WEEKI WACHEE SPRINGS WATERPARK (Page 2)
Home of The Weeki Wachee Mermaids
There
is also a fabulous place where you can rent canoes if you feel like paddling
your own way down the river for a more extended journey than is offered
by the cruise. 
Stop
by the Weeki Wachee Canoe Rental, located right behind the water
park and see the river at your own pace from a canoe or kayak. Dave Lowerre
and his partner, Peter Ruban, own the business. They have about 30 canoes
and 11 kayaks for your enjoyment. They are friendly, helpful and will
give give you a canoe lesson if you need it. We did.
It
was the first time Jo Beth or I had ever gone canoeing. After a few minutes
of instruction from Dave on how to paddle, my eyes glazed over and I was
hoping Jo Beth was paying attention. Luckily she was; she sat in the back
of the canoe and steered.(She's from West Virginia, so I think it's in
her blood.)
It was weird getting comfortable enough in the canoe to relax (if you
lean too much one way or the other, it's Capsize City). After a few minutes
in the Abe Lincoln Memorial pose, I relaxed and things were fine. The
stuff we saw on the way seemed surreal it was so beautiful. We
saw the some of the same birds we had seen from our cruise, but we also
saw turtles, a gator, egrets, ibis, cypress trees, and best of all manatees!
It
was the first time I had ever seen one so close. It swam right under our
canoe. I though for sure we'd be swimming with those guys in about two
seconds. But big as they are, they gracefully slipped under our canoe
and peacefully swam alongside us, while I snapped pictures with my waterproof
camera and we didn't capsize!
Our journey was from from the Weeki Wachee River to Roger's Park, covering approximately 8 miles of pristine scenery. About half way, we decided to dock our canoe and take a swim. The water is delicious; fresh, clean, and totally refreshing. (Yes, and at this point I would like to add, that the environmentally conscious people who love and want to preserve this spectacular part of the earth, either canoe or kayak down the river or use nonpolluting electric boats. A big fat SHAME ON YOU! to the people I saw polluting the water with their motor boats and jet skis! There should be a law against this! You would think people wouldn't be so ignorant as to use motor boats in such a fragile environment; but alas, ignorance lurks at every juncture.) The canoe ride from start to finish is at least three hours, more if you stop along the way.
At
the end of the journey, Dave came to pick us up at Roger's Park and drove
us back to Weeki Wachee. This service is provided for all renters. The
canoe trip was one of the most awesome nature explorations I have ever
been on and I highly recommend it. Call Dave or Peter at Weeki Wachee
Canoe Rental, (352) 597-0360 or visit their website www.canoe-ww.com.
Very conveniently located, just across the 
street
from the waterpark is Weeki Wachee Best Western Resort, the best
place to stay when you're visiting. It's pet friendly, with expansive
grounds, has a well-kept super clean swimming pool and on-premises laundry
facilities for traveling families. We had a enjoyable stay there. Our
room was large and comfortable and the continental breakfast served every
morning, was delicious.
The
resort has several room and ticket packages to Weeki Wachee Waterpark
as well as SCUBA diving and golf at one of the areas five golf courses.
There's also the Mermaid Lounge located on he premises where you can relax
with a drink after a hard day at the waterpark. Call ahead for 
reservations
and rates. The folks here are friendly and happy to help.
Weeki Wachee Best Western Resort, 6172 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, FL (352) 596-2007. Fax: (352) 596-0667. Or visit their website: www.weekiwachee.com/hotel.htm.
And last but not least, the best places in the immediate area to eat. For breakfast we choose Nellie's. Located just a "stone's throw" form the hotel, Nellie's offers good old fashioned country cooking at reasonable prices. Try the buttermilk pancakes or the Belgium waffle. Mmmm.. Also serving lunch and dinner.Casual atmosphere. Nellie's at Cortez (Hwy 50 and US 19), Spring Hill, FL, Tel: (352) 596-8321. Opens at 6:00 AM.
And
for dinner...Truthfully, the best place I have EVER eaten bar-be-cue,
The Pit Boss. 
My
West Virginian traveling companion heartily agreed the food here was some
of the best she's ever tasted. I got the bar-be-cued ribs, she got the
pulled pork sandwich and we split an order of onion rings. The onion rings,
can only be truly appreciated by tasting them—they are in a word,
perfect. Just the right amount and consistency of beer batter;
thick, but not too thick, and cooked to a medium golden brown. The crunch
is right on the money. The hell with the diets, we inhaled. We actually
ate here twice, it was so good. The following time, we both got fried
catfish which proved to be just as satisfying; moist, plump and generously
portioned. The accompanying cole slaw was fresh and the baked beans delectable.
Although I really should never eat beans (poor Jo Beth).
If you can manage to stuff your gullet with desert afterwards, they offer
homemade fudge pie or key lime pie.We couldn't move; but it looked good
at the table next to us. Casual atmosphere. Don't miss this place!!
Pit Boss Bar-B-Q, 2270 Commercial Way (US 19) Spring Hill, FL, Tel: (352)
688-BOSS (2677).
And so ends our sojourn to Weeki Wachee. I know I'll return someday to this magnificent part of the world, where fantasy is kept alive. But until then...in the words of the mermaids......glub....glub...glub.