State Park #5: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill Florida - mermaids & water sports

Mermaid swimming, a cross between free diving and synchronized swimming, has become trendy.  Perhaps your child doesn't have aspirations to become one of the professional thousand mermaid and merman, but observing a show does inspire strengthening swimming skills.  Mermaids can descend on a single breath.  While wearing a tail that can weigh up to 35 pound, they make choreographed moves to music.  It's no easy task.  It can take nine months of training, using hula hoop diving exercises and more.  Mermaids must get scuba and CPR certified and prove timed 200 yard swim and 50 yard butterfly.

However, many of the recent shows or classes have adult locations or minimum age requirements: 
1) Silverton Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada with 4,000 fish
2) Sip'n Dip Lounge, Great Falls, Montana which added mermaids to their live piano bar entertainment
3) Dive Bar Sacramento, CA, featuring merman 4) Hotel del Coronado, CA, $25 class for adults includes 45 minutes of core and cardio fitness while wearing a tail. 
5) Whitney M Young Magnet Schools, Laflin St., Chicago, by Aquamermaid Chicago, $60

Here's my suggestion - go to the original, the Weiki Wachee show debuted synchronized mermaid ballet in October 1947 as a road side attraction.  Weeki Wachee Springs State Park became a state park in 2008 and park entrance fee includes the show.  The park offers limited seating in an auditorium below the surface of the water;  go early!  Long hoses placed throughout the ground provide air to mermaids and mermaids perform to multiple songs.  We laughed as a turtle tried to get into the act.

I enjoyed the park so much that when I returned to Fort Lauderdale, I made the trip north on the highway to visit again.  This time I allocated more time for the park and waited in line for the Wilderness River Cruise.  Your entrance fee also includes this boat trip down the river.  We watched below for manatees and above for birds.  A separate article covers the many places you can see manatees in Florida.  If I had more time, I'd rent a kayak at the park.  There's so many ways to enjoy the water at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.

Here's 3 other family friendly mermaid shows:
1) Downtown Aquarium, Denver Colorado, Mystic Mermaid Show, includes conservation messages, adults $20, children $14
2) Ripley's Aquarium Myrtle Beach, SC, mermaids swim along with sting rays and sharks on weekends, $23 adult, $17 child aquarium tickets; limited seating, go early!
2) Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, FL, shipwreck scene and 30 min. show, featured in Analyze This movie, only two shows per week, go early!

Gym Class #4: 7 Top Fishing Spots in the US

Our Catch, Photo by Krenda

Wanting to share nature and sports with your kids? It's time to go fishing.
Fish, so graceful, you can get hypnotized watching them swim back and forth.  When your kids catch one, that's when peace turns to excitement.

You can go to a top destination, but we've found the local parks to provide plenty of excitement for beginners.  Check out license requirements.  Our kids caught this fish at the Voice of America pond in West Chester, Ohio.

When my kids got older, my dad bought a fishing boat to use in his pond in the photo below.   The kids relived the rush of catching a fish.

Tips

-Safety first.  Talk about fishing hooks.
-Go early, avoid the heat of the day.  Bring sunscreen & hats.

If you want to make the experience more memorable, plan ahead to include fishing in a trip.  The US and nearby islands are known for quality fishing.  According to americasbestonline.net, here's 7 places included in their Best Fishing Holes in the USA:
1.  King Salmon Fishing in Alaska:  look for youth only fisheries (anglers age 15 or younger) - Campbell Creek in Anchorage, AK (Sat. in June), and Seward King Salmon Fishery (specific dates)
2.  Salt Water Fishing in the Florida Keys
3.  Trout fishing in Yellowstone National Park
4. Tarpon Adventures of Galveston
5.  Rogue River Wilderness Adventures - Oregon
6. Montana Fishing and Fly Fishing
7.  Lake Sinclair

 -Set expectations or plan for higher odds.  When kids don't catch any fish, anticipate the disappointment.  It's happened to our family - rent a fishing boat at the park, but catch nothing.  Another time we planned ahead.  We made the extra effort to drive to a paid fishing pond/restaurant near the Smoky Mountains and the sure catch was a big hit.  See my cabin rental blog www.lightningbuglodge.blogspot.com

State Park #2: Hocking Hills State Park, Logan Ohio - geology lessons

Get out of the house and go explore and you will see majestic cliffs, waterfalls, gorges, and more. Especially if you drive to Hocking Hills State Park. I've been to a lot of State Parks, but none like this one in Ohio.  While hiking, you have time to discuss geological processes.  Gorges are mainly formed because of the flow of water or lava.  Smaller than canyons, gorges still have deep, narrow valleys with a river or stream running.  Even easier than creating your own science lesson, check out the park schedule for educational talks hosted by naturalists. 

Besides admiring the rocks, go on a hunt for waterfalls.  This photo shows Cedar Falls, the largest in terms of water volume.  From the photo, it's difficult to tell size.  It spans 50 feet with water cascading between limestone and ending in a pool.  I'd also recommend the waterfall at Ash Cave.  You'll be impressed with the size of the 700-foot long cave.

Gorges make beautiful scenery for a hike with your family.  Two of the top three parks winning the USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Award Best State Park rating have well known gorges:

1) Letchworth State Park (Castile, New York) rated #1:  includes Genesee River Gorge, sometimes referred as "Grand Canyon of the East"
2) Watkins Glen State Park (New York) rated #3:  includes Gorges of Finger Lakes, 200 foot cliffs, 19 waterfalls, part of the Finger Lake State Parks

Readers rated Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan as the #2 state park.

Here's 9 Other gorges you could visit with your family:
1.  Quechee Gorge, Vermont: (Quechee State Park):  deepest gorge in Vermont, view from US Route 4 bridge
2.  Bluestone River Gorge, West Virginia: canyon land around the Bluestone National Scenic River and protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (est. 1988)
3.  Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico: approx. 50 mile gorge beginning near the Colorado border, part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument (designated 2013)
4.  Avalance Gorge, Avalanche Cree, Montana:  narrow chasms near the falls within Glacier National Park
5.  Linville Gorge, North Carolina: part of the Pisgah National Forest and sourced by Linville River, also claims "Grand Canyon of the East"
6.  Bad River Gorge, Wisconsin (Copper Falls State Park): walls can tower up to 100 feet above the river bed, watch for flash floods
7.  Cathedral Gorge, Nevada near Panaca, Nevada: (Cathedral Gorge State Park) established 1935, early construction included picnicking facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
8.  Malad Gorge, Idaho; (Malad Gorge State Park):  narrow steel walk way across the gorge
9.  Columbia Gorge, Oregon Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area: managed by the Columbia River Gorge Commission and the US Forest Service, 80 mile canyon up to 4,000 feet deep and spans Oregon and Washington