If you are spending 5+ days in Hernando Beach and would like to explore neighboring towns, Tarpon Springs would be a great place to spend half a day, or a full day. It is around 45 minutes from Hernando Beach / Weeki Wachee.

About the Sponge Docks

The Sponge Docks are one of the most unique places in Florida. Located in Tarpon Springs, this waterfront district is known as the “Sponge Capital of the World” and is home to a thriving Greek community. This is because Tarpon Spring is where many Greek sponge divers immigrated and began their businesses.

Once you get there, you can visit the Sponge Museum or take a walking tour through town. If you’re feeling more adventurous, though, there are plenty of other activities available: dolphin tours; sunset tours; sponge tour.

Brian and I did the Sponge Tour and we learned a lot about the history of the area, as well as a few cool facts about sponges. We did a tour, we shopped, we ate at a restaurant, grabbed a few sponges at the local shops – great way to spend half a day.

All About Sponges

Sponges are living sea creatures. In fact, they are one of the oldest living things on earth. They have been around for over millions of years!

These days, sponges are most commonly found in a variety of shapes and sizes. But back in the day, there were no fake sponges—the real thing was the only option.

So how did people get their hands on these hard-to-come-by creatures? Well, you have to go diving in to the ocean to retrieve them – which is very hard to do. Then, you’d have to spend days or weeks drying out the tissue organism on the sponge.

After it dries you are left with what we know now as a sponge.

OTHER THINGS TO DO

Sponge Docks is a busy a busy area with tourists and locals alike, making it a great place to get out and enjoy yourself. Parking is $5-$10 for the whole day and there are plenty of shops, restaurants, bakeries, and bars to choose from.

There are also some dolphin tours available every hour, if you’re interested in seeing these beautiful creatures up close!

If you want to learn more about sponges, there are several tours available that will take you through the history of the sponge, how they harvest the sponge, and a live demo with a real sponge diver.

Don’t let the suite fool you – it’s very heavy! The shoes alone weighs around 30 or more pounds. See more information on wikipedia here.

This tour is definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating process!