Saturday, June 20, 2015
Crysta Parkinson @ Well Worn Suitcase
Want to find the best-kept secrets in an area you are visiting? Chat with the locals. We were buying a snack in St. Augustine and got to talking with the college kid who was running the snack bar (he is going to school to be a NICU nurse - how cool is that?), and he made a few suggestions about other places we should take the girls while in Florida. Another local heard us talking and joined in with a tip - Weeki Wachee Springs.
An hour north of Tampa, Weeki Wachee claims to be one of the smallest towns in the country, with a population of 12 (maybe they should spend some time in Eastern Montana?) and a mayor who herself is a former mermaid.
Opened in 1947, the park is the baby of Newton Perry, who was former U.S. Navy and trained SEALS to swim underwater in World War II. Perry was a promoter and a performer, but he was also an inventor - he invented the free-flowing air hose supplying oxygen from an air compressor that allows the mermaids to stay underwater for long periods of time, giving the illusion of breathing underwater with no breathing apparatus.
The spring is pretty amazing in itself. Named Weeki Wachee by the Seminole Indians (meaning little spring or winding river, depending who you ask), the bottom has never been found, despite the efforts of divers. More than 117 million gallons of water, an even 74.4 degrees year-round, comes up through the spring each day. It feeds the Weeki Wachee River, which is a beautiful clear river meandering through curves and turns 12 miles to empty into the Gulf of Mexico.
We took a 20 minute boat ride down the river, but there was an option to rent a kayak and paddle down, too.
We saw birds and fish, two turtles on a log, and an alligator named "Lefty" hanging out along the river. Our guide told us it is more common to see other animals on less busy days.
The river boat ride was a great way to see the gorgeous clear waters of the Weeki Wachee River.
Next we went to the mermaid show. They recommend you line up early, and they mean it! Lining up starts 30 minutes before the show, and goes until capacity is reached.
The mermaid show is performed underwater, of course, but the audience is underwater, too - in a 400 seat submerged theater. The theater is 16 feet below the spring, allowing you to get face-to-face with the beautiful mermaids as they perform their underwater ballet and tricks like eating and drinking underwater.
Reading about the park ahead of time, I must admit I expected more magic and mystery surrounding the mermaids. Instead, we got a behind the scenes look at the history of the Weeki Wachee mermaids and learned a lot about what makes the whole thing tick. That was fun, too, but not what I expected. In fact, the mermaids performed without their tails from about halfway through the show, and showed off some incredible diving skill with a 117-foot free dive.
There are other shows available, as well, so maybe we just selected the wrong one if we were looking for illusion. But it was hot, and no one was up for standing in line for another show.
The girls got their picture taken with a mermaid! Bria kept staring at her, she thought she was beautiful and pretty amazing.
Then it was time to cool off. And I do mean cool off. If 74.4 degrees sounds warm, think about your body temperature. Brrr! We were all pretty shocked when we jumped in the spring. But the water was clear and gorgeous, and we were excited to try the water slides.
Even Bria went down the slide. She stood in line for a long time, but when she splashed into the water, it was well worth it. She did it by herself!
Buccaneer Bay was added 1982. According to their website, it is the only spring-fed water park in Florida. There are four slides, and tubes are available to rent for floating on the river.
This park has the distinction of being a very "local" feeling place - in fact, there are a lot of references (in the show and in talk about the park) about it being a surviving piece of "old" Florida. You can feel that when you are there, and the history is well commemorated.
A friend who was born and raised in Spring Hill (just a mile or two down the road from Weeki Wachee) described the spring as the "life blood" of Florida. It was very busy the day we were there, and the website says they fill up during the summer and have to cut off entrance. So come early!
Admission prices are reasonable - $13 for adults, $8 for kids 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. That price includes the mermaid show, boat ride, reptile show, and Buccaneer Bay. Annual admissions are also available. They are $60 for an individual or $120 for a family, and because it became a state park in 2008, that includes parks across Florida.
An hour north of Tampa, Weeki Wachee claims to be one of the smallest towns in the country, with a population of 12 (maybe they should spend some time in Eastern Montana?) and a mayor who herself is a former mermaid.
Opened in 1947, the park is the baby of Newton Perry, who was former U.S. Navy and trained SEALS to swim underwater in World War II. Perry was a promoter and a performer, but he was also an inventor - he invented the free-flowing air hose supplying oxygen from an air compressor that allows the mermaids to stay underwater for long periods of time, giving the illusion of breathing underwater with no breathing apparatus.
The spring is pretty amazing in itself. Named Weeki Wachee by the Seminole Indians (meaning little spring or winding river, depending who you ask), the bottom has never been found, despite the efforts of divers. More than 117 million gallons of water, an even 74.4 degrees year-round, comes up through the spring each day. It feeds the Weeki Wachee River, which is a beautiful clear river meandering through curves and turns 12 miles to empty into the Gulf of Mexico.
We took a 20 minute boat ride down the river, but there was an option to rent a kayak and paddle down, too.
We saw birds and fish, two turtles on a log, and an alligator named "Lefty" hanging out along the river. Our guide told us it is more common to see other animals on less busy days.
The river boat ride was a great way to see the gorgeous clear waters of the Weeki Wachee River.
Next we went to the mermaid show. They recommend you line up early, and they mean it! Lining up starts 30 minutes before the show, and goes until capacity is reached.
The mermaid show is performed underwater, of course, but the audience is underwater, too - in a 400 seat submerged theater. The theater is 16 feet below the spring, allowing you to get face-to-face with the beautiful mermaids as they perform their underwater ballet and tricks like eating and drinking underwater.
Reading about the park ahead of time, I must admit I expected more magic and mystery surrounding the mermaids. Instead, we got a behind the scenes look at the history of the Weeki Wachee mermaids and learned a lot about what makes the whole thing tick. That was fun, too, but not what I expected. In fact, the mermaids performed without their tails from about halfway through the show, and showed off some incredible diving skill with a 117-foot free dive.
There are other shows available, as well, so maybe we just selected the wrong one if we were looking for illusion. But it was hot, and no one was up for standing in line for another show.
The girls got their picture taken with a mermaid! Bria kept staring at her, she thought she was beautiful and pretty amazing.
Then it was time to cool off. And I do mean cool off. If 74.4 degrees sounds warm, think about your body temperature. Brrr! We were all pretty shocked when we jumped in the spring. But the water was clear and gorgeous, and we were excited to try the water slides.
Even Bria went down the slide. She stood in line for a long time, but when she splashed into the water, it was well worth it. She did it by herself!
Buccaneer Bay was added 1982. According to their website, it is the only spring-fed water park in Florida. There are four slides, and tubes are available to rent for floating on the river.
This park has the distinction of being a very "local" feeling place - in fact, there are a lot of references (in the show and in talk about the park) about it being a surviving piece of "old" Florida. You can feel that when you are there, and the history is well commemorated.
A friend who was born and raised in Spring Hill (just a mile or two down the road from Weeki Wachee) described the spring as the "life blood" of Florida. It was very busy the day we were there, and the website says they fill up during the summer and have to cut off entrance. So come early!
Admission prices are reasonable - $13 for adults, $8 for kids 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. That price includes the mermaid show, boat ride, reptile show, and Buccaneer Bay. Annual admissions are also available. They are $60 for an individual or $120 for a family, and because it became a state park in 2008, that includes parks across Florida.
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A great place to visit for recreation with family and friends. I will definitely arrange a tour for such a worthy place. For more info, check out more here
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