Three Weeki Wachee Mermaids Performing Underwater
Dublin Core
Title
Three Weeki Wachee Mermaids Performing Underwater
Alternative Title
Postcard of Three Weeki Wachee Mermaids Mid-Performance, c. 1960s
Subject
Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
tourism & museum
Tourism--1960-1980
Ballet--1970-1980
Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History
Theater--20th century
Description
Postcard depicting three Weeki Wachee Mermaids performing in a show. Two of the mermaids are dressed up in leis and hula skirts and the other is wearing a Hawaiian shirt playing a ukelele. Mermaids are standing on a metal platform that is a hydraulic lift. The platform moved up and down.
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.
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.
Abstract
Postcard
Creator
Weeki Wachee Spring State Park
Source
Original postcard of Weeki Wachee Mermaids Mid-Performance, c. 1960s: Private Collection of Arlene Brooks.
Publisher
Date Created
ca. 1960-1970
Date Copyrighted
ca. 1960-1970
Is Format Of
Digital Reproduction of postcard: Three Weeki Wachee Mermaids in Mid-Performance, c.1960s. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.
Is Part Of
Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.
Format
image/jpeg
Extent
23.4 MB
Medium
4 x 6 Color Postcard
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Humanitites Teacher
Visual Arts Teacher
Theater Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Weeki Wachee Springs, owned by Arlene Brooks, and published by RICHES.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Arlene Brooks and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Florida Humanities Council Community Grant Program and Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
Curator
Schwandt, Rebecca
Source Repository
Private Collection of Arlene Brooks.
External Reference
Allman, T.D. Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013.
Ammidown, Margot. “Edens, Underworlds, and Shrines: Florida’s Small Tourist Attractions.” The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts 23, (1998): 238-259.
Georgiadis, Bonnie and Lu Vickers. Weeki Wachee Mermaids. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2012.
Hollis, Tim. Glass Bottom Boats and Mermaid Tails: Florida’s Tourist Springs. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 2006.
Pelland, Dan and Maryan Pelland. Images of America: Weeki Wachee. Mount Pleasant: Arcadia Publishing, 2006.
Revels, Tracy J. Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourism. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011.
Vickers, Lu. Weeki Wachee City of Mermaids: A History of One of Florida’s Oldest Roadside Attractions. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007.
Collection
Citation
Weeki Wachee Spring State Park, “Three Weeki Wachee Mermaids Performing Underwater,” RICHES, accessed October 31, 2025, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/11159.