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.

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

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


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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

The Mermaid Show at Buccaneer Bay
The mermaids put on the show right in the fresh Weeki Wachee Springs.


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

A couple of notes to remember about Weeki Wachee Springs Buccuneer Bay:
- Get there earlier than opening because the line starts getting long quickly.

- 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.

- 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.


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.