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".

Glass Bottom Boat at Silver Springs, Fla.

Here is another great Silver Springs postcard!

Sent in 1942, a friend tells someone that they took the glass bottom boat trip at Silver Springs, and it was wonderful!

Florida's Silver Springs Postcard

We JUST went to Silver Springs!  Here is a vibrant old postcard that notes

"Florida's Silver Springs, with its 100-acre landscaped park and six outstanding attractions, is a photographer's paradise.  The famous Glass-Bottom Boat ride is the feature attraction of this famous resort."

Silver Springs, Florida

IN our quest to visit all of the great old roadside spots in Florida, we HAD to stop and see Silver Springs!

We really had a great time, but we did hear a lot of people talking about how they had been here before, and it just wasn't the same.  It seems that the state park system has recently taken over, and some of the old attractions are no longer there.  In fact, for the most part, there are some places to walk around, there is a small museum, and there are the legendary glass bottom boats to rides- but that's about it.

We bought our tickets and got on a boat.  We had a great captain who seemed to know everything about the park, the boats, and the sights underwater.  He told a great story about the Creature from the Black Lagoon.  He said that he mentioned that some of the movie was filmed at Silver Springs.  Well, after hearing about that, a passenger got scared, and said he saw the creature looking at him through the boat's glass bottom!  It turned out it was just the man's distorted reflection!

We also learned that the boat we were on had been in use since 1962!

Under the water at Silver Springs are many amazing sites.  We did see turtles and fish swim by.  Our captain pointed out a cave, and some statues that had been used (and left behind) in a James Bond movie!

An old Indian canoe and another sunken boat were also visible... not to mention a very old tree.

Our captain had eagle eyes, and he made sure that we all noticed a gator not too far from our boat!  I was very excited about this, as this would be the only gator in the wild I would see on this trip.

I am hopeful that the Florida State Parks System will add some more here, because the glass bottom boats are cool and amazing.... but something a little extra would bring in more tourists.  Hopefully, Silver Springs can go back to its glory days....  but it is still a cool place simply because of these boats!

Silver Springs Florida postcards from the late 1930s.

 I found these three beautiful old Silver Springs postcards recently.  The back of all three are almost totally identical.  They note-

Largest flowing springs in the world, over 750 million gallons daily.  Electric driven glass bottom boats.  Greatest depth 80 feet.  Temperature of water 72 winter and summer.  Shown from sunrise to sunset, in all weather, everyday in the year.

2 are postmarked from Silver Springs, in the late 30s and early 40s.

Glass Bottom Boats and Mermaid Tails: Florida's Tourist Springs by Tim Hollis

I picked up Tim Hollis' book, "Glass Bottom Boats and Mermaid Tails" before our trip to Florida.  I have read Tim's writing before, and I really like the picture he paints of the old tourist stops throughout the south.

I still enjoy stopping at the colorful roadside attractions that are still up and down the road- the weirder the better!  AND it makes me sad when legendary old ones close down.  Fortunately, as Tim Hollis points out, the Florida State Parks System has kept a few going. 

Mermaids, Indian Princesses AND the Creature from the Black Lagoon ALL make appearances on the pages of this book..... and in the decades of roadside tourist attractions in Florida.

The book talks about how the springs attracted explorers forever.  At a certain point, people realized that the beautiful, clear springs would make $$$ pleasant family tourist spots.

The sites became popular, and tourists came.  Then, some spots even used the clear springs to make movies.

As other tourist locations opened, many of these great springs saw the number of visitors decline.  Some closed up shop, some evolved.  Some closed, but later opened again.

Tim talks about how the whole idea of mermaids being used at Weeki Wachee came about, and he also covers the use of the glass bottom boats.

This was a great book to read before visiting some of these places!

Presidents Hall Of Fame, Clermont, FL.

The Presidents Hall of Fame museum is in Clermont Florida, right next to the Citrus Tower!  This was a "must stop" on our latest road trip!

Unlike many of the other museums we have visited, this museum doesn't focus on one president, it covers them all!

Inside, there are wax statues of all of the Presidents!  There are also many toys of each one (I was pleased to see the Marx toys Presidents, one of my all time favorite toy lines).  A nice display case with buttons, other toys, postcards, and other collectibles is devoted to each individual President.  I loved looking through these cases!

Inside the main attraction is arguably the 1/12th scale replica of the White House!

The smaller White House has been admired by Presidents and First Ladies, some of whom have left signed notes mentioning their approval.

This doll house version of the White House is very exact.  It is so perfect that it has been used as a stand in for the real thing!  In the museum, we watched a very nicely done video about the limited time when one president moves out, and a new one moves in.  Well, the people who made the video had very limited access to the real White House, so THIS ONE was used instead!

The museum does have a bit of a disorganized feel at times.  Other unrelated relics and displays are here... and I have read some critical reviews of the museum because of the weathered outside appearance.

To me, I admire the slightly random feel here and there at the Presidents Hall of Fame.  It lets you know that the museum is owned and operated by a passionate collector and not a stuffy, formal curator with little personal connection to the displays.

The place has a great gift shop too, with some cool vintage items being sold at reasonable prices.  I found some old slides of the wax presidents for pocket change each!  I also picket up a few political buttons!

The Presidents Hall of Fame Museum is amazing, I could spent hours just admiring the detail on the White House....  I could spent hours admiring the cases.....

Stopping here and stopping to see the Citrus Tower would be a great way to spend a day on your next drive through Florida!

Florida Citrus Tower- Clermont, Florida

We were trying to stop at all of the classic roadside attractions that are still around in Florida.  The Florida Citrus Tower was on our list!

The Tower was built in the 50s to let tourists see all of the oranges grown around the Orlando area!

Well, there really aren't any oranges being grown around here now.  You can still take the elevator to the top to see the area though!

In the main entrance area (before you take the elevator ride to the top) there are cases full of Citrus Tower memorabilia, and there are pictures up, showing off some of the proud moments of it's past.

Lilly's Gift Shop is set up here too.  This was a very nice, slightly more upscale type of gift shop.

The Florida Citrus Tower is not the huge draw it once was, but it is still very cool!

Daytona Beach Florida Postcard

This vibrant undated postcard shows Waterfront Park in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Cassadaga, Florida

We did make a very brief stop at Cassadaga while we were driving around the state!

We drove around a bit, and stopped at the Cassadaga Hotel.  There was a friendly lady running the gift shop.  We made a few purchases and hung out a bit.  There is a nice bar inside, and we grabbed a couple of coffees for the road.  This might be a point that no one cares about, but they do have GREAT coffee!

Everyone seemed pleasant.  I did not ask much about the towns claim to fame involving having a lot of psychics or their long connection to spiritualism.  If we had more time, I would have asked more questions.

I did over hear one conversation between some locals about communicating with the dead.  The conversation sounded very serious, and, as I was involved in something else at the time, I am certain that the talk was not a put on for a tourist.

I got a sincere feeling that these guys are serious about what they do.

 

Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida

This postcard, sent from Sarasota in 1955, mentions on the backside-

The skyway is 15 miles long, connects St. Petersburg directly with Palmetto and Bradenton across the mouth of Tampa Bay, cutting the distance from Central and 34th Street, St. Petersburg, around the Bay to Bradenton, from 70 miles to less than 20 miles by bridge.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris Tennessee

We were in Paris Tennessee, and we had to stop by to see their Eiffel Tower!  A LOT of people were stopping by for photo ops too. 

It is pretty cool!

"Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir" by Tom Jones

I have really been craving a good book about space for some time.  Also, we were going to Florida, so I wanted to read something with a Kennedy Space Center connection.  Luckily, I found "Sky Walking" by Tom Jones!

Tom ended up going into space on four different shuttle missions, and accomplished a lot!

In his book, he talks about the stressors of applying to be an astronaut.  Even guys who are at the top of their game have a hard time making it, as NASA is very selective.  As I read the beginning of the book, I have to admit that I felt a little nervous as he discusses his feelings that he might not make it.  Sure, there is a HUGE picture of an astronaut on a space walk on the cover of the book, and it is subtitled "An Astronauts Memoir" but I really could feel his anxiety!

Even more stressful is Tom's description of the stress placed on his wife and two young children as he trains for his first mission!  Sadly, his daughter gets a hold of a book about the Challenger Disaster.  You can imagine the fear that that caused.

Tom Jones does talk very openly about the threat of not surviving a mission.  Other NASA employees agree to help out with a fellow astronauts family if something tragic occurs.  Insurance policies are secured, wills are written out.

Those anxious feeling evolve into pure excitement as Tom finally makes it to space on STS-59.  You do feel the pure fright and excitement that his wife, kids AND mom feel!  After several delays, he makes it up to be an official astronaut!

It seems the emotions go from pure excitement (seeing the Earth from a spaceship) to crazy anxiety (a shuttle mission being cancelled a couple of seconds before liftoff).  Not only that, Tom deals with how much chaos not being able to open a door in space can be.  He also talks openly about trying all of the issues involved in building a space station with the Russians!

This is a great book that really describes the life (and career) of an astronaut.

Patsy Cline Crash Site Memorial in Camden Tennessee

We passed through Camden Tennessee, and wanted to make sure we saw the Patsy Cline Crash Site Memorial.

We actually had a bit of trouble finding the location.  We stopped and asked some locals for help, and they were great.  One very friendly lady decided to drive out to the spot too, and had us follow her!  We were very grateful!  I should say that I didn't check with roadsideamerica before going.  They do have clear directions.

There is a nice boulder memorial at the site where Patsy Cline's plane crashed.  Nearby there is a small sheltered area with articles about Patsy and the crash.  A small mailbox is there if you would like to leave a note too.

The area is very secluded, and other than the local lady who helped us find it, no one else was around.

It is a bit steep of a walk, but it is short and pleasant.  It was nice being there.

It was also nice listening to a Patsy Cline play list as we visited Camden.