The Weeki Wachee River in Hernando Country, about an hour north of Tampa, is a natural spring famous for their mermaids and kayaking! Yes, mermaids. The Weeki Wachee Springs State Park has daily mermaid shows, in addition to water slides, a lazy river, and other attractions.
I made the long drive up north not for the mermaids, but to go kayaking. I’ve heard about how beautiful it is and I’ve only been kayaking once in my, and that was in the Pacific Ocean. My friend Liz made us a reservation (it’s best to call and reserve a kayak or canoe, we used Paddling Adventures) for a two person kayak, because I was afraid to kayak on my own.
The path for kayaking and canoeing.
The reservation includes a shuttle back to your car at the end of the river, so you don’t have to worry about how to get back. It also includes the kayak (obviously) as well as a life jacket.
After your reservation is all set, you head down to the water where they get a kayak all set up for you. We were lucky enough to come across their male peacock on our way down!
So pretty!
We got in our kayak and spent the next four hours relaxing as we lazily made our way down the river. It was so beautiful and we saw manatees!
The next time you’re in the Tampa area, make time to make the trip down the Weeki Wachee River! It’s so beautiful and relax!