A Day With the Mermaids

The City of Weeki Wachee Springs has a population of 12 and its mayor is a former mermaid. She is also the manager of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the historic Mermaid Theatre.

We visited there on Saturday. We could tell by the entrance that this is not your usual state park.

And its logo suggested girls on display but not really representative of mermaids - where are the tails??

Also, the "Swamp Festival" was happening there when we arrived and the park appeared to be crowded with vendors' tents.

However this young woman at the entrance enticed us to purchase tickets and enter the park in search of the mermaids.

After wending our way through what seemed like hundreds of vendor booths we came upon the Mermaid Theatre:

Newton Perry created this theatre in 1946.  The original theatre seated 18. The theatre is built into a natural spring in the Weeki Wachee river. Today the theatre seats 500.

At the entrance the "things you need to know before entering" are explained in a friendly and creative way.

When we entered the theatre the curtain was down. But you effective lighting let you know you were looking at a wall of water.

There were several TVs, like the one you see at the top of the curtain where they show Kelly Clarkson's video that accompanied her song "Stronger". The mermaids made a brief appearance in the video - what great promotion for the song.

The performance we saw was their version of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Littlest Mermaid". Very well done.

The underground spring "stage" was beautiful with fish and turtles swimming though the performance.

The mermaids appeared from below and above the screen.

The hoses you see the mermaids holding are special air supply tubes that allow the performers to breath while underwater.

And bubble from above and below were used when scenery changes were required:

The cast consisted of 3 mermaids, the wicked witch of the deep and of course, the handsome prince. Unfortunately the battery in my camera died before the witch and prince made their appearance.

A very excellent show that kept both children and adults enthralled through the whole performance.

More pictures of our visit to Florida's Nature Coast here 

Florida Manatees and Hot (Warm) Springs

The Florida manatee, Florida’s state marine mammal and an endangered species, is a large aquatic relative of the elephant. They are gray-brown in colour and have thick, wrinkled skin on which there is often a growth of algae. Their front flippers help them steer or sometimes crawl through shallow water. They also have powerful flat tails that help propel them through the water. Despite their small eyes and lack of outer ears, manatees are thought to see and hear quite well. (click on pictures to enlarge them)

Manatee at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Parks

Manatees prefer water that is 68F or warmer and migrate "North" to the warm spring and power plant fed waters around Homosassa and Crystal Springs in the winter. 

In this area there are many opportunities to go on boat trips to see and swim with the manatees. They are very calm animals and often will not be afraid of  swimmers or divers, particularly where they are frequently present. Manatees are endangered species and it is against the law for swimmers or divers to hold onto manatees or to alter their behaviour in any way. However, manatees are curious animals and will sometimes approach people in the water. We choose instead to visit them in the state park - I was not crazy about the idea of swimming in the water with something bigger that me. 

The Homosassa River runs through the park:

And the manatees live in warm, spring fed, pools in the section of the river included in the park. The park also has a Manatee Care Centre that cares for sick and injured manatees:

There were 3 manatees in the tank we could see:

Incidentally, Florida's naturally occurring springs are not like those found in Yellowstone. Water in the Yellowstone springs comes from deep within the ground and is heated by the geothermal activity beneath the earth's crust.

The springs in Florida are not geothermal or hot springs. They represent the "end of the pipe" of the Floridan aquifer, a layer of relatively shallow limestone underground that stores virtually all of Florida's groundwater. In some areas the limestone is very close to the surface and this is where springs form. The water underground stays at a constant 68 to 70 degree temperature.

Some springs support entire ecosystems with unique plants and animals. They also flow into rivers (like the Homosassa) that are dependent on the springs' clean fresh water. The springs also represent the visible part of the Floridan Aquifer, the underground supply of most of Florida's drinking water. If the springs are unhealthy, it's an indication of the quality of water that Florida residents drink, cook with, etc. Additionally, Florida's springs are beautiful environments that are enjoyed by people who visit from around the world.

Click here for more information about this Park.

We are loving our visit to this area, called Florida's Nature Coast. There is so much to see and do. And eat - there are several interesting restaurants. To see more pictures of our visit to Florida's Nature Coast check out our Facebook page. I am not an expert on this but I don't think you need to be a member of Facebook to view this page.