Winter Escape 2023 (Tarpon Springs)

 After spending Saturday & Sunday, January 21st – 22nd at Champions Run RV Park 3019 NW 44th Ave, Ocala, FL it was time to move on.  Monday, the 23rd, we loaded up & began the journey south on I-75 towards Tarpon Springs.  We made our first stop at Webster’s Swap-O-Rama and spent a couple of hours walking through the Monday only flea market.  It’s old-school flea market with over ½ of the market being people loading up their cars with “stuff” and laying it out to be bought at “bargain” prices.  Picked up a few items that we couldn’t live without.  

We continued south on I-75 to Tarpon Springs.  We made it to the Clearwater/Lake Tarpon KOA @ 37061 US Hwy 19 N in Palm Harbor, FL by early afternoon having stopped at an I-75 rest area to grab a bite for lunch in the RV.  The advantage of our RV is that we have food available for meals & snacks and in case of emergency, there’s a restroom.  We set the RV and then made a trip to two different UPS stores to drop ship things that were no longer needed, to our home and to Heather’s Vintage Market in Berryville, Arkansas – 2 special women who are helping us with our Eureka Springs Airbnb.  We then made our way to Tarpon Springs sponge district stopping at Mama's Greek Cuisine @ 735 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs for a Greek dinner of Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna) & Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolma), both of which were amazing.  Hellas Bakery was a stop on the walk back to the car for Greek Baklava, Cannoli & Diples.

On Tuesday, January 24th we went on Odyssey’s Dolphin Adventure Island Cruise, a 2-hour cruise down the Anclote River into the Gulf of Mexico. There was limited narration on the trip with some history of Tarpon Springs & the Sponge Docks.  We landed on the island - Anclote Key Preserve State Park, where we had a ½ hour to look for shells.  Going to the Gulf waters, we found bunches of keepers.  On the trip out and back, we had views of the lighthouse, crab trap buoys, pelicans diving for fish, an osprey in flight and an American eagle perched in a tree.  After returning to the Tarpon Springs sponge dock, we walked to Rusty Bellies for another amazing seafood dinner.  Then it was back to the KOA for a shower and laundry.

It’s Wednesday, January 25, 2023.  Another day of warm weather is unfolding before a “cold” front comes through later this evening bringing with it rain and cooler weather this afternoon.  Today’s adventure will be going to YBOR City, a part of Tampa that has a history dating back to the 1800’s.  Stops will include several historical sites. 

1. Going to Cuba without leaving the U.S. by crossing through the archway into Jose Marti Park in YBOR.  This American land was donated to Cuba in 1956. The Batista’s Cuban administration officially accepted the property, and the American consul in Havana certified the transaction.  To this day the land remains property of Cuba and the park contains soil from each of Cuba’s provinces.  The park is open Monday to Friday from 8:00am-1:30pm.  

2. Lunch was at Florida’s oldest restaurant - The Columbia, opened on Dec. 17, 1903, by Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. as the Columbia Saloon, which became the Columbia Restaurant in 1905.  Over nearly 120 years, the restaurant has expanded to an entire city block and is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world.  The Original Columbian house salad and a Columbian Original Cuban was a great choice for lunch. 

3. We’ll be going back on Saturday for lunch at La Teresita, tour & tasting at Florida Cane Distillery and checking out the Gasparilla Spiced Rum at Tampa Bay Rum Company all within YBOR or old West Tampa.  The history of this area is amazing in the Florida’s early days.

The rest of Wednesday was spent lounging at the RV, the KOA pool and doing odd jobs around the RV.  The weather today was in the 70’s with strong southwinds.  A cold front is due to come through this evening along with rain and cooler weather the rest of the week.

Thursday, January 26th was a road trip day.  We checked on the availability of Honey Bells at Sun Harvest Citrus - Ft. Myers and were disappointed to find that they had none available.  If you have had a Honey Bell orange, then you know.  If you haven''t, then it's something that you must put on your to do list.   We then went to lunch at the Shrimp Shack in Ft. Myers with Phil & Lisa Duniven (friends from Meriden UMC).  It was an enjoyable meal with time spent catching up on the hurricane, family and friends.  After lunch, found that the #1 choice for antique stores was closed – relocating due to hurricane damage, so we headed north.  We made one stop at a quilt store in University Park, and found them to be extremely helpful.  

Friday, January 27th we went to Plant City to our favorite strawberry market - Parkesdale Farm Market, 3702 W Baker St, Plant City, FL.  After some sugar-free strawberries we bought a few items, including a ½ flat of fresh picked strawberries.  Stopped at a fabric warehouse to pick up some Florida fabric.  It was then on to Lakeland Antique Mall where we found some sought after items including a vintage Disney Original Orange shirt that Abbey had been looking for.  This adventure came to an end with lunch at Reececliff Family Diner, 940 S Florida Ave, Lakeland, FL - the longest running restaurant in Lakeland, after more than 75 years of existence.  The rest of the day was spent lounging around at the RV park.

Saturday, January 28th is a special day in Tampa with 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest.  It is a historical recreation of a pirate takeover of Tampa that involves boats and food and parades and parties.  Seriously thought about going, but they expected 100-300,000 to come into downtown Tampa for the Mardi Gras kind of parade.  

So what did we do?  Ate lunch at a Cuban old school diner - La Teresita Restaurant: 3248 W Columbus Dr, Tampa with a plate full of chicken & yellow rice with sides of black beans & onions along with plantains.  It was then on to Florida Cane Distillery and Tampa Bay Rum Co. for tastings and tours.  After skipping the crowds of Gasparilla and enjoying a great meal and tasting/tours it was back to the RV park for naps and laundry.

Sunday, January 29th started with church at a great and dynamic church – Palm Harbor UMC.  Keith Harcombe is the pastor and his leadership is evident and it’s truly a disappointment that this is the only Sunday we’ll be here.  After a quick and early lunch in the RV, we then made a trip to Honeymoon Island ahead of the Sunday crowds for a ride on the Caladesi Island ferry.  We were able to make the 12:30 ferry and enjoyed an early afternoon on one of the few untouched islands along the Gulf Coast, Caladesi Island State Park which is accessible only by boat.  Spent an hour walking the beach and found countless keeper shells and then spent another 45 minutes in chairs, sunning on the beach as the waves could be heard while feet were in the sand.  After just enough sun to be short of a sunburn, we made it back to the RV to wash the shells and shower.  It was then over to Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, Inc.: 937 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs for another great seafood dinner. However, with it being an early Sunday afternoon – the restaurant was packed and we had 45 minutes to wait for a table – so we walked through the stores picking up a few souveniers of our time in Tarpon Springs.  After dinner, we made it back to the RV to begin to pack up, as Monday, January 30th will find us moving to Orlando for a week.

6:30 p.m. EST was for watching the Kansas City Chiefs / Cincinnati Bengals AFC Championship game.