Weeki Wachee Mermaid Rita King Performing at a Mermaid Reunion

Weeki Wachee Mermaid Rita King Performing at a Mermaid Reunion

Black and White Photograph of Rita King, a Mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, Performing Aerobatics at a Mermaid Reunion, 1960

Weeki Wachee Springs (Fla.);

Tourism--Florida; tourism & museum;

Tourism--1960-1980;

Ballet--1970-1980;

Mermaids--Florida--Weeki Wachee--History;

Theater--20th century

Rita King, a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs, in costume, performing an acrobatic routine. This event was one of the many mermaid reunions that Weeki Wachee Springs hosted, where they invited former mermaids to attend special events. This particular reunion happened on December 1, 1960. Text cut off at the top of the image reads, "Acrobatic Dance Routine for a Mermaid Reunion Show - Age 21."

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.

Black and white photograph of Weeki Wachee Mermaid Rita King

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Original black and white photograph of Rita King, December 1, 1960: Private collection of Rita King.

1960-12-01

1960-12-01

Digital Reproduction of B&W photograph: c. 1960s. Scanned by RICHES Team. RICHES, Orlando, Florida.

Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.

image/jpg

3 MB

Black and White Photograph

Still Image

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida

Donation

History Teacher

Humanities Teacher

Visual Arts Teacher

Theater Teacher

Originally created by Newton "Newt" Perry, owned by Delee Perry, and published by RICHES.

Copyright to this resource is held by Rita King and is provided here by RICHES  for educational purposes only.

Florida Humanities Council Community Grant Program and Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Schwandt, Rebecca

Private collection of Rita King.

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.