Mermaids, Wildlife, Lighthouses & Fun Times with Good Friends!
Greetings from the Sunshine State! From the enchanting Mermaid Show at Weeki Wachee Springs to the natural beauty of Rainbow Springs and St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge. We caught up with friends to explore St. George Island, and even climbed a lighthouse under a full moon. Join us as we relive these unforgettable moments and uncover the unique treasures of Florida's parks and wildlife!
We made a stop in Inverness, FL on our way North. I finally got to visit Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and saw the Mermaid show. It’s amazing how they can breathe through tubes and hold their breath for long periods while flipping, twisting, and diving so gracefully. The choreography they perform while wearing a mermaid tail is incredible, although the tails have monofins that allow them to propel thru the water with natural-looking movements.
We’ve also been wanting to visit Monkey Island. Upon our arrival, we discovered there were no monkeys! They had been temporarily moved while their habitat was being renovated. How disappointing that was. We’ve since read they are happy to be back home. While the public cannot go on the island, people enjoy watching the playful spider monkeys from a boat or the shore of the Homosassa River.
Homosassa Wildlife State Park hosts many species of animals and reptiles. The park’s captive wildlife cannot survive in the wild for various reasons. As you can see below, they are not all captive.
Lu the hippo is Homosassa Springs' favorite resident. He’s a retired actor who turned 64 this year, which makes him the oldest hippo in North America.
Rainbow Springs State Park
We were so surprised to come across these bubbling mud pots in this beautiful park.
The falls in this park were made using soil dredged from a nearby phosphate pit.
We met up with long time friends, Barb & Henry, in Carrabelle, FL for 10 days. Since we did so much together, I’m including photos of them. We say they are half-timing!
We rode bikes a couple of times on St. George Island. Below is the St. George Lighthouse.
Below we are waiting for our group’s turn to do the full moon climb. It was cloudy but still fun having never climbed a lighthouse in the dark!
The campground we stayed at is right across from the St. George Sound.
How do you like this shower we came across in Ochlockonee River State Park?
