Florida: Weeki Wachee Mermaids

The small theatre with seats arranged in a semi-circle could be anywhere. Then, the curtain goes up on the outside of what appears to be a giant glass aquarium, and just inside the glass a wall of bubbles takes the place of the curtain. As it clears, mermaids swim and dive in a beautifully synchronized show, in this case, “The Little Mermaid”. Often fish and turtles swim by, reminding you that this is an actual outdoor spring, not a staged set. Since 1947 and continuing to this day the mermaids of Weeki Wachee entertain tourists and locals. Today’s mermaids wear a tail, unlike the originals. Before the mouse became synonymous with tourism in Florida, the natural springs attracted people from all over the country, and people with vision transformed springs into tourist attractions. Those springs attractions, usually privately owned, gradually went out of business, their imperfect natural world unable to complete with a fantasy destination. Recently a new generation of visitors, looking for something different and perhaps even authentic, started visiting the springs again for birding, nature walks, diving, swimming, and entertainment. Florida is big enough to support both types of tourist attractions.

 We visited Weeki Wachee, now a Florida State Park, in mid January in preparation for our February book club meeting. Weeki Wachee Mermaids, Thirty Years of Underwater Photography by Lu Vickers and Bonnie Georgiadis was our selection for the month, and Bonnie herself often attended the book club discussions. She is a wealth of information on historic Florida, and for many years was a part of it as one of the mermaids of Weeki Wachee, then later choreographing some of the shows. We all loved the book, and all the extra tidbits told by her and her sisters. The book jacket shows a woman floating in the water, not a mermaid! Several of those in the group, not realizing the photo was not a person from the show, commented that there were a few other photographs in the book that they felt would have made a better cover. As it happens, the authors do not choose the cover, the publishers do. We enjoyed a highly educational and enlightening view of Florida of the 50s and 60s from one who lived it. I highly recommend this book as a visual history of Weeki Wachee mermaids, and a fascinating story of how it came to be and what it was like to be part of this still very popular Florida attraction.

 

A narrated boat ride down the river and back and animal shows are included in the admission. The stars, of course, continue to be the mermaids. Check the park schedule for the current shows.