SpongeORama!
Spongeorama, along the Anclote River
Okay, it’s a bit dated and kitschy, but there just ain’t nothing else like it. When in Tarpon Springs, you must make a point of visiting SpongeORama! The film (watch it and you get a discount in the shop) sets the tone for the extensive displays on the history of sponging in Florida, which appear to date back to my youth (the museum opened in 1968) but, despite their age, give a detailed overview of all aspects of the industry and Greek culture and life in Tarpon Springs. Did you know, for instance, that red tide walloped the commercial sponging industry back in 1957? It’s not a new phenonmenon. After you’ve soaked in the history (be sure to stand under the fans), take a gander at the wide variety of sponges available for everything from artists brushes to keeping you clean in the bath. Buy a sponge, support a native Florida industry!
SpongeORama
510 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs
(727) 943-2164
An exploration for another day: Fort Center is an archeological complex located within Fisheating Creek WMA west of Lake Okeechobee near Lakeport. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission built this beautiful observation deck over a remnant of prairie – a nice spot for birding, accessible by wheelchairs – and has blazed a combination trail – bicycle and hiking – out to a significant archeological site. Round trip is over 3 miles. The day I stopped in, my exploration was stopped short by dense smoke and beyond, a wall of flames. Seems a prescribed burn was going on, and there wasn’t a warning at the trailhead. Oops! Common sense ruled, and I beat a hasty retreat. I’ll get back here later this year to spill the full story of this site for 
Some folks know where to place a porch, and Mr. Fred Babcock was one of them. His Cypress Lodge is deep in Babcock Ranch, set on a creek draining into the Telegraph Swamp. On a visit there, I watched a gator sunning on the shore, wood storks and ibises winging their way above the dark water, and a squawking little blue heron in the shallows. This is one fine porch with a view.
Cowboy’s is the newcomer in the town of Okeechobee, a steak-and-barbecue restaurant that filled in the blank left by the closure of the R.J. Gator’s chain last year. I saw the sign back during my New Year’s visit but the restaurant wasn’t open yet. Passing through Okeechobee this weekend, I discovered my favorite BBQ joint – Skip’s – is no more. A sign on the door directed me to Cowboy’s. It’s a very different experience, and different approach to BBQ, but Cowboy’s takes on the Okeechobee image and holds it forth proudly for the world to see. The decor leans heavily on photos and paintings of local ranches and ranch families. And each table is named for a ranching family and decorated with their brand. Now that’s touting OkeechoBEEF! Mine was a quick lunch, a loaded baked potato topped with shredded barbecued pork, but I’ll linger longer on the next visit.
Saturday was Florida Lighthouse Day, so what a delight it was to revisit the St. Marks Lighthouse and discover it open. It’s only open for visits on special occassions, including some of the festivals held at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge throughout the year. In full lightkeeper regalia, several volunteers and interpretive specialists recounted the difficult lives that the lightkeepers and their families lived since the original lighthouse was built in 1832. It’s an outpost along the Gulf of Mexico, more than 10 miles from the nearest neighbor, a beacon for navigation and the iconic symbol of the Big Bend.