After departing our luxurious resort in Yankeetown (I’m sure its a lovely place but it’s not where we will be parking the RV again), we headed south on Hwy 98 until Hwy 19 separated from it and we took 19 since it was closer to the coast.
Somewhere around Spring Hill on Hwy 19, Florida turns into one continuous strip mall all the way south until maybe somewhere around Cuba…but we didn’t go that far so I cannot confirm.
We did hop over to 19A and discovered a wonderful little touristy place called Tarpon Springs.
I’m not going to give you a history lesson or handbook entry to Tarpon Springs because it very obviously has it’s own marketing campaign. What we didn’t realize, and that we learned from a bartender in a small, new brewpub is that Tarpon Springs is almost an entirely Greek community with generations of history in that one location. We found a little Greek bakery down a side street and left with a few goodies to enjoy later. We kinda wished we hadn’t had lunch in the RV before stopping because we both love Greek food and there is NO shortage of dining options in Tarpon Springs. Also, if you hadn’t noticed, the sponge scene is pretty popular. I guess that’s the big draw…along with the touristy shops. It is also worth noting that there are a few RV parking spots in the first paid parking lot when you arrive at the town. Our RV fit perfectly and the lot attendant was thankful we parked correctly and didn’t take 4 (!) spots like another RVer down from us. Please be courteous with your RV parking. Tarpon Springs is a very cool town with lots more to see and of course, we’ll be back. I’m pretty sure Keli would make me drive all the way back there just for more Spanikopita!
Leaving Tarpon Springs, we headed south on Hwy 19 again to the only destination where we had made reservations the day before arrival. Again, we really lucked out and landed a 2-night stay at Fort De Soto Park Campground. After much discussion, we decided this was to be our southernmost point on this particular voyage and we wanted to have a day off to just relax. We scored site #208 at the campground which is waterfront AND right next to the bathhouse…again! The only gripe I have is, as you can see below, there is no actual view of the water. But considering the park was completely sold out and somehow we just happened to find a spot while looking at their online system the night before, I’m not complaining.
Fort De Soto is not a state park but is operated by Pinellas County and they run a very nice park. The entire island is the park and as you can see below, the campground is on a part that is a few miles away from the beach.
We rode our bikes a little that night but since we’d had a pretty full day of driving and exploring Tarpon Springs, we just relaxed, knowing we had the next full day of nothing but enjoying this location.
If you are considering this park and campground, which you absolutely should, try to get a site number before #207. They seem to have clear views of the water which would’ve been the cherry on top of this park for us. You can also zoom in on google maps while looking at the campground map on another screen and get a really good idea of which spots are prime!
