Weeki Wachee Springs is well worth the drive

We all know about Weeki Wachee Springs, but how many of us have visited any time recently?

If you have young kids or holiday houseguests, I can definitely recommend the excursion.

It's not nearly as expensive as Walt Disney World or Busch Gardens. Of course, it's not as exciting, either. But Weeki Wachee Springs is still a great place to take kids.

It's corny but magical. It's a roadside tourist stop but offers one of the most natural, beautiful settings in Florida.

Between the surprisingly realistic 30-minute underwater mermaid drama, the water slides and the boat or canoe rides up the Weeki Wachee River, your children will find something they haven't done before.

Weeki Wachee is in Hernando County at State Road 50 and U.S. 19, about an hour and a half from St. Petersburg. The park is a little rundown and definitely dated, but, hey, kitsch is in. I like being reminded of the low-tech things that thrilled tourists and residents back in the '50s. I also like being reminded that our children today, even with their computers and virtual-reality rides, can still get excited over simple things.

The park, which decades ago employed enough mermaids that it had dormitories to house them all, has been struggling since Sept. 11. Since the attacks, the park is closed Monday and Tuesday. When we were there on a sunny Saturday, only a few dozen people crossed our path.

We started out with the Wilderness River Cruise and were the only ones on the 30-minute boat ride. On our trip up the 4- to 6-foot-high crystal clear Weeki Wachee River we saw seven otters, a baby manatee, an alligator and lots of egrets, herons and pelicans. The driver and tour guide throws fish to the birds so they come right up to the boat, offering spectators plenty of closeup looks. You can also rent canoes and tour the river on your own.

My daughters, ages 3 and 5, had never had been so close to that many animals in their natural habitat. We thought that would be their biggest thrill of the day until we took in the mermaid show. The story, not surprisingly, is that of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. If your children are familiar with the Disney version, they will be able to easily follow the plot, but you might warn them the names are different.

The mermaids swim, sing and talk in a 16-foot-deep water tank complete with caves, a castle, a treasure chest, underwater plant life and real goldfish. Their royal blue fins billow and shine underwater, and their long hair swirls all about them. Each carries a long hose and takes breaths of air throughout the show, though you barely notice it.

Parents are warned before the show that it can be scary for young children, but neither of our girls had any problems or subsequent nightmares. The sea witch does make two surprise appearances from a porthole above the stage, and her entrances are startling but not that frightening.

Our 3-year-old was so amazed to see "real" mermaids that she sat motionless, with her mouth wide open or smiling, the entire show. My older daughter moved to the front row of the uncrowded theater where she could press her face against the glass tank.

The "Wags and Whiskers" show we went to next didn't have the same awe-inspiring effect by any stretch. Still, the girls enjoyed hearing how a cat was trained to climb a rope and how the dogs learn to walk on their hind legs. A Shetland pony also performed and the children got to pet him at the end of the 15-minute show.

We did not make it to the show titled "Fun Facts About Mermaids," but I think this behind-the-scenes talk about what it takes to be a mermaid or merman would be interesting. The merfolk answer questions from the audience and explain their training, breathing and the history of the park.

We have a former Navy "frogman" to thank for the mermaids in our state. Newton Perry leased Weeki Wachee Springs from the former owner, the city of St. Petersburg, in 1946 to have a place to develop underwater breathing systems for the Navy. When nearby Hernando residents complained that he had taken over their picnicking and swimming spot, he invited them to partake in his breathing experiments. The next year, 1947, the mermaids came into play.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District now owns the park springs and land. A private company leases the park.

Adults and children will enjoy looking at a wall of black and white photos in the Mermaid Museum showing mermaids over the years. We liked the shots of the first mermaid to perfect drinking a bottled Coke underwater and another who was married underwater in a real wedding ceremony.

The museum also has a great photo opportunity spot with a wooden mermaid tail that children (or adults) can sit behind. Their legs are hidden and they look as if they are the upper torso of the mermaid. My girls also enjoyed sticking their faces through the holes in the old-fashioned king and queen of the sea prop at the park's gift shop. The gift shop sells ice cream and the park has a restaurant with the usual burgers and hot dogs.

Now if you're up for a big day or just want to keep those visiting inlaws out of the house even longer, stop by Tarpon Springs on the way home. We ate a late lunch at a great Greek joint. My kids wouldn't get near the lamb gyros or olives, but they loved the buttery pita bread.

More than eating, they enjoyed looking in all the Greek tourist shops along the waterfront loaded with bamboo back scratchers, seashell pocketbooks, carved monkeys and plastic spiders. Ten dollars spent in any of these stores could fill a Christmas stocking with great gimmicks and toys. If you're done for this year, stock up for 2002.

COSTS: Weeki Wachee's water park, Buccaneer Bay, with six slides up to 60 feet high, opens March 23. Tickets to both the water and mermaid parks cost $16.95 for adults and $11.95 for children 3 and over. Until then, admission to the mermaid park alone costs $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for children.

HOLIDAY EVENTS: The park will have a Christmas event from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 21 and 22. There will be a cruise in Santa's "sleigh" up the river and an underwater performance of The Grinch, along with games, a magic show and a "ho, ho, ho" contest for kids. Admission is $7.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids. Canned food will get you $1 off each ticket.

For more information on Weeki Wachee Springs call (352) 596-2062.

-- You can reach Katherine Snow Smith by e-mail at Oliviachar@aol.com; or write Rookie Mom, St. Petersburg Times, PO Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

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