Scanning Around With Gene: The Mermaids of Weeki Wachee
To this day the town of Weeki Wachee is small – it has a population of 9, and the mayor is a former mermaid performer. In the era of thrill rides and mega-theme parks, Weeki Wachee fell on some hard times and almost closed a few times over the decades. It is now owned by the State of Florida and run as a State park.
In addition to the mermaid shows, the park also had small animal shows and bird acts as well as a garden area and gift shop.
In the 1960s, women came from all over the world to try out for mermaid status and the 8 shows a day were often sold out. As many as half a million tourists a year came to Weeki Wachee in those days. Some mermaids lived in small cottages behind the attraction – about 35 mermaids were employed and took turns doing the underwater shows.
These days mermaids (and mermen referred to as “princes”) still perform shows and the park even holds regular mermaid camps for young children who get to try out the mermaid experience (though they don’t get to use the breathing hoses).
I really need to get back to Florida and see the Weeki Wachee mermaid show and other popular roadside attractions (the ones that are still left). Next week we’ll take a look at the water ski performers from Cypress Gardens, another stop along the highway.