The Best Kept Secret in Tampa Bay

I have a secret. This secret has been around for 465 years when Hernando de Soto. searching for the fountain of Youth discovered it. The small, sleepy town of Safety Harbor, Florida is the best-kept secret in Tampa Bay. The first appearance of daylight in the morning, when Safety Harbor awakens to a red sky, turning orange and then yellow, I think to myself, "This is why I came to Florida!"

Morning walks along Bayshore Drive and Philippe Park, feeling the warm, tropical breeze and hearing the palm leaves rubbing against each other let you know that you are in Florida. Gulls splash in Old Tampa Bay, as they fish for breakfast.

Safety Harbor attracts visitors worldwide, not only for its beauty, but for its natural historic, Espiritu Sancto Springs. The Springs were named by the Spanish explorer, Hernando de Sota.

Twenty-two acres of Florida coastline houses the famous Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, one of the world's finest spa and honeymoon destinations for health conscious visitors to the area. I have eaten in the cafe and dining room and enjoyed some of the most delicious food in the region, including their famous "crab cakes."

Safety Harbor has a number of shops on Main Street that include art galleries, antique shops, gift and book stores, Weddings have been performed at the John Wilson Gazebo and Philippe Park. Other wedding vendors include Chantilly Cakes, The Stuffed Mushroom catering, hair and nail salons, as well as Day Spas.

Safety Harbor is resplendent with history. The Safety Harbor Museum contains historical exhibits from prehistoric time to the Roaring 20's. A French surgeon in Napoleon's navy named Count Odet Philippe, is credited with introducing citrus growing to Florida.