Mermaids! Not manatees, but lovely, strong, athletic performers who put on an impressive show. I've heard of these mermaids and seen clips of them, so I was really looking forward to seeing them in person.
We drove up to the town of Weeki Wachee to go to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Yes, the State of Florida now owns and operates the attraction and the Buccaneer Bay water park. It's partly to promote environmental awareness--and partly to preserve "cultural significance," according to an article in the Tampa Bay Times.
The first thing we did after paying our $13 per person entrance fee was line up for the riverboat cruise. The cruise isn't very long, because the Weeki Wachee River is only navigable by riverboat for a short distance, but the riverboat captain provides lots of commentary on the spring, the river, the plants, and the animals seen along the way.
The real attraction is the mermaid show in the underwater theater. They breathe using long air hoses. We saw two performances. The first was an adaptation of Disney's the Little Mermaid, complete with the villainous sea witch and handsome prince. (Photos taken through the glass don't show the vibrant colors we could see, unfortunately.) As we were leaving the theater, a little girl was very unhappy that she hadn't gotten to see Ariel.
The second was "Fish Tales," and it provided some history and information about the history of the attraction and the challenges that the mermaids face as they train and perform. One of the mermaids actually dives down into the spring to a great depth, without an air hose, holding her breath for over two and a half minutes.
We also went to the "Animal Show," which on this day included only reptiles: two snakes, two turtles, and a small alligator. So I finally got to see and even touch, a Florida alligator!
We were thinking about going to Buccaneer Bay, but dark clouds were gathering, and the water is a chilly 74 degrees, so we decided to head home.
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