What a way to do Christmas Eve and even better with the convertible down!…read more I haven't enjoyed Christmas lights this much since I was a little kid. This really made my day-night. It was hard to find a spot that didn't twinkle. We had 2 fav's... The house who's lights went with the radio Christmas music and Santa riding a Dinosaur!!!! I suggest this for anyone who hasn't been before and if you have family visiting (like we did), take them to see it...Its a great memory to keep and share. See u Soon!

Great neighborhood for Christmas lights!! Easily marked which direction you should travel, and we…read moredid so via car. Dropped the top on the convertible so we could capture everything! Not EVERYONE lights up their yards, but most did, and some were so over the top with lights we'd hate to see their Duke energy bill. It CAN get busy right before Xmas, but seems to taper off after. It took us about 15 minutes to get in the hood from Alderman due to the line of people moving in from both directions. If you can park across the street and walk (if its a nice night) that may be a good way to explore as well!! Kudos to the hood on an excellent holiday display!!

Walking around historic downtown Tarpon Springs I couldn't help but be drawn to this vintage…read morepostcard style mural on the outside of the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center. This is a 25-by-4 1/2-foot digitally printed mural by Eagle Photographics in Tampa. It was unveiled in 2020 and is a reproduction of a 1994 painting, called Changing Tides by North Pinellas based artist Christopher M. Still. The mural depicts Tarpon Springs sponge diving heyday around the Anclote Key Lighthouse. The original painting was donated to the Tarpon Springs Public Library by Elizabeth Coachman, an artist and former head of the medical laboratory at AdventHealth North Pinellas. Elizabeth and her husband Michael wanted to keep Changing Tides in the City of Tarpon Springs. Artist Christopher M. Still is known for his paintings of Florida's wildlife, people and landscapes. He works out of Dunedin, Florida and has a gallery in Tarpon Springs. In 2010 he was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. Of the mural he has said "It's a big honor to do this, to have an entryway sign for Tarpon Springs. It's neat having it as an entryway sign out here and you can walk over and see the original indoors nearby." Today the Changing Tides mural serves as a welcome to the City of Tarpon Springs. People love to have their photos taken in front of it and it preserves the rich history of this town as a sponge diving village.

Wonderful public art sculpture here in Tarpon Springs! Art is everywhere here if you look for it!…read more Life is good with art!

I discovered this sculpture while exploring Tarpon Springs. Storybook Time depicts a mother reading…read moreto her daughter from a book as they sit on a bench. I was immediately drawn to this charming sculpture because it brought all of the wonderful memories of reading to my daughter as a child. You can find Storybook Time in front of Tarpon Springs Old City Hall which is now the Cultural Center. Storybook Time was created by Texas born artist, Glenna Goodacre in 1988. She also created the four statues of Greek nymphs called Naiads in the roundabout near the Sponge Docks. Goodacre graduated from Colorado College and studied at the Art Students League in New York. After her marriage she lived part time in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in Dallas, Texas where her husband practiced law. Her favorite subject matter was portrait busts and figures and sculptural compositions of active children. Goodacre is most well known for creating the Vietnam Women's Memorial at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Goodacre passed away in April 2020 at the age of 80. I love how this sculpture captures the feeling of joy of intimacy that reading together brings. Besides encouraging sharing reading the sculpture also commemorates the first library in Tarpon Springs that was established 1916.

A brave Greek immigrant sponge diver stands along the docks of Tarpon Springs, a Greek community…read morethat became the center for the Florida sponge industry in 1890. In later years the town has evolved into a sponge industry tourist attraction and it is a great place to find Greek food. This bronze copper statue replaces an older fiberglass model from 1975. The Sponge Diver statue was dedicated in 2002, "In Memory of the Spongers of Tarpon Springs". The statue depicts a young man in his rubber diving suit and boots, holding his helmet in one arm. Many sponge divers died on the job. This statue stands a memorial to the lives lost while pursuing this dangerous profession. You can find the Sponge Diver Statue across from the Sponge Exchange, just west of Athens St. on Dodecanese Blvd. As a fan of public art I was pleased to make the Sponge Diver's acquaintance.

Down at the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs to attend the Sponge Docks Arts & Crafts Show this…read moreweekend. It was a gorgeous day for it. There was something for everyone. So glad to see the docks and merchants survived Idalia's storm surfer but there were a couple of shops advertising "storm sales". Great event, plenty of bargains from local and visiting artists in addition to regular merchants. I love the Sponge Docks!

I discovered this beautiful 17 feet high by 22 feet wide mosaic mural in historic downtown Tarpon…read moreSprings. The brightly colored mosaic is on the side of the Meres building adjacent to the parking lot that was once Mother Meres garden. The mural was a gift to the city from the Garden Fairies of Tampa Bay, a group of civic, artistic gardeners who have spent seven months creating the massive multimedia art piece. The Garden Fairies received no public funds for the $60,000 mural. It was created through their fundraising efforts and a benefit party by the Chamber of Commerce. It took 2,000 hours to complete the installation of 46 panels over Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 2010. Even the concrete walls surrounding the nearby dumpster also were decorated with 86 smaller panels. The mural commemorates Amelia Petzold Meres, a city pioneer and amateur horticulturist from the early 20th century. Mother Meres loved plants and people. She was born in Germany in 1845 and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was 5. In 1882, she moved to Tarpon Springs with her husband, Walter to run the Ferns Hotel on the corner of Tarpon and Pinellas avenues. Amelia Meres and her husband had a home east of the hotel and on their land she created a lush jungle garden that fed the hotel guests fresh fruits and vegetables and honey produced in the garden. Eventually she was bestowed the nickname of "Mother Meres." In addition to the garden she also planted the cycads that gave Tarpon Springs' Cycadia Cemetery its name later replacing them with oleander after the cycads dies off in a freeze. She held the town's first Christmas party, brought plants to the sick, and helped plant trees to beautify city. With a kapok seed giver to her by her friend botanist David Fairchild of Miami, she planted the famous kapok tree at the former Kapok Tree Inn on McMullen-Booth Road. Mother Meres died at the age of 78 on Oct. 20, 1923. After her death the garden became a city park with benches and a band shell. In the 1950's the park was turned into a parking lot. The parking lot is also the site of the Sunday Tarpon Springs Farmers Market. It is so nice to see Mother Meres love of gardening and generous spirit is still honored and thriving 100 years later.

Went to the bistro for the first time. Nice relaxed upscale Italian food with a very relaxed…read moreatmosphere. The servers are well trained and work together as a well oil team the atmosphere is of an old establishment with tin roof and exposed brick for Homie and very comforting. Melissa was our server and you could not ask for more. Personality with knowledge and obvious love for what she does. The food was absolutely incredible. Had lasagna which was meaty and cheesy with not being too much of either also had the pesto chicken, which was nice and white and very flavorful. The salads that come with the meal are absolutely incredible as they are mostly for sale lettuce. Both the blue cheese dressing and the ranch dressing are in-house made. I could not recommend this place more.

I am on the fence about this place. The restaurant itself is lovely. The hostess and wait staff are…read morefriendly and welcoming. The food is good. It's not fantastic. I will not crave it, but it's not bad. If we were in the area and needed to eat, I would definitely stop there again. The notable exception is the Arancini. They would be better with a little meat in the center. We've enjoyed them twice now and they're delicious. What is bad, and why I gave it three stars is the bar. When I go for a nice night out, I want a delicious cocktail. It makes their night feel special. Their bartender is terrible. My drink tasted like they'd used a mix and added vodka. It did not taste fresh or specially made. It tasted packaged. Worse than that, it originally arrived wrong. I ordered the pomegranate martini without the sugar rim. In my opinion, the sugar rim would have made it too sweet. Skipping that step makes the bartender's job easier, right?! I got a sugar rim. When the server arrived and put it down, she immediately noticed and brought it back for the bartender to fix. This is not the first time I've had a bad drink there. The last time we went I got an Italian Margarita. Horrible! I have never had a drink that was actually undrinkable. Now I have. Amaretto has no business in a margarita. A margarita is supposed to be fresh and bright. The Amaretto overpowers everything. One sip and I sent it back. It was replaced with a lemon drop. I did enjoy that very much, but what I didn't enjoy was the rock candy garnish. Again, too sweet. Who do they think they're bartending for, children?! Ditch the sugar!

skip it. raw pizza, mush for stuffed mushrooms, maybe 10 pieces of toppings spread so thin that…read moreseveral slices had nothing. owner refused a refund without bringing the food all the way back to their store when it's already in the trash (offered to take a picture) hungry toddler. out $45. Note to jojo on your response, you LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I GOT UPSET AT YOUR COMPLETE LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPATHY. YOU CALLED ME BACK AND LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN. BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS. ​

Our first visit. Restaurant appearance not great. Wait staff spot on. Price is important. Quality…read moreis important. Happy to share Jo Jo's is definitely a must try Italian restaurant. Our lunch pasta dishes were exceptional. Maybe a little more pasta would've been good but for $12 with a salad two garlic knots and a meatball it was fine. Give it a try!

Ama is a bronze sculpture of a mermaid that was added to Craig Park in 2014. She stands at the edge…read moreof Spring Bayou. Philip Jepsen and Mermaids Of Earth brought the idea for the statue to the Tarpon Springs Public Art Committee in 2013. Ama is part of the Amaryllis Art for Charity project sponsored by German company Koh-i-Noor. The projects mission is to place 100 Ama mermaid statues around the world in beautiful locations near water. Ama of Tarpon Springs was the 17th statue in the series, and the first on America's East Coast. The Japanese word Ama, refers to traditional pearl divers in Japan while in Tarpon Springs you have the history of the sponge divers. Ama is also the nickname of French artist Amaryllis Bataille who created the Ama mermaid sculpture and many other mermaid art pieces. Ama was cast in Thailand and shipped to Tarpon Springs. At the base of the state is a sponge vase as a nod the Tarpon Springs sponge diving history and there is a small manatee on the left side of the base representing the manatees in Spring Bayou. I love the myth of mermaids so it was a delight to find this beautiful sculpture in Craig Park.

I love public art works and The Naiads caught my eye on a recent trip to Tarpon Springs. The Naiads…read moreis a sculpture located in the roundabout at the intersection of Dodecanese and Roosevelt Boulevards at the west end of the Sponge Docks. The Naiads depict Goddesses from Greek and Roman mythology. In Greek mythology, Naiads are nymphs associated with water. The fountain and base for the sculpture is constructed from stone imported from the Greek Island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese archipelago. There are some benches surrounding the art. The Naiads was created by Texas born artist, Glenna Goodacre in 1989 and installed in 2019. She also created Storybook Time in front of Tarpon Springs Old City Hall which is now the Cultural Center. Goodacre graduated from Colorado College and studied at the Art Students League in New York. After her marriage she lived part time in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in Dallas, Texas where her husband practiced law. Her favorite subject matter was portrait busts and figures and sculptural compositions of active children. Goodacre is most well known for creating the Vietnam Women's Memorial at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. in 1993. Goodacre passed away in April 2020 at the age of 80. I really enjoy this elegance of this piece. It makes a great place to take a picture. I also love the connection this piece has to the water where the historic sponge divers made their living.