Now why didn’t that occur to us before we boarded?

Our guide had great stories to tell about the history of the area and the eccentric people who lived along the waterfront. I especially liked the one about the man who bought a prime piece of land right on the bay. Undeterred by ordinances that prevented the land from having any structure other than trailers, he bought 5 double-wides and turned them into one gigantic house. In doing so, he avoided the huge tax bills of the enormous homes on either side of him and could legitimately declare his structure a trailer.

On the way back to the dock, our guide pointed out a tall osprey nest in the middle of the homes along the shore. The bird apparently returns each spring, and the community is quite protective of her.

Once we got back to shore, we strolled down the main street, checking out shops selling tea, olive oil, fudge (and, oh yes, we definitely shelled out money in there), and a fragrance shop selling homemade lotions and soaps, along with baskets of various size sponges for which Tarpon Springs is famous.

Just around the corner from the docks is St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. I was told we could go inside and take photos but, alas, it was locked up tight.

If you have time, there’s a preserved train station downtown.

The docks at Tarpon Springs are located at 776 Dodecanese Blvd. You can easily spend the whole day there so plan your excursion accordingly. I would suggest that if your prime reason for going is to experience the dolphins, then you should opt for a longer tour that takes you further out into the open waters.

Either way, you’ll feel better when you get home with a bag full of fudge.