Where Are The Manatees?

Craig Park, Tarpon Springs

All I wanted to do was see manatees. I have seen them before, but it would be a first to see them outside of the Florida Keys.

After I heard about the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach I tried to convince my friend into going with me, but I failed. Instead she proposed a counter offer of us and a couple of other friends to go with her and her family to Tarpon Springs; stating it was a cute town with tourist shops and good Greek food. Convinced, my friends and I on a Saturday morning piled into my car and headed to her house in Tampa to meet up with her family. 

Once we arrived in Tampa, her younger, barefooted, half-dressed siblings ran out of the house to greet us. After they got fully dressed, two of them out of the 10 there are, wanted to ride with us instead of their parents. To accommodate, we switched cars and took her family’s van to Tarpon Springs. 

MoonBerry Mercantile and Trading Store, Tarpon Springs

Before we arrived to the tourist strip, our first stop in Tarpon was the MoonBerry Mercantile and Trading Store. My dorm is filled with multiple plants, so the moment I saw the storefront window with it’s array of colorful potted hanging plants, I knew I would like it. As we entered MoonBerry, I was drawn to the freshly picked, unwrapped carrots with their leaves still attached and bundled together in a woven basket on a table. Behind them were a handful of baked goods, natural home remedies, and wooden bathroom and kitchen items. Alongside the entrance of the store were thrifted clothes for sale and through another entryway leading to the window where the plants were, wooden kid toys and different types of homemade soap products were on shelves. MoonBerry Mercantile was an adorable bohemian-styled store and since I’m big on homemade and natural products I would return with the intent to purchase something. 

Craig Park, Tarpon Springs

Still not at the Tarpon tourist strip and personally still in search of some manatees, my friend's parents decided to stop at Craig Park. Unopposed to the idea, we followed them and I’m glad we did. It was a beautiful waterside park with a children's playground, canoe rentals, and large twisted oak trees throughout the area. The park also had a cemented walkway alongside the lake which my friend's sister and I decided to walk on to explore the rest of the park. 

At the end of the walkway, we stopped by a War Memorial Marker that recognized soldiers from World War I, World War II, the Korean and the Vietnam War. As we sat next to the marker we looked out towards the water and there they were… the manatees! In disbelief, I stared at the water to ensure they weren’t just huge rocks in the shallow water. As I stared, the moss covered, gray looking rock began to move and it’s small, half-circled tail lifted. In my excitement, I called my friends on the other side of the park to come see them before they swam away. When they arrived, the manatees repositioned into the rocks I thought they were. Because of this, my friend's siblings wanted to grab their attention by throwing rocks near them. Despite their wishes, we disapproved of their actions and they settled with seeing their backs and a casual tail lift. 

As we left Craig Park, I learned that the manatees can only be seen there from November to March. Knowing this, I was so happy I got to witness them before the summertime. 

Tarpon Springs Market

After seeing the manatees and the beautiful park, I wasn’t intrigued about going to the tourist spot anymore, but we had to. Tarpon Springs ended up being a petite beach town surrounded by docked sailboats and similar stocked shops with its t-shirts, beach dresses, sponges and souvenirs. Since Tarpon Springs is known for its Greek food and sponges, we did get to experience one of their restaurants, Mykonos. The gyros were appetizing but I do not recommend the chicken lemon soup, it was too salty for my preference. 

Tarpon Springs

The last stop on the tourist strip was the Spice and Tea Exchange. Ginger turmeric tea is a favorite of mine and it’s usually how I wrap up my days at home, so ending our day of adventure with a refreshing free sample of a tea blend was the perfect end to that day.