Last Updated: July 6, 2026
From Everglades City we drove a few hours north along congested city streets to reach Tarpon Springs on Florida’s Gulf Coast — a town unlike any other in Florida. While most of the state’s tourist towns lean on beaches and theme parks, Tarpon Springs leans on something far more distinctive: a thriving Greek-American community, a working sponge industry, and a waterfront that feels more like a Greek island village than the American South. It is one of the most culturally interesting stops on Florida’s west coast, and paired with the nearby towns of Dunedin and Clearwater, it made for a memorable few days.
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs was incorporated as a city in 1882, taking its name from an early visitor who watched tarpon leaping from the water in the 1880s. By the late 1880s the area had developed a thriving sponge harvesting industry, taking advantage of the rich sponge beds in the Gulf of Mexico. The pivotal moment came in the 1890s when Greek sponge divers — recruited from the Aegean island of Dodecanese — arrived and transformed the industry. They brought traditional Greek diving techniques, hard-hat deep-sea diving equipment, and an entire culture with them. Today, Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States, and the Sponge Docks district along Dodecanese Boulevard remains the heart of the community.
In 1947, a devastating red tide algae bloom wiped out the sponge beds, collapsing the industry almost overnight. The Greek community stayed and rebuilt, and though the sponge harvests never fully recovered to their original scale, the industry survived and the cultural identity of the community deepened. The Sponge Docks today are touristy — shops selling sponges, Greek pastries, and souvenirs line the waterfront, and parking is a genuine challenge — but underneath the commerce is a genuine and living Greek-American culture that sets this place apart from anything else in Florida.
Dinner at Mykonos Restaurant was the highlight of our time in Tarpon Springs — genuinely authentic Greek food in a warm, taverna-style setting right on the Sponge Docks. The spread was excellent: fresh, well-seasoned, and clearly made with care rather than just for tourists. We even ordered Greek beer to go with it, which felt appropriately on theme. If you visit Tarpon Springs and skip the Greek food, you’ve missed the entire point of the place.
Hickory Point RV Park, Tarpon Springs
Hickory Point RV Park is not a resort — the sites are tight and the facilities are basic — but the waterfront views are spectacular, the wifi was decent, and the satellite reception was good. The trade-off is entirely worth it for the setting. Getting there from Everglades City involved navigating some genuinely challenging urban streets with low-hanging branches and stop-and-go traffic, but we eventually found a better exit route out of the area.
This being Florida, the Great Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets were daily visitors — perched on the dock pilings and dock railings with the comfortable familiarity of birds that have never been bothered by humans. We never tired of them.
Our site had a paved patio directly on the water, and dolphins worked the shoreline regularly — surfacing close enough that we could hear them breathe. Sandy made good use of the front-row seats each evening with a glass of wine and a sunset that demanded full attention.
Every evening we stopped whatever we were doing to watch the sunset. Florida Gulf Coast sunsets earn their reputation — the low horizon and open water turn the sky into something theatrical every single night, and no two were the same.
Dunedin, Florida
Just south of Tarpon Springs is Dunedin (pronounced DONE-ee-din) — a Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, reflecting the town’s Scottish heritage. It is a genuinely charming small city with a walkable downtown full of boutique shops, craft breweries, restaurants, and some of the most creative public art we encountered in Florida. The scale of the place is human — you can cover the main streets on foot in an afternoon, and the energy is relaxed and local rather than tourist-oriented.
Dunedin is particularly known for its dog murals — large, vibrant portraits of dogs painted on building walls throughout downtown by local artist Anna Hamilton. Jake the dog was naturally delighted, or at least as close to delighted as a Great Dane mix gets when confronted with a painted version of himself at two stories tall.
A glass of wine and a light lunch at The Living Room on Main was exactly the right pace — a comfortable, welcoming spot on Main Street that felt like exactly what it sounds like: the kind of place where you could settle in for the afternoon and not feel rushed out.
Clearwater Beach, Florida
Clearwater Beach stretches for 2.5 miles of powdery white quartz sand along the Gulf of Mexico and is consistently ranked among the best beaches in the United States — a distinction that is well-earned. The sand is genuinely fine and white, the water is clear and calm, and the beach itself is wide enough that even on a busy day you can find room to breathe. Sandy could have spent hours working the tideline for shells, and Jake the dog had strong opinions about the Gulf of Mexico that he expressed at considerable volume.
Visitor Information
Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks
The Sponge Docks are located along Dodecanese Boulevard, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 — free to visit, with shops and restaurants open daily. Parking along Dodecanese Boulevard fills quickly on weekends; arrive early or use the public lots on the side streets. The area is walkable once you’re parked. The Tarpon Springs Aquarium, also on Dodecanese, offers a closer look at local marine life including nurse sharks and stingrays. Visit tarponspringschamber.com for current events and visitor information.
Mykonos Restaurant
Mykonos Restaurant is at 628 Dodecanese Boulevard, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689, phone (727) 934-4306. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Authentic Greek cuisine in a casual waterfront setting — gyros, spanakopita, fresh fish, and excellent Greek beer. Expect a wait on weekends; reservations recommended.
Hickory Point RV Park
Hickory Point RV Park is at 1199 Curlew Road, Dunedin, FL 34698, phone (727) 784-3622. Full hookups, waterfront sites on the Gulf, decent wifi and satellite reception. Not a resort — sites are tight and amenities are basic — but the waterfront setting is exceptional. Dolphins are regular visitors. Visit hickorypointrvpark.com for rates and reservations. Book well in advance for winter stays.
Dunedin, Florida
Downtown Dunedin is centered on Main Street, Dunedin, FL 34698. Free street parking is available throughout downtown, and the area is entirely walkable. The Pinellas Trail — a 38-mile paved multi-use trail — runs directly through Dunedin and connects to Tarpon Springs to the north and Clearwater to the south, making it ideal for cycling or walking between towns. Anna Hamilton’s dog murals are scattered throughout the downtown blocks — no map needed, just wander.
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach is located at the end of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard (SR 60) in Clearwater Beach, FL 33767. Public beach access with paid parking at the Pier 60 lot and several surrounding garages. The beach is open daily from sunrise to sunset; Pier 60 hosts nightly sunset festivals with artisans and street performers from two hours before sunset to two hours after. Leashed dogs are welcome on the beach. Visit visitclearwaterflorida.com for current conditions and events.
Practical Tips for Tarpon Springs, Dunedin & Clearwater
Arrive at the Sponge Docks early or late. Dodecanese Boulevard gets crowded quickly on weekends and parking is genuinely difficult by mid-morning. Arriving when shops open (around 10:00 a.m.) or in the late afternoon gives you the best chance of finding street parking and a less congested experience. The waterfront is also more atmospheric in the softer morning and evening light.
Plan a full day for the Tarpon Springs–Dunedin–Clearwater corridor. The three towns are each worth a few hours and are connected by the Pinellas Trail, making it possible to walk or cycle between them. By car, the drive between Tarpon Springs and Clearwater is about 30–40 minutes depending on traffic. A full day covers all three comfortably.
Eat Greek food in Tarpon Springs. This is not optional. The Greek restaurants along the Sponge Docks — Mykonos, Hellas, Costa’s — serve food that reflects over a century of Greek-American culinary tradition. Skip the chain restaurants that have crept into the area and eat where the locals eat.
Clearwater Beach is best on weekdays. Consistently ranked one of the top beaches in the country, Clearwater draws large weekend crowds in season (November through April). Visiting on a weekday and arriving early gives you significantly more beach to yourself. Parking at the Pier 60 garage is your most reliable option.
Large RVs approaching Hickory Point from the south: plan your route carefully. Several surface streets in the Tarpon Springs and Dunedin area have low-hanging branches and tight turns that are challenging for large coaches. Use satellite imagery or a truck/RV GPS to identify the best approach route before you arrive — we found a better exit route after the fact, which we wished we had known on the way in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tarpon Springs, Florida known for?
Tarpon Springs is known for its Greek-American community and its sponge industry — the largest in the United States. Greek immigrants arrived in the 1890s to harvest sponges from the Gulf of Mexico, and their descendants have maintained a vibrant Greek cultural identity for over a century. The Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard are the heart of the community, lined with sponge shops, Greek bakeries, seafood restaurants, and sponge diving boat tours. Tarpon Springs also has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the country.
Is Clearwater Beach worth visiting?
Absolutely. Clearwater Beach is consistently rated one of the best beaches in the United States for a reason — the sand is exceptionally fine and white, the Gulf water is calm and clear, and the beach is wide and well-maintained. The nightly sunset celebration at Pier 60 adds a festive atmosphere in the evenings. It can get crowded on weekends in season, but even then the sheer size of the beach means there is usually room. For families, photographers, and anyone who loves a classic white-sand Gulf beach, it is well worth the visit.
What is special about Dunedin, Florida?
Dunedin stands out for its walkable, arts-forward downtown, its Scottish heritage (it is named for Edinburgh, Scotland), and its thriving craft brewery scene. It is also home to a remarkable collection of large-scale dog murals by artist Anna Hamilton, which have become a beloved landmark of the downtown streetscape. The Pinellas Trail runs through the heart of town, making it easy to arrive by bike or explore on foot. Compared to the more tourist-heavy Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Dunedin has a genuinely local feel — it is a town people actually live in and are proud of.
Is Hickory Point RV Park a good choice for a Gulf Coast stay?
For the setting, yes — it is outstanding. The waterfront sites directly on the Gulf offer unobstructed sunset views and regular dolphin sightings, which is a combination that is hard to beat. The park is not a resort: sites are tight, amenities are basic, and large coaches will need to plan their approach route carefully given the low-hanging branches on some nearby streets. But if a spectacular waterfront location matters more to you than pool facilities and wide paved streets, Hickory Point delivers.
Where are the best dog murals in Dunedin?
Artist Anna Hamilton’s dog murals are distributed throughout the downtown Dunedin area, primarily along Main Street and the surrounding blocks. There is no single official map, but the murals are large enough to spot from a distance as you walk. The best approach is simply to park downtown and wander — the murals are part of the discovery. Dog owners will find Dunedin particularly welcoming: the town is very dog-friendly, with water bowls outside many businesses and plenty of outdoor seating.
