"Following where my camera leads me!"

"Following where my camera leads me!"

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

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!

5 comments:

  1. hi debbi...i have visited florida so many times and i have never heard of this park. it looks like lots of fun and perhaps a refreshing change from disney. i love how you ended this entry!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Debbie, I love your post today. We have been there a few times because we were raised in Florida. We now live in the mountains and your post brought back the wonderful experience of visiting Weeki Wachee Park. All of your photos are terrific and especially the last one. Love the quote as well.

    We are leaving on a trip to France tomorrow. I have pre-posted my posts for October but I will not be able to comment. We are thrilled to be going on this trip. See yu in Nov.
    Hugs,
    Jeanne

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your pictures are wonderful and it sure looks like a fun place to visit. Don't you just love saying Weeli Wachee!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful mermaids! That water has got to be cold. We have spring fed pools here and they are a crisp 72 degrees year round! Glad you enjoyed your day and thank you for sharing their beauty with us!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I must say this was just delightful. I think this would be so much fun to see in person.

    ReplyDelete