Cathy

Clearwater Florida to Tarpon Springs Florida

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Florida has so many places that are fun to explore! The drive from Clearwater to Tarpon Springs is one of the prettiest drives we have taken in Florida. We drove on US-19 ALT N which follows the gulf coast. It’s only about a 30-minute drive but it takes you past some really cool cities; Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, and Tarpon Springs.

Each of these cities is full of great restaurants, beautiful scenery, and fun adventures. Clearwater has some of the best beaches in the US. Dunedin is a hidden gem with Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands to explore. Palm Harbor has championship golf, and Tarpon Springs is like visiting a Greek Village.

Clearwater beach

Things to do in Clearwater

Clearwater is west of Tampa and is known for its beautiful gulf coast beaches. Clearwater beach is located on a barrier island and has been voted the #1 Beach in the US for several years. With a wide variety of restaurants, you will find whatever you are craving!

You will find several miles of white sand beaches, warm gulf waters, and beautiful sunsets!

Wildflower Cafe
Wildflower Cafe

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Fun things to do in Green Bay, Wis

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The Midwest is full of beautiful countryside, warm and welcoming people, and lots of interesting places. To me, Wisconsin is the crown jewel of the Midwest. It’s a beautiful state with a lot of places to explore! I am a little partial, though, since it’s my home state.

The city of Green Bay, Wis., is a wonderful place to have an adventure whether you are traveling as a family or having a couples getaway.

Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse

Green Bay, Wis., is probably best known for the Green Bay Packers and for cheeseheads. I can tell you that there is much more to this small town! It is located at the base of Door County in the northeast part of the state. The city is also located at the head of The Bay of Green Bay(which feeds into Lake Michigan), and at the mouth of the Fox River. The population of Green Bay is about 107,000, which makes it the third-largest city in Wisconsin. My list showcases some of the highlights of this wonderful city.

10 Fun Things to do in Green Bay

  1. Tailgating
  2. Green Bay Packer Game
  3. Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame
  4. National Railroad Museum
  5. Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
  6. The NEW Zoo & Adventure Park
  7. Heritage Hill State Park
  8. Green Bay Botanical Garden
  9. Neville Public Museum
  10. Fox River Tours

1. Tailgating outside Lambeau Field

Lambeau Field is known for great tailgating! Tailgating has been around since 1869 and started at a college game between Rutgers and Princeton, but the term “tailgating” was first used by the Green Bay Packers in 1919. You can find anything there, hamburgers & hot dogs, ribs & steaks, brats & sauerkraut, cheese curds, and much more! I think that almost everyone going to the game enjoys some kind of tailgating. Of course, the beer also flows! Even though it’s not my thing, Wisconsin has plenty of beer!

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Winter RV Camping

10 Great Campgrounds for Winter Camping in NC

17 Comments / Camping /

There are many great campgrounds and RV resorts in the state of North Carolina, but not all of them remain open during the winter months. The camping season in North Carolina usually runs from April to October. With more and more people living full time in their campers, it’s important to find year-round campgrounds. North Carolina does have some year-round campgrounds, I will feature 10 of the best in this post.

NOTE: Some campgrounds may close their facilities(bathhouse) and turn off the water during cold weather, while others may allow you to attach a heated water hose.

** It’s important to remember that if you are going to attach to their water pipe, you will need to winterize your camper after you are done camping to remove the excess water from the lines and avoid frozen or cracked pipes.** See winterizing tips at the end of this post

Winter RV Camping

To Camp or Not to Camp

You may be thinking that it’s too cold to camp and what is there to do? Well, I’m here to give you some ideas. If you love camping, it’s hard to put away your camper for the winter. It could be your favorite way to relax and vacation, you should be able to camp year-round! Each of these camping locations has great restaurants, shopping, museums, and other indoor attractions. For those that don’t mind the cold, you can bundle up and enjoy all that winter has to offer!

However, if you live in one of our colder, northern states, you won’t find many year-round campgrounds. I know because I was born and raised in Wisconsin!

You always have the option of heading south or waiting for Spring!

In this Post, I will highlight 10 Year-round campgrounds that I have found in North Carolina.

10 Great Year–round campgrounds in NC

  1. Carrollwoods RV Park, Tabor City NC
  2. Water’s Edge RV Park, Newport NC
  3. Camp Hatteras RV Resort and Campground, Rodanthe NC
  4. Grumpy Bear Campground, Bryson City NC
  5. Pride RV Resort, Maggie Valley NC
  6. Riverwalk RV Park, Jonesville NC
  7. Mayberry Campground, Mt. Airy NC
  8. Creekwood Farm RV Park, Waynesville NC
  9. Oak Hollow Campground, High Point NC
  10. Zooland Family Campground, Asheboro NC
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Sponge Docks Boat

Tarpon Springs Sponge Boat Tours

5 Comments / Travel /

Tarpon Springs is a city on Florida’s gulf coast. It’s about 30 miles northwest of Tampa. It has a population of about 24,000. The city has the highest number of Greek Americans anywhere in the United States which means some great Greek cuisine! The city is on a series of Bayous which feed into the Gulf of Mexico. The first settlers spotted Tarpon jumping out of the waters so it was named Tarpon Springs. It is also known as the Sponge Capital of the World! It’s a beautiful place to spend the day!

Historic Sponge Docks

We took a stroll along the docks and saw boats that had been gathering natural sponges. In 1880, the first sponge business was started, at that time they would hook the sponges and then process them for use. In 1905, John Cocoris introduced the technique of sponge diving to Tarpon Springs and recruited divers and crew from Greece. By the mid-1930s there were 200 boats working the Gulf of Mexico harvesting sponges. Unfortunately, in the late 1930s, a bacterial blight killed the sponges and destroyed the industry.

Today they are making a comeback with a small active sponge industry in Tarpon Springs.

Sponge Docks Boat
Boat at the Sponge Docks

St. Nicholas Boat Line

Established in 1924, the St. Nicholas Boat Line started providing Sponge Boat Tours and is still giving tours today. They are the second oldest attraction in Florida.

Tarpon Springs Sponge Boat Tour

  • Location: 693 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs
  • Hours: 10:00-4:30 Daily, the St. Nicholas IV leaves the sponge docks every 40 minutes on a round-trip cruise the Anclote River.
  • The Tour: Includes the history of the Sponge docks and a live sponge harvesting demonstration
  • Cost: Adults $10
By Canva

Sponge Diver Memorial

A statue of a fearless sponge diver stands along the docks of Tarpon Springs. Dedicated in 2002, “In Memory of the Spongers of Tarpon Springs”, the statue depicts a young man in a full rubber diving suit, holding his helmet in one arm. A lot of these spongers died on the job. Today there are safer methods to harvest the sponges.

Fearless Sponge Diver
Fearless Sponge Diver
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