REL Assignment 6: Weeki Wachee State Park

REL Assignment 6: Weecki Wachee Springs

When my GPS told me “ Arriving at destination on your right,” I was very surprised since I was still on a very busy road.  Nevertheless, Weeki Wachee Springs still proved to be an interesting state park hidden right on State Road 19.

             I noticed the park to be very similar to Busch Gardens (minus the loud roller coasters and masses of people).  I say this because there were a lot of natural-looking paths that had concession stands around the corner.  Also noteworthy were the peacocks roaming around the park without bounds (also similar to roller coaster tycoon).

            The first show I watched was an animal show.  There were not too many people at the show, but those who were present had their attention kept by the animal handler.  A lot of the visitors were either older folks or middle-aged folks with their kids who were between the ages of five to thirteen.  It was fun having people point out the gator on my shirt when the handler brought out a baby gator.

            Even though this show was interesting, the second show was the highlight of my trip.  The Mermaid Show is what Weeki Wachee is known for and I can understand why.  When I first walked into the Underwater Theatre, I didn’t think too much of the appearance of the outside.  It looked somewhat old and worn down.  Before the show was playing there were TVs playing black and white films of old mermaids (I presume) along with beachie music – a very nice touch.  When I heard that the show would be based on “The Little Mermaid,”  I knew this one an appeal to a more contemporary audience since the popular animated movie did not come out until 1989.  However, this does beg the question: why was the mermaid show popular in the 1950s?  According to WeekiWachee.com, back in the 50s the performers would stand on the side of the road and try to coax visitors from the side.  When they came the performers would then get ready to perform the show. 

            Something else I noticed that was similar to Busch Gardens was how the park’s main trail was in the shape of a circle.  Apparently the DEP wants to straighten this curvy path so that all parks have a similar look.  Personally, I would not like this because the curvy paths give this park a little adventure (an example is that the animal show was almost hidden, but on the way there the park workers decorated the area “Halloween-themed”). 

            In the end, it should have been Busch Gardens that reminded me of Weeki Wachee (since the latter has a seniority in Florida).  However, after watching these two shows and exploring the park, I can understand and imagine how this place used to be a major attraction in Florida and how the older populations that visited this small treasure in their childhood may see Weeki Wachee as special as a child today may see Busch Gardens.