One Delicious Day in Tarpon Springs & Dunedin

Put on your stretchy pants and head to Tarpon Springs, home to some of the best Greek restaurants in the U.S., along with a downtown waterfront that's fun to explore. Coffee and breakfast is the first order of the day.

With a name like Copenhagen Cafe, you might guess that the menu is a diversion from this town's Greek roots, but you wouldn't be entirely right: For example, you can fuel up with the Greek breakfast panini or the Greek avocado toast. There are plenty of other tasty options, too - like the honey brie toast with butter, brie, honey and blueberries, or the strawberry Nutella crepes. Order a flat white or cold brew, and you'll be shored up for a day of exploration.

If you’ve never tried saganaki (flaming Greek cheese), do lunch at Mama’s Greek Cuisine, at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Exchange. Then order the Greek combo—moussaka, pastitso, dolmades—to share.

Mykonos is another great option for Greek food, and offers a view of the waterfront.

Locals' favorite Hellas features the galaktoboureko, a Greek custard wrapped in phyllo, which is just as good as it sounds. Be prepared to spend some time pleasantly agonizing over the expansive pastry counter at Hellas.

Have a hankering for fresh seafood with a water view? You can't go wrong at Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, know for their fresh shrimp and fish (seafood comes fresh from their own boats). 
 

For dinner, we’re taking you to Dunedin for a romantic meal at The Black Pearl. The award-winning fare is the perfect marriage of French and New American. Twice-cooked duckling with smoked cherry-leek demiglace = the ultimate yum.

Life is all about options, and you'd be wise to consider this one: The Restorative, a beloved local foodie haunt with an ever-changing, well-curated and innovative menu. 

Feeling more…shorts and flip-flops? Olde Bay Café at Dunedin Marina is the answer. Sit outdoors, sunset-gaze, and dig into their famous peel-and-eat shrimp with garlic butter, and the best fish tacos this side of Baja. 

Take in the nightly sunset celebration with a cocktail or sangria at Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar at Dunedin's historic Fenway Hotel, with a beautiful view of St. Joseph Sound.

Is beer more your thing? Check out the vibrant craft beer scene at one of Dunedin’s breweries. Try something fun, say “There Gose My Pickle“ (dill pickle gose) at Cueni Brewing Co. (pronounced Q-Knee.) Is the night still young? Head over to HOB Brewing Co. and sample one of the fine potions brewed in-house, perhaps Peanut Butter Blonde or Shadow of a Stout.  

Meander through the Celtic Shop on Dunedin’s Main Street. Find your clan’s tartan, or choose one that calls to you.

If art is your jam, wander amid four galleries of artwork at Dunedin Fine Art Center.

For a gorgeous nature escape, visit Honeymoon Island State Park. Reachable via car or bicycle via the Dunedin Causeway, this stunning park offers white-sand beaches and pretty nature trails (bonus: gopher tortoises.)

See why Tarpon Springs is called the Sponge Capital of the World with a walk along the sponge docks on Dodecanese Boulevard. Take a boat tour to see a sponge-diving demonstration and shop for a natural sea sponge. Now that’s a cool and practical souvenir! If you time it right—currently, on Wednesday through Friday from 11-3—you can get a peek inside a Victorian beauty, the 1883 Safford House Museum, on the National Register of Historic Places.