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Weeki Wachee Springs
Weeki Wachee, Hernando County
UNDERWATER · ANIMALS
9STRANGENESS
OUT OF TEN
OUT OF TEN
WHAT IT IS
A submerged theatre from 1947 where performers breathe from hidden air hoses and hold a smile.
Newt Perry cleared junk out of a spring, sank a theatre into the limestone below the waterline, and taught swimmers to breathe from concealed hoses so they could perform without air tanks. It has run almost continuously since 1947, through hurricanes and a period as a Disney-adjacent tourist casualty, and is now a Florida state park, the only one in America with a mermaid payroll. The current is strong enough that the performers are, genuinely, athletes.
HOW IT SCORES
Rarity10/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory10/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair5/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment10/10
How far do they take the bit?
NEARBY
BEFORE YOU DRIVE
- ENTRY FEE
- $13 state park
- HOURS
- Daily, shows on the hour
- BEST TIME
- Weekday morning; the park caps attendance and fills up.
- HOW LONG
- Half a day
- PARKING
- Free with admission
- PAYMENT
- Cards accepted
- ACCESS
- Theatre is accessible; river tour is not
COORDINATES
28.5169° N, 82.5735° W
US-19 at SR-50. Arrive early; they turn cars away when capacity is reached.
OPEN IN MAPS →DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.