Mermaids at Weeki Wachee, Florida

Weeki Wachee may be the most perfect retro roadside attraction out there.

Our visit started at 9am.  We wanted to be there right when they opened, to beat any crowds.  Well, we were the only ones there at that time.

Sure, it was on a weekday, but I figured the place would be packed.

People did start rolling in over the next hour.  I would say that, by 11, the place had a good crowd.

For half an hour or so we had the park to ourselves, so we got our gift shop purchases out of the way.  That was convenient!

We walked around the park some and ended up taking a boat tour.  This was a very nice, 30 minute or so trip around the area.  The boats captain told us all about the area and the park.

After our boat ride, we walked around some more, admiring the area, especially the peacocks that seemed to be everywhere.  We were so excited to see that there are TWO Mold-A-Ramas available here.  If you aren't familiar with Mold-A-Rama, it is the coolest tourist souvenir ever.  For a couple of bucks you get to watch as a very cool small toy- like a mermaid- is made!  Then, you have a great souvenir to take home!

Anyway, we made it over to the theater at Weeki Wachee to see the main attraction here- the mermaid show!

We grabbed a couple of seats in the theater and waited.  There is a real sense of excitement before the show. 

There is something so unique and exciting about seeing a mermaid after the curtain comes up.  Yes, everyone is expecting it, and everyone knows that this is a show, but it absolutely feels real.

These aren't actors on a stage pretending to be underwater. 

They interact with the animals that find their way into the performance area (one turtle was constantly swimming towards one of the mermaids- which was very funny).  We were told that manatees have made their way into the shows.  Gators have also popped up (the mermaids get out of the springs pretty quickly when this occurs).

This is a complicated production with several performers.  The star of the show had several costume changes, and even appeared inside of the theater.

This is one of those things where, the history of the performances, along with the pure coolness of the shows, kind of turn this mythical thing into something real.  If someone were to ask me where they could see an authentic mermaid, my answer would be "Weeki Wachee".