Discover mythical mermaids at these five hot spots in Florida

If you (or someone in your life) dreams of mermaids, you’re in great company. Woven through mythology from as early as 1000 B.C., merfolk continue to feed our collective fascination and inspire legends worldwide.

From ancient Greece to the beloved 1837 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Little Mermaid' and the 2021 Disney hit "Luca," the siren call draws us all in — and there’s one U.S. state that has truly mastered the art of mermaid culture. 

In diverse locales across sunny Florida, you can swim with mermaids, indulge in an underwater burlesque show in a retro shipwreck-themed bar and take an Instagram-worthy photo with the world’s largest roadside mermaid sign. 

More on Florida's surf scene:Waves flat in South Florida? Best surfing spots, breaks north of Palm Beach County

More ways to spend the weekend:Restaurant news: Enjoy these pink-for-a-cause bites, dining deals for Breast Cancer Awareness

Best things to do for Halloween (plus a mermaid attraction): Palm Beach County fun, including Fright Nights, mini-Moonfest

Get out your explorer maps.

Here are five top destinations for mermaid fans in the Sunshine State: 

 Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Decades before Walt Disney World existed, Florida was known for its magnificent roadside attractions — the oldest of which is Weeki Wachee Springs, which has been wowing audiences with its world-famous mermaid shows since 1947.

Now a state park, the attraction has stayed true to its roots and features thrilling daily performances in its cavernous underwater theater. Looking through huge glass windows facing a crystal-clear natural spring basin, audience members are treated to exhilarating full-length musical shows by mermaids in colorful tails. Specialized underwater hoses allow the performers to breathe unencumbered by tanks, and the swimmers lip-synch entire musical shows such as like the park’s original "The Little Mermaid" while performing intricate synchronized swimming moves.

Even better: Via popular two-day mermaid camps for both kids and adults, guests can transform into merfolk for the weekend (tails included!), with underwater ballet training sessions and an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the mermaids’ backstage lair.

Located in Weeki Wachee, an hour north of Tampa by car, the park also includes the refreshing natural springs water park Buccaneer Bay, which features a white-sand beach, swimming area, wading pool, natural river and two water slides. 

*

Mertailor’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter

Just up the road from Weeki Wachee in neighboring Citrus County is the tiny-but-mighty Mertailor’s Mermaid Aquarium Encounter, a dazzling new business that’s making waves of its own. The attraction is the brainchild of Eric Ducharme, a local tailor and former underwater performer at Weeki Wachee Springs who began his career designing mermaid tails as “The Mertailor” as a teenager.

The business took off, and before long, he was receiving orders from all over the world for his custom-made, swimmable tails. Today, his creations can be seen in movies, TV shows and music videos — and the young entrepreneur opted to kick his business up a notch in 2020 with the aquatic adventure i Lecanto.

Boasting a lively mermaid-themed gift shop, his professional aquarium encounter invites families to journey to a whimsical world of mermaids and marine life.

Mermaid buffs can observe fish, sharks and rays in a colossal 30-foot tank and even become merfolk for the day with a variety of spectacular tail-swimming experiences. Enchanting mermaid performances take place daily in the larger tanks, with smaller interactive tanks that include encounters with friendly seahorses, starfish, snails and crabs. 

*

Mermaid Shows at B Ocean Resort’s World-Famous Wreck Bar

If you’re an aficionado of Florida’s Golden Age of tourism, get ready – because this mermaid attraction will enthrall and dazzle. Located in the midcentury-modern hotel B Ocean Resort on Fort Lauderdale Beach (formerly the Yankee Clipper), the ship-shaped hotel’s historic wreck bar is designed to resemble a sunken Spanish galleon, complete with mahogany shiplap, aquariums, nautical décor and six large porthole windows above the bar that offer an underwater view of one of the hotel’s pools. It’s there that the magic happens: mermaid shows that are exciting, fresh and new.

Guests will find stunning mermaids in the rousing adults-only Aqua Burlesque Show or hot mermen in the popular Aquamen Boylesque show (both of which are the only underwater burlesque shows in the U.S.).

The family-friendly show The Coral Reef Mermaids is wondrous for children, while the signature Mermaids and Mimosas brunch offers guests of all ages the chance to watch mermaids frolic while enjoying a delicious meal. Other themed events at the hotel include a beach yoga class followed by the mermaid brunch. Photo opportunities abound! Come join the fun at this vintage slice of Old Florida heaven.

*

Annual Key West Mermaid Festival

For those looking to party with fellow mermaid enthusiasts, look no further that the annual Key West Mermaid Festival each July. A five-day event held in Florida’s fun-filled southernmost city, the festival draws thousands of attendees to captivating mermaid-themed entertainment, dancing “under the sea” and, of course, swimming together with glittery mermaid tails.

With a mission of bringing awareness to ocean conservation and safe tail swimming, the event includes opportunities to lounge poolside or shop for mermaid-themed clothing and artwork at specialized vendor markets. Held at locations across the bustling island, most of the festival’s events are completely free and family friendly.

And why not make a vacation of it? Mermaid aficionados can stay at the dreamy, centrally-located bed and breakfast The Mermaid & The Alligator, grab a bite to eat at the popular seafood restaurant Thirsty Mermaid or spend a day on the water with Mermaid Charter Boat Tours. A plethora of vacation homes also beckon: with names like The Salty Mermaid, Mermaid Cove, The Mermaids House and Mermaid Manor, it’s easy to see why this tropical oasis is the perfect spot for a mermaid fest. 

*

Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar 

Established in 1952, Islamorada’s famous waterfront bar and restaurant began as a bait store and evolved first into a bar and bait shop, then a thriving restaurant in the 1980s. Today, the island’s Lorelei Restaurant and Cabana Bar – located bayside at Mile Marker 82 – boasts one of the most famous landmarks in the Florida Keys: the enormous Lorelei mermaid, a roadside sign that has attracted tourists for decades to stop and take their photo with her.

With long blonde hair, blue eyes, a green tail and a recent repainting from renowned marine artist Wyland, the Lorelei mermaid tempts continuous crowds to the laid-back waterfront locale for some of the best fresh seafood and sunsets in the Keys.

Her name refers to the centuries-old German legend of Lorelei, a beautiful maiden who jumped into the Rhine River over an unfaithful lover and was transformed into a siren who lured fishermen to destruction.

The giant mermaid in this island village, too, is impossible to resist; an alluring temptation that summons visitors to stop and stay awhile. But is that a bad thing? Mermaid devotees will be thrilled with this larger-than-life display of impressive sea maiden magic, 365 days per year. 

If you go