Natural tourist attraction where underwater performances by "mermaids" can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River
General Information
How to Get There
From Tampa (56 miles): Get on I-275 S from N Florida Ave. Take FL-589 Toll N to FL-50 W/Cortez Blvd in Spring Hill. Take exit 46 from FL-589 Toll N. Follow FL-50 W/Cortez Blvd to destination.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park north of Tampa is world-famous for its live mermaid shows performed in an underwater theater built into a first-magnitude spring. The spring pumps out more than 100 million gallons of clear 74-degree water a day and is the headwaters of the Weeki Wachee River, one of Florida's premier paddling rivers. The park also has Buccaneer Bay, Florida's only spring-fed water park.
Stunt swimmer Newt Perry created the attraction in 1947, and in 1964 The Incredible Mr. Limpet held the world's first underwater movie premiere here. Florida took the park over in 2008, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. Divers have explored the spring's cave system to 407 feet, the deepest known freshwater cave system in the United States.
Things to Do
- Watch the mermaid show in the spring theater
- Paddle the Weeki Wachee River: a clear spring-fed run of about 5.5 miles, with occasional manatees
- Play at Buccaneer Bay: water slides, a lazy river, and a sandy beach in spring water
- Walk the nature trail and spring observation areas
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Weeki Wachee Springs", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
