The 18 best things to do with kids in Tarpon Springs

I wish I could do more while I'm in this town — there’s so much to explore! The streets are filled with the delicious scent of local food, and every corner seems to have a charming little shop full of souvenirs and handmade treasures. I want to taste every dish, wander into every store, and take a piece of this place home with me. I just wish time would slow down so I could soak it all in.

This was our first time going. The beach was clean and easily accessible from the parking lot. It was quiet and very family friendly. The water was calm and gradually got deeper making it perfect for my two young boys to play. The beach at the busiest time was not crowded with plenty of space around each family. It's located close to the sponge docks and restaurants if you wanted to make a day out of it. We will definitely be taking our kids back this summer!

I'd give more stars if I could! My 2 teenage sons and I visited today and had a great time here. This place is just fantastic! . There is so much to see here, the shows are fantastic and very informative. We were lucky enough to hold a small alligator and feed sharks, turtles and goats.The staff are all super friendly and it has a great atmosphere too. There are so many different animals to see and touch. We all had a very enjoyable time and will be back again soon. I would highly recommend a visit here, and the other 5 star reviews are well deserved.

The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral is breathtaking! I am not Greek, nor religious, but I can appreciate history and beauty when I see it. The exterior of the cathedral is beautiful and well kept, but the interior is amazingly maintained. St. Nicholas cathedral has to be one of the most beautiful and clean places of worship that I have ever been in! This coming from someone whose high school graduation was at the infamous St. Patrick's cathedral in New York City.

We visited the Safford House for the Christmas Holiday Season. It was a very pleasant place to visit with a great docent named Bob. He was very knowledgeable of the history of the house and family who lived there. He made sure that you knew the importance of the family to Tarpon Springs history. The building itself was remarkable and its rooms looked as they would have in the 19th century. The wood covered walls and ceilings are exactly as they would have been. The only problem is parking. There is limited parking at the museum but I wouldn't let the parking stop you from going there is street parking nearby. We will be back for next season.

Replay Pinball Museum is an absolute treasure! Walking in feels like stepping back in time, with rows of classic and modern pinball machines that are all in great condition and ready to play. The flat admission fee makes it easy to enjoy hours of fun without worrying about tokens or quarters. The space is clean, well-organized, and full of retro charm. Whether you’re a longtime pinball fan or just looking for a unique and fun way to spend the day, this place is a must-visit. Perfect for all ages and guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

What a beautiful park! It’s massive, so at first we parked on the side where the playground was on our first visit, the kids loved it, small but mighty and impeccable views even from the playground area. There’s tons of interactive things for the kids to do on the playground and interesting climbing structures. There was some invent going on when we went the first time but that didn’t stop us from having fun as the park really is so vast. There’s a lot of rest areas, bathrooms, water fountains, fields, and walkways. We were a little under the weather and said we’d come back to explore the other side of the park, which is literally on the other side when you turn in and boy do we no regret it! There’s a small trail leading to a giant view of Lake Tarpon, it’s part pathway and then leads to a boardwalk, the kids always love running these trails just as much as we do, and it helps get our steps in and it tires them out haha! When you’re on the boardwalk you see so much wildlife, especially near dusk, we saw four or five baby alligators, we saw tons of butterflies, birds, squirrels and even a hawk. The trail is kinda short but definitely worth it! On this side of the park there’s also restrooms and water fountains and swinging benches that you can sit on facing the lake/salmons bay leading into lake tarpon. There’s also a boat ramp for boat people. Overall it’s definitely one of my favorite parks we’ve been too, all the ones on lake tarpon are super nice! Great for dog walkers too! Definitely recommend!

Great area for a walk with lots of paved paths. Viewing manatees in Spring Bayou. Lots of wall seating. City history museum. Surrounded by architecturally interesting historic homes. Site of annual Epiphany Cross Retrieval Dive tradition. Some Christmas lights to enjoy in December. One sidewalk rings Spring Bayou. If you have impulsive/inattentive little ones, you might want to know there is no protective railing on the sidewalk ringing the bayou. I didn’t really see any steps or ladders for how you’d get out if you fell in. So just take care! Great place for manatee watching in cold weather. Saw some mullet jumping too. Video of the manatees on my YouTube channel- Celtic Echoes by Chelley McMahon.

Rusty Bellies was phenomenal. When we arrived there was a wait time of 20-30 minutes for a table of 3. We only waited about 20 minutes and the communication was great. It looked very packed but that didn’t surprise me as the food was very fresh and delicious. It was worth the wait. Our server Henry, was very polite and checked on us the entire time. I really enjoyed seeing all the old photos of the restaurant, it tells a story and wasn’t too loud for being a packed house. I loved that it was on the water! I enjoyed the table hush puppies, for my entree I got the Rusty Pot Belly Bucket with the Eleni’s Juicy Boil, Cajun mix with onions and Garlic and man that was a chefs kiss. The seafood was very fresh and no I didn’t save a bite! I will be back to this wonderful place!

I luckily was following the River and the Trail and came across this hidden gem. Nice park with two dog areas one for small dogs and one for large dogs. I really liked the two gate entrance areas so no dogs can sneak out. The Splash play area was clean, I was there early in the day and there was no one getting wet yet. There is also a play area with swings and other equipment for the kids to play on. The canoe and kayak launch is picture perfect Overall a very nice place to bring your dogs out to play... And if you want to bring the kids it's a great place to wear them out for the day.

Been going here for years now. Sometimes we go in the summer just because it’s close by but we mostly go for sunsets in the winter months. It’s more like a bay experience than a true beach like Clearwater but it’s free to enter and park and it’s a decent alternative if you’re in northern Pinellas county because it’s easy to access and most times easy to park. Bathrooms, a few shelters and a boat launch available for free It’s a bit small but big enough for everyone to find a spot

Love history? A must stop! The attendant was very informative which enhanced the visit. Museum isn't just about the trains, but includes the entire area with supporting displays.

A Diamond of a park tucked away from the town, don’t let the entrance deceive you, or the pictures, the playground and park is actually huge! There’s two playgrounds to play on for the little ones and my twins really loved it! Not very busy at all when it comes to the playgrounds, so that was a plus. I recommend bringing bug spray though because those noseeums are ruthless! There is a public restroom, swings, and a trail with docks and observation towers which we didn’t explore this time but definitely will next time! Dog friendly too, definitely recommend this park for families. So much beauty in the nature here. Another hidden gem forsure away from all the hustle and bustle that other parks have! Apparently there is a little library to donate books, we carry around books and brand new journals to donate but I didn’t see it at the front but maybe it’s deeper down the trail. Either way, we had a blast here. There’s plenty of parking too, forsure check it out if you’re in the area and want a nice but quick relaxing stroll! EDIT: we explored the trails today and they were so beautiful and fun! The kiddos loved it and I was surprised by how much they ran the trail, I almost couldn’t keep up with them haha! There’s multiple trails and some loop back around to the entrance but other ones lead to the boat ramp/kayak launch, some have fishing piers, beautiful views of the rivers. Some of the terrain was rough like seashells on the ground but most of it was smooth, saw some snakes but harmless and cute! Definitely will come back here again for the trails.

We had an awesome time! Thanks to Mark, Mary and Mike for your amazing service. It was my sons first time going deep sea fishing and he had an absolute blast catching 15 grumps 1 grouper and 1 blow fish. I highly recommend this fishing service to anyone looking to catch fish!

This is one of my favorite parks in this area. The beach is nice and quiet. It has a boat ramp as well. There is shade and benches. There are restrooms, changing rooms and plants of parking. Just outside the park along the bike path to the north is an eagles' nest. You can get quite close and observe the eagles and their babies. There are usually some photographers and bird enthusiasts there.

Camping here for the night was such a treat! The sites are far apart and great for a little privacy while you enjoy time with family or friends. The nature and wildlife is beautiful eith wonderful trails and even a suspension bridge to explore. We saw alligators and all kinds of amazing plants. They do have canoes and kayaks for rent as well! Clean showers and a washer and dryer if you need it. Great stay, very fun for my whole family and very affordable for a primitive campground.

So much to do, tire swing, 4 or 5 slides. I think this might be my son's new fav park!!! It's tucked away off the main roads, surrounded by a cemetery and ball fields , There was nobody there, which was nice not hearing a bunch of kids screaming, but got spooky after the sun started to set lol.