Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.]]>
Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.]]> Schumacher, owned by Karen Geiken, and published by RICHES.]]> RICHES for educational purposes only.]]>

Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.]]>
RICHES]]> Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.]]> RICHES.]]> RICHES for educational purposes only.]]>

Weeki Wachee Springs is a state park that opened to the public in October of 1949 by Newton Perry along with a group of investors. This attraction opened as the roadside era of Florida was ramping up and consisted of an amalgamation of vendors including an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction- the mermaid show that took place in an underwater theatre. The attraction grew to include The May Museum of the Tropics, an ‘abandoned Seminole village’, an show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo. As theme parks became the new norm for Florida’s tourist industry, Weeki Wachee Springs began steadily declining until the state of Florida absorbed the attraction into the state park system in 2008. The attraction now focuses on appealing to a modern audience, while still preserving its rich history.]]>
RICHES]]> Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.]]> RICHES.]]> RICHES  for educational purposes only.]]>