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- Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida has enchanted guests since 1947 with underwater performances by “actual” mermaids.
- Guests can nonetheless watch every day mermaid exhibits, which contain ladies donning colourful tails performing aquatic dances and stunts.
- Whereas right here, vacationers may swim within the crystal-clear springs or take a journey on Buccaneer Bay’s water slides.
Lengthy earlier than “The Little Mermaid” hit theaters (once more) or Netflix’s MerPeople took viewers on a deep dive into life as a mermaid, Florida’s quirky Weeki Wachee Springs State Park was enchanting locals and guests with appearances by real-life mermaids.
Weeki Wachee first opened in 1947 as a unusual roadside attraction however turned a state park in 2008, because of the truth that it has the deepest freshwater cave system within the U.S. For practically 80 years, whimsical Weeki Wachee—situated about an hour north of Tampa, Florida—has drawn guests to its spring-fed, 400-seat underwater theater, the place ladies in colourful tails carry out synchronized choreography and aquatic stunts each day whereas respiration by way of air hoses. The shimmering custom is a treasured piece of only-in-Florida lore.
Patrick Connolly/Getty Photos
The present was initially developed by Newton Perry, a former U.S. Navy man who as soon as skilled Underwater Demolition Groups (aka “frogmen”) to swim underwater in World Conflict II. He translated a few of that coaching to Weeki Wachee’s mermaid present and by the Nineteen Fifties, it turned one of the crucial well-liked vacationer stops within the nation, with tons of of individuals visiting every day to look at the “underwater ballets.
This summer season, 5 former Weeki Wachee mermaids—Arlene, Cheryl, Donna, Mary, and Ruth, all now of their 70s and dwelling in numerous cities throughout the nation—reunited and swam collectively within the clear-blue spring. The occasion was organized by Wish of a Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of AARP that’s much like Make-A-Want, however for ageing adults.
The “mersisters” received an opportunity to relive their years spent performing within the glass-walled theater, delighting crowds from 16 to twenty toes under the floor. However their legacy nonetheless holds robust, even at the moment; the Weeki Wachee mermaids are the closest factor Florida has to royalty.
Though the reunion was a one-time present, you’ll be able to nonetheless catch a efficiency at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. The Mermaid Shows run twice every day, and tickets ($13 for adults, $8 for youths ages 6 to 12) additionally embrace entry to the spring for swimming, paddling, boat excursions, and extra. At Buccaneer Bay, there are two water slides that lead straight into the naturally fed spring.
Nonetheless, you should definitely arrive early; exhibits can promote out quick.
