Known for its Greek history and culture, Tarpon Springs is one of the Tampa Bay area’s hidden gems. But, ... Back in the early 1900s, harvesting sponges wasn’t for the faint of heart.

Murals depict the main industry of Tarpon Springs, harvesting natural sea sponges, on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Even the bike racks have Greek flare in Tarpon Springs on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. A s… ...

Natural sponge beds were discovered in Tarpon Springs in the early 1900’s and it wasn’t long before Greek sponge divers left their mother land to cultivate a booming industry in, what is now ...

The live demonstration of a sponge harvest is the only accurate one left in Tarpon Springs. “You get some history about the sponge industry and how we got started,” Billiris said.

Tarpon Springs, which still harvests 90 to 95 percent of all natural sea sponges, is touted as the "Sponge Capital of the World," in Tarpon Springs on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Patrick Connolly ...

Tarpon Springs is not your typical, garden-variety Florida tourist destination. It's a long way from Mickey, Minnie, Shamu, and Space Mountain. But it's definitely a place worth visiting. Known as … ...

Leaving from Tarpon Springs historic sponge docks, divers used to spend as much as two weeks in the Gulf of Mexico harvesting sponges. Now the docks are a popular tourist attraction.

You can find plenty of information about Tarpon Springs in brochures. But the best — and most entertaining — source of local lore we found was George Billiris, a veteran sponge diver whose ...

Tarpon Springs lies on the Anclote River along Florida’s Gulf Coast about 30 miles northwest of Tampa. Known as the “Sponge Capital of the World,” this is an area where Greek immigrants ...

Tarpon Springs' sponge industry is connected to the area's Greek community these days, but if you dive deeper, you'll see that African-Americans were among the first spongers in the region.

"In the 1950s, Tarpon Springs was truly becoming the sponge capital of the world," Lowe said. "When I'd come and I'd go by the docks, I mean there were just mountains of (sponges) in there.

Tarpon Springs' sponge industry is connected to the area's Greek community these days, but if you dive deeper, you'll see that African-Americans were among the first spongers in the region.