Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Florida

Admission is VERY REASONABLE and includes all the activities in the park, including the mermaid shows. There are also water slides, boat rides, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving and snorkeling,  the beautiful "blue lagoon" type swimming hole with a lovely sandy beach, and a lazy river. Parking is free and the park is open every day, all year long. I think the hours are 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. I think the water slides and some attractions operate seasonally-weekends only beginning in September. Its easy to call and check first on the operating times and the mermaid show schedule.   (352) 592-5656

(above)  A splashing fountain greets guests at the entrance

The beautiful world famous Weeki Wachee entrance statue:

Weeki Wachee opened in 1947, and is very "old Florida". That is one of the things I love about it. Prior to 1971's Disney opening, Florida was dotted by all kinds of small parks and roadside attractions, sprinkled along the remote highways headed to the beaches. Despite the age of the park, it is kept up very well and is very clean. The restrooms were clean and all areas of the park were picked up nicely. In addition, every single one of the employees were helpful and so friendly. Its just a wonderful place!

It was a beautiful and HOT DAY. I was so glad to finally be there. I have had a fascination with Weeki Wachee for over 50 YEARS.......my dream was about to come true!

The mermaids put out a calendar each year, and the photography is BEAUTIFUL!!

Little play mermaid tails for sale. The little girls go wild over these

I loved mermaids when I was a little girl and I guess I just never out-grew it! LOL I've spoken to so many other women who feel exactly the same way.

The waters of the spring are clear, and clean, and cold, and just amazing!! So many beautiful shades of blues and greens play on the waters

I was so EXCITED FOR THIS DAY TO ARRIVE....I showed up to both shows early! Here I am showing you the curtains.........behind is the amazing crystal clear underground spring the mermaids perform in. I think the theater seats about 400 to 500 people. And the air conditioning feels great on a hot summer day!

Swooooooooooosh............many bubbles..........and then could it be?? Are there mermaids??

to see Mermaid Marcy, Mermaid Danielle, and Mermaid Madison perform to Train's "Mermaid" song........click here:

MY FAVORITE MERMAID PERFORMANCE

The spring the mermaids swim in is 117 feet deep and pumps more than 100 million gallons of fresh water daily into the Gulf of Mexico. Down deep in the spring the hard current is strong it will knock a scuba mask right off your face.

They are so lovely and elegant. They do amazing underwater water ballet set to music. It's choreographed beautifully. We went to see them perform at the Charleston Aquarium this past spring and enjoyed that so much, in the big tank. BUT!! NOTHING compares to seeing the mermaids perform in their own  spring. This is not man made.........God put this amazing spring here. 

to watch and hear the mermaids sing, CLICK BELOW:

the weeki wachee mermaid song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzaQITERVzc

(above) Charleston Aquarium

(below) the mermaids at the Charleston Aquarium this spring:

.....back in Florida........
The ladies breathe through a series of underwater breathing tubes......they dont use any scuba or snorkeling equipment. They are amazingly gifted at being completely animated underneath the water........they laugh and "talk" and "sing" and open their mouths.......so amazing how they do it!

TO SEE A BEAUTIFUL "NEW YORK TIMES" VIDEO ABOUT THE MERMAIDS...CLICK HERE:

New York Times article/video about the mermaids

"....beauty in the water, angel on the beach, ocean's daughter......." sung by Train

You can see how limber and graceful they are.

The summer sun dapples the water from above.....fish swim all around..........and occasional turtle drifts by. I didn't see any the day we were there, but I've heard that the gentle manatees and even an occasional alligator will swim through the spring with the girls. 

 the  mermaids have a catchy little tune that is their signature song.....
“We’ve Got the World by the Tail”: “We’re not like other women/We don’t have to clean an oven/And we never will grow old/We’ve got the world by the tail!” 

Here , the mermaids show us some of their pretty synchronized swimming skills. "Fins to the left......Fins to the Right" 

Performing Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid"

Ariel after she magically receives her "real girl legs" so she can go be with her true love, Prince Eric.

Their costumes are beautiful

The evil sea witch Ursula:

The performance of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid". That is Prince Eric there in the middle.

"SISTERS OF THE OCEAN, WE NEVER WILL GROW OLD!!....."

After the last performance of the day, we plunged into the ice cold waters of Weeki Wachee springs! It was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

thank you Weeki Wachee Park and  Mermaids, for such a wonderful day!

Stylish Lady

There goes a stylish lady out for a late summer/early Fall stroll.

She has her skinny jeans, nice t-shirt, and her sun hat.  The long sleeves and long pants protect from mosquitoes, as does the hat. We don't just wear hats for sun protection here in the Holy City....they guard against the mosquitoes and the aggressive and SAVAGE LITTLE "NO-SEE-UMS" as well. 
You get caught in a swarm of them things...and you will be wishing you had worn a suit of ARMOUR! LOL
The light shawl/scarf could be to help guard against the sub zero chill from air conditioning in the restaurants, churches, libraries, museums, and shops.
Or maybe she just threw it on as a light and airy fashion statement......what do y'all think??
I actually snapped this photo before Labor Day...do y'all follow the "rules" about no white after Labor Day? I definitely   won't wear white shoes or carry a white pocketbook after Labor Day (the old rule says that is okay only if you are playing tennis or you are a bride--LOL).........but I WILL WEAR my white jeans year round. 
To me it looks like her hat band ribbon is leopard? If so...I really love that touch. I love leopard. 

"No-see-ums rivaled the mosquito for the position of state bird. They were all but invisible ferocious little bugs that would devour you like piranhas. Well, almost. My Daddy used to call them "flying jaws". 
.............Dot Frank in her book "Lowcountry Summer"

Summer's End

We decided to do something different and walk the beach instead of our usual city walking last night. I was able to get a few pictures of summer's last sunset this year.

(below) Sun shimmering on the water as we cross onto the island

I love the way the late day sun was playing around here:

The friendly dog on the boat barked at our dogs and they barked right back! Think they were saying "hey did you see those dolphins?!"

Big fireball.....going down.......

and down...........

and gone!

Fort Moultrie in the end of summer sunset:

Everywhere we went, the salty air was full of summer dragonflies.....zooming and soaring wildly around. Impossible to get a good photo of those things! Maybe you can spot a few in this photo? They remind me of little helicopters!

How did y'all welcome Fall in? Are you glad it's here?

Beautiful Church Street

Our night wanderings last night took us up and down Church Street, Tradd Street, and others. We were only able to get in a little over an hour....it was just so hot, even after sundown. Even on the Battery, we couldn't get much of a breeze.

Church Street is called "the most romantic street in America". It sure is lovely, we stroll it all the time.

Headed out for a night walk!

wanted to show y'all my pretty new gypsy skirt! yep...makes me want to twirl around and around....

These leaves were HUGE!

Here I attempted to capture the old brick through the gate openings:

Love the bright lime green leaves!

a peek into an entrance.....love the pretty old staircase!

peek into an art gallery:

Beautiful sunset in the city!

not clear.......but pretty color!

Now if I'm lucky...I can capture some of the "blue hour". First up.......blurry....but pretty color.

Moon rising over the church:

I like this one. I'm learning so much with my new camera. I am not good with it yet. But I am HAVING FUN! and that is all that counts! I like this one because of the hot white glow from the street light, the mellow yellow glow of the apartment lamp, the brilliant blue hour sky, and the craggy old branches on  the tree. 

I like these next two pictures, because they are the exact same view.....but with different lighting......such a difference!

Standing guard over the street:

I dont even know what this picture is.....but it sure looks scary! LOL

Hazy Moon:

..............night, Charleston!