The Wilder Side of Florida
Hernando County with its Weeki Wachee Springs offers a chance to view manatees and other wildlife and be a mermaid for a day.
I just got home from Hernando County, Florida, known as Florida’s Adventure Coast for its pristine wilderness areas, the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and the cool springs themselves—all just an hour north of Tampa! It’s a great way to see the natural side of Florida and some of the original attractions that drew tourists in the mid-20thcentury.
And this month, the region offers something special. Keep reading.
My morning consisted of a guided kayak trip with Get Up and Go Kayaking down the Weeki Wachee River and its estuaries. I followed my guide Gary Enoch down the spring-fed Mud River as he explained the flora and fauna of West Coast Florida and pointed out bald eagles, snowy egrets and one of the largest grasshoppers I’ve ever seen, one of which jumped on his hat for a ride. We moved into Weeki Wachee River, also spring fed, and spotted three pileated woodpeckers enjoying lunch on a tree.
I plied the rivers in a glass kayak and the further upstream we paddled, the clearer the water as we neared the source of the spring emptying 72-degree water year-round. Which is why manatees leave the colder Gulf in winter to enjoy waters that never change temperature. We didn’t see manatees on my September visit—too early in the season which is usually November through March—but a pair of dachshunds barked at dolphins swimming by. At the end of our trip upstream we paused at a sink hole in the river that stretches down 148 feet!
The roundtrip to and from Mary’s Fish Camp in Spring Hill clocked in around two hours. I took Gary’s advice and drove about five minutes to the Upper Deck restaurant for lunch. Ironically, I sat on the lower deck to enjoy watching other kayakers and paddleboarders float by on the Weeki Wachee, plus swimmers across the way at Rogers Park. If you enjoy cold water, Rogers Park offers a nice enclosed beach.
My guide Gary, by the way, hails from Oregon where he enjoyed quite a long and extensive outdoors career. He taught high school as well, with his last 10 years in Florida. Three weeks into retirement, he found Get Up and Go Kayaking and guides visitors through the Florida wilderness two days a week. He believes he’s one of the oldest guides in the area—he and his wife celebrate 50 years married next year—but he’s definitely one of the most informed.
After a hearty lunch of fresh seafood, I was off to be a mermaid.
I had signed up for the Mermaid Experience at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park on Florida’s historic U.S. Route 19. In the 1940s, Navy Frogman Newton Perry discovered the springs filled with trash and vowed to clean the springs and use them for a water attraction. He recruited the Aqua Belles from St. Petersburg to perform a water show in the springs formed from an aquafer hundreds of miles below ground. Today, it’s almost 100 percent pure.
Perry’s show was a hit but it really took off when ABC purchased Weeki Wachee in 1959 and built a clamshell theater 10 feet below the spring’s surface to allow visitors to view the “mermaids” in action. Around half a million visitors arrived each year, including Elvis Presley when he was filming nearby and swimming legend Esther Williams filming “Neptune’s Daughter” in the springs. “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” with Don Knotts used the springs for the world’s first underwater movie premiere and Jimmy Buffett incorporated mermaids in a video for his popular song, “Fins.”
Visitors still come to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park for the mermaid shows, where women dressed in fins perform underwater using an air tube to breathe. It looks so easy, I just had to experience being one myself. Weeki Wachee offers a weekend Mermaid Camp taught by former mermaids (which sells out almost immediately) and a 30-minute Mermaid Experience for those who want to put on a tail and pose underwater.
“First one was so popular we sold out within the hour,” said John Athanason, multimedia communications specialist for Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau. “You get to see what it’s like to do what a mermaid does.”
First comes the makeup. You must look the part.
Next comes the tail. I regrettably have extra-large feet and I had to squeeze my size 10 puppies into a rather tight scuba diving fin that goes inside the tail fabric. Once I managed that, I pulled the tail to my waist and was now a mermaid. To reach the water, I scooted like a fish to the water’s edge and slipped inside.
The 72-degree water was incredibly cold and literally took my breath away. Of course, having your legs bound into a tail didn’t help the shock of it all. You get used to the cold spring water, but the tail was another story.
“Swim like a dolphin,” advised Mermaid Crissa. That worked some, but still I didn’t move very far.
A snorkeling mask allowed me to view the underwater mechanics of the mermaid show. The most impressive sight was the massive cave leading down into the earth and the alligator gar and other fish floating nearby. Sometimes manatees join the show, she said.
When it came time to slip underwater and pose for photographs—John was waiting in the auditorium—that’s when things got dicey. I would pull in a deep breath and sink below and attempt a cute pose only to find gravity or exhalation pull me back to the surface. Crissa suggested exhaling would keep me down but photos of me taken by John show my face full of bubbles just before my body insisted I resurface.
All in all, what a fun experience. But easy? Heck no. Those women must be scuba certified and it take months to a year to perfect the craft enough to perform.
If you go in October
On select nights in October at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Wild ‘N’ Wicked Nights gives the iconic attraction a hauntingly fun after-hours makeover with spooky fun for all ages.
Visitors can enjoy Halloween-themed activities throughout ton the wa he park, including a special underwater performance, The Pumpkin King by the famous Weeki Wachee mermaids, scary stories, themed attractions and a children’s costume contest!
Only minutes from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and kayaking is the Hernando Beach Motel, located on the canals that wind their way through the western side of the county. The guest rooms face the water—I was greeted by a great blue heron every morning on my dock—and there's an onsite laundry, sweet gift shop with refreshments and pontoon boat rentals. My room included a full kitchen and my deck a table and chairs with an umbrella, perfect for morning coffee and sunsets.
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel writer Cheré Coen who prefers a wilder side of Florida. However, as much fun as being a Weeki Wachee Mermaid was, she won't be donning a fish tail anytime soon.
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