It’s not just enchanted sailors who feel the lure of the mermaid’s siren song. It’s wide-eyed toddlers buses full of seniors and anyone with a yen for a good old-fashioned tourist attraction Florida-style.
They’re drawn to the promise of seeing “real live mermaids” at Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs (352-596- 2062; ). Here the mermaids perform daily in their underwater grotto delivering blissful nostalgia from 20 feet beneath the surface. It’s the kind of cheesy fun that Florida was famous for back before Disney World. Weeki Wachee opened in 1947 and quickly became one of the more popular tourist attractions in the country attracting hoards of crowds and such celebrities as Elvis Presley and Esther Williams. These days the crowds are a little more subdued but the mermaids don’t work any less hard. They don Lycra tails and bedazzled bikinis and swim their fins off in live performances three times a day.
They perform balletic adagios underwater. They drink bottles of Coke while completely submerged. They lip-sync to a recorded soundtrack while their long hair fans out around them like seaweed. And they remind us of a time when the world was seen from the back of a station wagon and set to a chorus of “Are we there yet?”
While the Florida roadside attraction is almost as endangered as the mermaid itself Weeki Wachee isn’t the only place left in the state where you can pull over and amuse yourself for an hour or two. Another oddity that has compelled visitors for decades is Coral Castle (305-248-6345; ) south of Miami in Homestead.
It was the perpetual construction project of a Latvian man who was jilted at the altar moved to America in the 1920s and spent the next 30 years on his coral curiosity.
Now with a name like Coral Castle you’d expect some turrets and maybe a moat and drawbridge. But don’t. Because Coral Castle — which was originally called Rock Gate Park — is more sculpture garden than castle.
More behind the wall
The modest “castle” consists of one room in a crenellated tower. But hidden behind 8-foot-tall stone walls (no drive-by peeking, please) are 10 acres worth of stone structures, including enormous crescent moons, a working sundial and a 40-foot-tall obelisk. All built by a 100- pound Latvian who worked mostly at night and always in secrecy.
Whether or not he used the secrets of the pyramids to build his megalithic monument ( which he claimed at the time and still seems as plausible an explanation as any), one thing is clear: His vision has endured as a perennially popular tourist stop.
To round out your road trip and get a taste of really old- time Florida, visit St. Augustine’s Fountain of Youth (904-829-3168; fountainof ), which has drawn travelers since before there were even cars. Legend has it that Juan Ponce de Leon landed on this site in 1513 in search of the famed fountain and discovered Florida itself — making this the state’s original tourist attraction.
There is indeed a spring here, and you can still queue up for a sip of eternal youth.
As it turns out, though, eternal youth tastes a lot like rotten eggs, which is why they only give you a Dixie cup’s worth and no one ever asks for refills.
It’s an unapologetic tourist trap, no doubt. But they do it up right, with huge neon signs stretching over the entrance, a statue of a beaming Ponce de Leon guarding the gate and a gift shop where you can purchase bottles of the wretched liquid to subject your loved ones to back home.
Most people figure they’ll pop in, drink a shot, send a postcard and go. But the park also offers some interesting historical presentations and beautiful, moss-draped grounds to hold your attention, meaning you can actually end up leaving about an hour older.
Insider’s Guide
Get there: All of the major airlines fly direct from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Tampa International Airport (TPA) starting at $328 round-trip. Florida’s roadside attractions are meant to be enjoyed as part of a well-balanced road trip and, as such, are sprinkled around the state. Weeki Wachee is about an hour north of Tampa, off Florida 589. Make it a day trip from the Tampa/St. Pete area. Coral Castle is south of Miami in Homestead, on your way to the Everglades or the Keys. The Fountain of Youth is located in St. Augustine on Florida’s upper Atlantic Coast.
Dine: In South Florida, be sure to stop at Robert is Here (19200 S.W. 344th St., Homestead; 305-246-1592) for a ridiculously refreshing key-lime milkshake. Tampa’s Ybor City is foodie central; try stuffed plantains and Cuban coffee at La Teresita (3246 W. Columbus Drive; 813-879-4909). Grab cheap smoked-sausage rolls at the Spanish Bakery (42 1/2 Saint George St.; 904-471-3046) in St. Augustine.
Stay: Miami’s Pelican Hotel (826 Ocean Drive; 305-673-3373; rooms from $185) charms with theme rooms (e.g., “Big Bamboo”) and ocean views. Ybor City’s atmospheric Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn (1915 Republica de Cuba; 813-241-4545; rooms from $139) exudes history. Find St. Augustine B&Bs at .
