Thanks to the Florida Humanities Council, Rebecca Schwandt, the Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, and RICHES were able to collect oral histories from former Weeki Wacheee Springs mermaids and digitize their artifacts. The following exhibit features a selection of those artifacts, quotes from oral histories, and a history of the roadside attraction Weeki…

Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947, and used his experiences working at Silver Springs and Wakulla Springs to develop the original concepts for its underwater theater and mermaid shows. Perry sold his stake in Weeki Wachee Springs in 1950. After peaking in…

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…