Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Visit this unique underwater theater.

The Seminole Indians named this park Weeki Wachee Springs, which means “little spring” or "winding river.” The spring is so deep that the bottom has never been found, but it brings 117 million gallons up from the subterranean caverns. The water is clear and seventy-four degrees. The current is five miles an hour and flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Newton Perry of the US Navy found the spring deserted and trashed with old equipment and vowed to clean it up and use it for research purposes. He invented a way to breathe underwater using a free-flowing air hose, where oxygen comes from an air compressor (most scuba divers are usually seen wearing a tank on their back). This helps divers mask their appearance by limiting the number of supplies needed below the surface.

Newton Perry put this discovery not just to practical use but for entertainment as a theater. He recruited women to train as mermaids and use his inventions to remain underwater for a period of time. They were taught to do ballet and other aerobic exercises in front of an audience. There are also botanical exhibits and “jungle cruises,” in addition to the famous mermaid shows.

ABC currently owns the theater and has produced underwater shows such as The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. Actresses from all over the world came to audition for such roles when it first began.