Paddle Plan It

Picture paddleboarding along a smooth crystal clear river. The water is shades of aqua greens and blues. The birds fly overhead while the fish swim beneath your paddleboard. This is what we experienced while Weeki Wachee Springs Paddle Boarding.

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Weeki Wachee Springs Paddle Boarding

There are lots of things you can do at Weeki Wachee Springs but my favorite thing to do is the Weeki Wachee Springs is paddleboarding experience. We took our iRocker inflatable paddleboards. They were easy to transport to Weeki Wachee Springs, and when they are packed in the backpacks, our iRocker iSups fit nicely in the back of our minivan, even when we have lots of luggage as well.

girl paddleboarding down weeki wachee springs — Paddling down the Weeki Wachee Springs river on my iRocker

The water is crystal clear and thanks to the current, the paddle is smooth and easy.

A bird standing on the edge of weeki wachee springs river — We saw so many birds and fish as we floated down the river

We saw so many birds and fish, and we even saw a raccoon hanging out near the water’s edge.

Raccoon on Weeki Wachi Spring River — This Raccoon was standing right by the water!

Making Reservations

They currently limit the number of paddleboarders and kayakers on the Weeki Wachee Springs river to help protect the wildlife and nature, so you will need to make a reservation before you go Weeki Wachee Springs Paddle boarding. You can make a reservation here. Also, they ask you to bring non-disposable water bottles to avoid littering in the beautiful fresh spring water.

Smiling lady on Weeki Wachee Springs River — Weeki Wachee Springs Paddle boarding felt like paradise!

You can bring your own paddleboard or kayak or you can rent them from Weeki Wachee Springs. You can rent paddleboard and kayaks here.

Man and woman and a paddleboard on Weeki Wachee Springs River

The parking lot is just to the left of the Weeki Wachee Springs Buccaneer Bay parking lot. You can get to it by driving into the Buccaneer Bay parking lot and then turning to your left.

The entrance to the Weeki Wachee Springs paddle boarding access — The Entrance to the Week Wachee Springs Paddle boarding launch location

You will exit the river when you see a paddleboard and kayak conveyer belt and staff in Weeki Wachee shirts to your right.

Buccaneer Bay at Weeki Wachee Springs

Two kids in front of the Buccaneer bay sign at Week Wachee Springs — We also visited Buccaneer Bay while we were there

Weeki Wachee Springs was only about 5 minutes for our Florida Gulf Coast Vacation Rental. (You can find out more about our Florida Gulf Coast paddleboard vacation and rental home here.) This state park has an actual waterpark on the natural Weeki Wachee Springs.

Buccaneer Bay at Weeki Wachee Springs — Buccaneer Bay

The water park includes two water slides, a lazy river that is 20 feet deep at one point, a boat ride, and the famous mermaid show.

Sign pointing to all the attractions at Weeki Wachee Springs Buccaneer Bay — A sign with all the attractions at Buccaneer Bay

The Mermaid Show at Buccaneer Bay

The mermaids put on the show right in the fresh Weeki Wachee Springs.

Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid Show — The Mermaid Show took place right in the fresh springs of Weeki Wachee

Buccaneer Bay Restaurants

A couple of amusement-park-style restaurants can also be found in the park.

The Galley Restaurant at Buccaneer Bay Weeki Wache Springs — One of the restaurants at Buccaneer Bay

A couple of notes to remember about Weeki Wachee Springs Buccuneer Bay:

Get there earlier than opening because the line starts getting long quickly.

The line to get in Buccaneer Bay was already long before the park even opened.

You may want to pack a cooler with food and drinks (no alcohol), chairs, and a tent or umbrella for shade. Weeki Wachee Springs has lounge chairs, but they can get taken fast. Moreover, each family can only have one chair. You can set up your shade tent in the grassy areas.
The coolers can’t be excessively large. Your cooler must fit into a box located at the front of the park or you can’t bring it in.

Cooler Check at Buccaneer Bay — Your cooler had to fit in this box or you couldn’t bring it in Buccaneer Bay

The boat ride, water slides, and mermaid show are included in the entry price, but the lazy river is extra. Once you buy a lazy river wristband, you can ride the lazy river as many times as you want until the lazy river closes. You don’t get your money back if a storm rolls.
You will want to get to the mermaid show and boat ride extra early, because both of these fill up quickly.
Even though you cannot bring alcohol in your cooler, you can purchase alcohol at the Buccaneer Bay Bar.

Peacocks roam the park! Keep your eyes alert and your cameras ready because you never know when a peacock will decide to wander up to you.

A peacock and girl at Buccaneer Bay — The peacock walked right up to my daughter

Things to Do Near Weeki Wachee Springs

We spent a week on the Gulf of Florida and Weeki Wachee Springs was just one of our adventures. We stayed at the Optimystical Vista house, which was an attraction all on its own. We didn’t leave the house for several of the days we were there. We also spent a good bit of time paddleboarding and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. A dolphin even came right up to our paddle boards! Finally, we visited the nearby Greek Fishing Village, Tarpon Springs, FL. You can find out about all of these amazing vacation spots on the links above.