Long before “The Little Mermaid” hit theaters (again) or Netflix’s MerPeople took viewers on a deep dive into life as a mermaid, Florida’s quirky Weeki Wachee Springs State Park was enchanting locals and visitors with appearances by real-life mermaids.
Weeki Wachee first opened in 1947 as a quirky roadside attraction but became a state park in 2008, thanks to the fact that it has the deepest freshwater cave system in the U.S. For nearly 80 years, whimsical Weeki Wachee—located about an hour north of Tampa, Florida—has drawn visitors to its spring-fed, 400-seat underwater theater, where women in colorful tails perform synchronized choreography and aquatic stunts every day while breathing through air hoses. The shimmering tradition is a treasured piece of only-in-Florida lore.
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The show was originally developed by Newton Perry, a former U.S. Navy man who once trained Underwater Demolition Teams (aka “frogmen”) to swim underwater in World War II. He translated some of that training to Weeki Wachee’s mermaid show and by the 1950s, it became one of the most popular tourist stops in the country, with hundreds of people visiting each day to watch the “underwater ballets.
This summer, five former Weeki Wachee mermaids—Arlene, Cheryl, Donna, Mary, and Ruth, all now in their 70s and living in different cities across the country—reunited and swam together in the clear-blue spring. The event was arranged by Wish of a Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of AARP that’s similar to Make-A-Wish, but for aging adults.
The “mersisters” got a chance to relive their years spent performing in the glass-walled theater, delighting crowds from 16 to 20 feet below the surface. But their legacy still holds strong, even today; the Weeki Wachee mermaids are the closest thing Florida has to royalty.
Although the reunion was a one-time show, you can still catch a performance at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. The Mermaid Shows run twice daily, and tickets ($13 for adults, $8 for kids ages 6 to 12) also include access to the spring for swimming, paddling, boat tours, and more. At Buccaneer Bay, there are two water slides that lead directly into the naturally fed spring.
However, be sure to arrive early; shows can sell out fast.
