You can’t really call a day and a half a vacation, but you can call it an adventure. When I put this post on my blog calendar it was actually going to be titled “In-between the Waves,” but after we got home I realized we didn’t even do the whole beach thing. All of my Florida memories from my childhood are from days spent digging in the sand and hopping waves. But this trip, I had a different destination in mind for our short stay in the sunshine state.
We had a wedding to attend in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Because of the quick turnaround for our travel to Europe, I booked our flight leaving the destination for a despicable 5 a.m. departure the morning following the wedding. We arrived the day before the ceremony (a little late after our flight from Miami to Tampa was canceled) and had just over 30 hours to enjoy ourselves; but we sure did make the best of it!
This is not a complete guide to the area, obviously. But I do hope it’s a reminder that even the shortest trips can be filled with some adventure. And if you are ever down this way, here’s a few stops we recommend make your itinerary.
Tarpon Springs, Florida
My dear friend got married on Sunset Beach so we decided to check it out a day early. I made Jackson pose for a few photos with me before we hopped over (pun not intended, but I’m leaving it) to Two Frogs Brewing Company We actually tried a few different breweries while in town, but this was certainly our favorite. The brewer was easy to talk to and though extremely laid back, we could tell he cared about our experience. It’s rare to have a genuine interaction these days, but he encouraged us to explore the area and was aware of his customers’ needs.
Crystal River, Florida
I got a glimpse of this incredible place via HoneyTrek’s blog a few months ago. When I realized it was so close to the wedding, I saw no reason we couldn’t make the morning trip. It was just an hour and a half north to visit this incredible spring that is known for being a safe haven for manatees.
We didn’t see any manatees. Though we had to be close: we saw a tour group that was interacting with one! Still, this place is certainly worth a visit.
We booked with Crystal River Kayak Company (highly recommend!). It was a wonderful experience due to a great staff and the closest access to Three Sisters Spring. Since we didn’t have all day long (the wedding was that afternoon) we arrived when they opened at 8a.m. We grabbed breakfast from a gas station and got an early start to our adventure. This resulted in peace and quiet at the very popular spring and we had it to ourselves for a bit to float around and take a dip. Later, when we passed by on our way back to the launch, the entrance to the spring had become crowded. Go early! I feel like this is the general suggestion to every lovely site on planet earth. But here, there’s a good chance you will actually get it to yourself and it’s one hundred percent worth it.
Not every adventure is full of wild tales or jam-packed with opportunity. But even with less than 48 hours, there are plenty of opportunities to seek adventure and enjoy the time in-between landing and take-off.