Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Hey guys,

I wanted to talk a little bit about Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. This is where I went on my mini vacation during the 4th of July holiday weekend. We’ve been trying to make it there about 4 different times during the last two years but something always seems to come up and we don’t end up going. However, this time we finally made it and it was kind of a disappointment. I had a friend that I met in college that told me about it and it sounded like a really fun, amazing place. However, I was expecting something a little different.

So let me describe our experience. This state park is extremely popular and it seemed like a lot of locals go to it often because there isn’t that much to do in the town that the spring is located in. Basically we got a little after 9 and we were honestly thinking that we would not be able to make it in because we had read some reviews online and my sister was keeping tabs on their Facebook page which they update constantly with park info. To be honest, we barely made it. We ended up having to park in their overflow lot, which is just a dirt lot (the rest of the parking is paved) and by the time we made it to the end of the line they were pretty much done letting people in to park which means that the park is at full capacity.

Once we were in line, we waited for about 40 minutes, if not longer to actually get in line to buy our tickets. Once we got close enough to the ticket booths, a worker was standing there telling us if we could pay with cash then we could go to a shorter line. Thankfully we had enough cash and we were able to get into the parker quicker. Once we got into the park, we had absolutely no idea where to go because there are no signs whatsoever. So we wandered around aimlessly for about 5 to 10 minutes until we finally figured out where to go.

This springs also offers a water park that is attached to the springs and it includes a swimming area, a dock where you can dive off head first because the water is about 20 feet deep, 2 different types of slides, and a so called lazy river (it’s not really that lazy, you actually have to use your arms or legs to get your tube move). In front of the springs there is a beach with chairs that have been provided by the park and then behind the beach is just a bunch of different/random grassy areas. The park also has a boat tour that is included in the price of your park entrance fee, a restaurant that is technically just a to-go place, a small gift shop, and a few animal shows (which we never watched).

The one attraction that they are most famous for is their mermaids. The park has an underwater theater where you can watch performers dress up as mermaids perform underwater. It was really neat to be able to see them perform and if you and/or your child is obsessed with mermaids then I definitely recommend taking a visit to this park.

By the time we got inside the park, there wasn’t any beach space left, all of the chairs were taken, and all of the tubes had been rented out. So basically we didn’t really get to fully enjoy the park in opinion. Plus not to mention, the water was absolutely freezing and I wish I had worn a wetsuit or something! We only went about thigh deep into the water and we didn’t stay in for very long. We also didn’t get to experience the lazy river since all of the tubes were gone and we also did not go down any of the slides.

My tips for this park if you really want to do it right, you better get there really early! The reason I say that is because the earlier you get there, the faster you will get inside the park and you will get a better seat and you might actually be able to rent a tube which is something that I recommend.

My parents went on the boat ride but my sister and I did not get a chance to ride it. My dad really enjoyed it and my mom just said that the captain and the assistant yell at the people canoeing down the river the whole duration of the tour. The food was tasty (I had the chicken fingers, of course!) and so was the ice cream that we had after lunch. However, you can bring your own food in a cooler if you do not want to pay for food while you are there which is nice because it can help to keep your costs down!

With that being said, I definitely recommend going at least once if it’s something that you think you might be interested in. I am glad that I went just so I can say that I have finally been. I don’t think that I will be going back for quite some time though (maybe not until I have kids at least). I wasn’t really that impressed and honestly watching the mermaid’s swim underwater gave me a small amount of anxiety because I totally have a fear of/hate swimming underwater. They were amazing though and I definitely know that I would not be able to do their job!

Look at how cute, baby peacocks! They had peacocks walking around the entire park and it was really cute getting to see the baby ones.

Thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to leave a comment or share this with your friends!

XO, Steph