When I first moved to Florida in 2018, despite my infamous home renovation project, I was determined to explore the area. To ensure I would never be bored and always had something to do, I developed a list of Day Trips within a one-hour radius of my home. Although the list is somewhat extensive, I’d like to share with you my three favorite places.

Within 15 minutes of my home is a small town named, Safety Harbor, Florida. Most of the time, when I go to Safety Harbor, I go by way of Philippe Park. This park was a former plantation and was named after Odet Philippe who is credited with introducing grapefruit to Florida. The park is also a National Historic Landmark for the Tocobaga Indian mounds located in the park.

I love the peaceful setting of this park located on the water with all its beautiful trees. I usually park my car near the entrance of the park and walk along the park road leading to a small walking bridge.

This bridge leads to a beautiful Safety Harbor residential area with amazing homes facing the serene Tampa Bay waters. At the end of the residential area, you can walk along the boardwalk area that leads to a small beach and park area or you can continue straight to the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa.

Once at the resort, turn right to access beautiful Main Street, Safety Harbor.

There are lots of beautiful boutiques and places to eat on this amazing street. One of my favorite coffee shops is Café Vino Tinto. Although I am not a coffee drinker, I love this little place for hot tea and a special treat, especially after my long walk from Philippe Park.

Another one of my favorite local adventures is Tarpon Springs, Florida. Once again, I almost always begin this adventure at one of the local parks. This time, Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs is my starting point.

Fred Howard Park is located on the Gulf of Mexico and has a beautiful, wooded park area leading to a beautiful causeway. At the end of the causeway is a large parking lot with entrances to the beach area.

I usually park at the end of the wooded park area and walk along the path toward the causeway. I continue with a walk down the causeway, around the parking lot, and return on the causeway to my starting point. To ensure I have put in enough steps to justify the craving for baklava, I complete this walk twice, and then head to the infamous Hellas Bakery in Tarpon Springs for the best baklava in town!

Tarpon Springs is a large Greek community famous for not only their baklava, but for the Greek sponge divers who settled here in the early 1900s. Tarpon Springs, to this day, is the sponge capital of the world.

The main street in Tarpon Springs is Dodecanese Blvd. On this boulevard you will find sponges everywhere along with great restaurants, markets, and bakeries. Here is a 2-minute video of the sponge industry in Tarpon Springs.

One of my favorite finds in Tarpon Springs was recommended by a good friend. The St. Michael’s Shrine in Tarpon Springs is an amazing and beautiful place with a remarkable story to tell. This 4-minute video gives a firsthand testimony to the history of this beautiful shrine.

This next location is difficult for newbies to pronounce. I looked at this name for a long time before I dared to give it a try. Dunedin! The correct pronunciation is duh-nee-dn. Good luck!

Dunedin is another beautiful town located 15 minutes from my home. What a GREAT find! For exercise purposes, I like to do at least 10,000 steps. This equates to approximately four miles. When I park at the shopping center at the beginning of the Dunedin causeway and walk to the front gate of the Honeymoon Island State Park with a return walk to my car, I can complete my 10,000-step journey. There are two walking bridges on this causeway and the water on either side provides a nice breeze even on the hottest Florida days, provided you complete this walk in the early morning or evening hours!

Driving from the Dunedin causeway to the downtown area on the left side of the road is the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail. This is a bicycle/walking trail that stretches from Tarpon Springs in the north to St. Petersburg in the south. I’ve walked a section of this trail several times from the end of the Dunedin causeway to the downtown area. It is always quite rewarding when you get to the downtown area with all its great restaurants and the BEST ice cream in town!

Another one of my favorite walking places in Dunedin is along the waterfront near the Fenway Hotel known as the Grand Lady of Dunedin.

Construction for this hotel began in 1924. The hotel is located within walking distance to the downtown area and overlooks the Clearwater Bay. The hotel was completed in 1927. The hotel changed ownership several times before it was sold in 1961 to Trinity College. The college remained at Fenway for over 20 years before moving to Pasco County in 1988. Once again, after several owner transactions, the hotel was purchased by the Marriot to be part of their International Autograph Collection.

Well, those are my top three local favorites. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve been to any of these towns. To broaden our options for travel destinations, please share in the comments below your local favorite adventures.

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