With shows for all ages and tastes, the Wreck Bar gives guests a porthole peek at the beauty, athleticism and precision choreography of the mermaids.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Chuck's Big Adventure is traveling to Florida. His adventure will take him to some amazing beaches, beautiful homes, mermaid encounters and the fountain of youth.

Magical mermaid show

As a boy, I vividly recall watching the Weeki Wachee performances on Saturday morning television. From daredevil water skiing to the precision mermaid shows, the Weeki Wachee experience still live on, and the facility is now a state park.

For years though, it seemed that mermaid shows were a thing of the past. The shows stopped being on television, people went on to other things in Florida, like amusement parks. That has changed.

Our Chuck's Big Adventure team spent a few days at the beautiful B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale. While we enjoyed walking barefoot on the beach, the real treat was inside where a revival of the old-time mermaid shows is back in a big way. With shows for all ages and tastes, the Wreck Bar, built alongside the hotel pool, gives guests a porthole peek at the beauty, athleticism and precision choreography of expert swimmers and divers performing as mermaids.

How do you find someone to be a mermaid or Aquaman? You find someone with a swimming and diving background who can handle the underwater dance with incredible breath control.

Mermaids at Wreck Bar

I recommend the Sunday brunch. It is a show the whole family can attend, and while a DJ plays music for the mermaids to perform to, children can gather at the portholes, marvel at the wonder of the choreography and get their picture taken.

One of the swimmers we chatted with is in her early 50s, though the physical demands keep her looking like she is in her 30s. The mermaids agree they don't think about how long they have to hold their breath while underwater. They just go to the surface when they need to.

The shows here are popular and often sell out, and that has been a joy to the hotel operators who initially started shows at the hotel in the 1950s. You can see pictures of those early shows on the walls around the hotel.

By the way, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park shows are open to the public and are pretty affordable, with adult tickets priced at $13.

For more information on the B Ocean's shows, click here.

While it looks more and more likely that red tide will be here to stay over spring break, there are still plenty of alternatives to guarantee a fun vacation.

From kayaking to theme parks, check the list below for fun ideas this spring break.

Hillsborough River State Park

Less than 30 minutes from downtown Tampa it's an oasis to escape the crowded coast and beaches.

The park is crisscrossed by over seven miles of hiking trails with a few biking trails too.

Camping is available in several options, including glamping complete with air conditioning.

For more information, click here.

Busch Gardens

Home to exciting rides and rollercoasters, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a great way to spend the day.

Starting March 10, the park's annual Food and Wine Festival begins, and access to the event is included in the price of admission on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Expect performances from artists like Flo Rida and Rodney Atkins.

On a regular day, guests can go on a safari, watch an award-winning ice show and, of course, ride the brand-new Serengeti Flyer.

For more ticket prices and more, click here.

United Skates of America

A fun place for kids and adults alike, the United Skates of America offers private events and public skate nights while live DJs soundtrack the night.

Starting March 10 through March 19, skaters are invited to a week of spring break skating, full of events that offer everything from all-you-can-eat pizza to a Star Wars-themed night.

Visitors who don't like skating or feel too uncoordinated to try can check out the arcade or grab a snack from the Roller Cafe.

For pricing and event dates, click here.

John Chestnut Sr. Park

For spring breakers still wanting to spend a day in nature, John Chestnut Sr. Park offers a quiet retreat to walk trails, picnic and relax.

The park also features two playgrounds, which makes it a great option for families with small children.

For hours and more info, click here.

Legoland

If the temps are high and you need to cool off, Legoland Florida offers not only a theme park but a water park as well.

With a lazy river and big slides, guests have endless options to take a break from the heat.

Lego characters greet guests in the main park, which features rides and life-size sculptures.

For ticketing and information, click here.

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

Enjoy the clear, cool spring waters of Weeki Wachee Springs with tons of activities, including water slides, a lazy river, kiddie pool, and even mermaids.

Spring breakers can also enjoy Weeki Fresh Water Adventures, where visitors can kayak or paddleboard down the Weeki Wachee river. Rentals are available, but reservations fill up fast, so it is best to make a reservation ahead of time.

To plan a visit to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, click here.

To plan a Weeki Fresh Water Adventure trip, click here.

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Back at the beginning of February, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park's waterpark, Buccaneer Bay, was announced closed for maintenance beginning on their beach. With an anticipated reopen originally slated at the usual start of the park's Spring Break season, a new announcement made to their Facebook page gives spring-hoppers and spring-breakers alike something to be excited about — an early reopening.

In the post made to Facebook early morning on February 20, Weeki Wachee showcased a photo of one of their mermaid performers, Lexy, hash-tagging it with #MermaidMonday.

Beginning with an invite to visitors to see one of their daily mermaid shows between 11 am and 3 pm, it leads into a list of available times for River Cruises and Wildlife Shows, ending with an update that Buccaneer Bay will now be opening two days sooner than their usual Spring Break season start on the thirteenth. The official State Park website has also been updated in accordance with the date change.

The Spring Break season for Buccaneer Bay will now run from March 11 through March 19. Those looking to take advantage of the couple of extra days can make a splash by sliding down water slides into crystal clear spring waters between the hours of 9 am and 5:30 pm.

Those wanting to see a little piece of nature up close can catch a Wildlife Show or board their Wilderness River Cruise. Wildlife Shows will be staggered throughout the day at 10 am, 12 pm, and 2:15 pm, with Wilderness River Cruises running between 9:30 am and 4 pm.

Aside from the water slides, you'll also find kayak, canoe, and tubing options. After you've played in the spring all day, you can take to land to grab a bite to eat. Several concessions areas are located throughout the park, as well as an ice cream shop and on-site restaurants.

Snag a sandwich, burger, wrap, or tenders from Mermaid Galley or Pirate's Grubb, or get something a little smaller from the Snack Shack. Alternatively, you can enjoy an ice cream overlooking the bay at the Captain's Quarters, or sip on frozen drinks, beer, and wine at Buccaneer Bay's seasonal Tiki Bar. The Tiki Bar also has grilled food options on the menu.

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is located at 6131 Commercial Way. Park admission is $13 for adults, and $8 for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Children under 5 get in for free.

You can learn more about what Weeki Wachee Springs State Park has to offer on their official website here.

Article by Rachael Volpe

The Silver Spurs Arena was bustling on the first weekend of March for the FHSAA state wrestling championships in Kissimmee, Florida. Dozens of schools from across the state attended the event with at least one athlete. Many schools, such as Nature Coast, Weeki Wachee, Springstead, and Hernando High, brought multiple. Hernando County was well represented at the event, with the schools bringing two, four, five, and twelve wrestlers, respectively. As the Sun will be covering Hernando High and its pair of state champions separately, this will be a look at the performances of the other three squads.

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For Nature Coast athletes, their time at the tournament would be cut short. Coming in as the 15 seeds in their respective weight classes, Nature Coast’s Ben Goyoneche and Kaden Etheridge had an uphill battle to fight. Unfortunately, the pair of Sharks’ qualifiers fell in their first two bouts in the 2A 120 and 138 weight classes. This eliminated them and the school from contention on day one of the competition.

Weeki Wachee fared more favorably in this regard, but Thursday did claim two names from the Hornets’ four-person contingent. Ricky Bowermeister and Jisir Allen also dropped their first two matches on opening day in the 2A 145 and 182 weight classes, respectively. The news improved for Weeki, though, as ninth-seeded Addison Breeding split his bouts on day one in the 2A 126 weight class and advanced to Consolation Round 2 on Friday. That is when Breeding met Asher Bacon on mat six. After starting strong with a takedown roughly 35 seconds into the match, Bacon tied it up moments later before pinning Breeding to the mat in the first period to take the victory. Finally, Nick Guy saw the most success of the Hornets wrestlers over the weekend as he advanced to the consolation semifinals on Saturday. Competing in the 1A 106 weight class, Guy took eighth place in the semifinals following a 12-4 defeat to Wakulla High’s Connor Brown.

Of these three schools, Springstead saw by far the most success in Kissimmee. The Eagles brought a trio of female wrestlers. Gianella Walczak was the first to be eliminated in consolation round 2 for the 105 weight class. The fifteenth-seeded Walczak fell 13-11 to McKeel High’s Madelyne Bombardier after battling back from a 10-4 deficit midway through the bout. Despite the relatively early Friday exit, Springstead Wrestling Head Coach Mike LaRocca felt she fought hard and was pleased with her performance at the state tournament. Emma Bauknight came into the competition as the highest-seeded player on the Eagles’ roster at number five in the 115 weight class. She placed seventh in the consolation semifinal round on Saturday. Her final match versus Lilyana Gargano earned Bauknight the seventh spot when she won by fall over Gargano in the opening period. Jasmine Serrano advanced the furthest of the Springstead girls as she parlayed her nine-seed position in the 120 weight class into fifth place in the consolation semifinals after defeating Bell Creek’s Abby DiCenzo 13-6.

Though the Eagles’ Vincenzo Lee also saw himself eliminated from the competition on Thursday, Coach LaRocca feels the sophomore’s situation was more nuanced than the losses might indicate. “Even though he went 0-2, he just had some really tough kids,” the Springstead coach said. “Kind of a bad break in the draw is what you’d say. Every kid that he wrestled that was in his bottom quarter they were just studs. He went out there, and he wrestled his a** off, and he’s only a second-year kid. I would have to say 120, looking at it, was arguably one of the toughest weight classes in 2A… It was a tough, tough weight class.”

Josh Gallo advanced the furthest of all Springstead players at the event as he took third place in the consolation semifinals of the 2A 138 weight class. Though he would come up just short against Jesuit’s Draven McCall in a tight 1-0 defeat in three periods, Gallo’s final match would be the inverse. In a thrilling overtime victory over Lake Gibson’s Ny’Travious Walker, Gallo broke open a 5-5 stalemate with a takedown in the final two seconds to take the 7-5 victory over Walker. The Springstead head coach shared some constructive criticism and praise in his appraisal of Gallo’s performance at the state tournament.

“Josh wrestled great,” Coach LaRocca said. “I mean, he kind of did himself a disservice by not taking the regional title. They put him on the harder side of the bracket, which put him against the number two and the number one kid in the state. You know, which he wrestled a great match in his quarterfinals match. Went out there the way I know he can wrestle. Then his semis match, you know the kid is number one and was tying him up a little bit, but I don’t think Josh was giving it… He went a little conservative, but I’m proud of the way he performed. 1-0 match. It’s tough when you’re at that level. That’s usually what you’re going to get in those matches.”

Heading into the state championship Coach LaRocca had one very important piece of advice to share with his players, and the advice was simple: the state tournament is different. With everyone chomping at the bit to win at this event, the Springstead coach noted that players can throw their records out the window as that does not matter once they step into that arena. “It doesn’t matter,” Coach LaRocca said. “If you are 40-0 or 0-40, kids just wrestle different when it gets to the state series. You can’t take anybody lightly. Everybody wants to become a state champ. Everybody wants to be a region champ. Everybody wants to be a district champ. It’s just another level that some kids get into a mental zone that it’s like, ‘I’m not going to lose,’ and you have to go in with that mindset.”

On February 24, 2023, 40 boys from Hernando County traveled to Palm Bay High School in Melbourne, Florida, for an exciting two days of wrestling at the 1A Region 2 Championships.

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In attendance were Weeki Wachee with 14 boys, Hernando with 12, Nature Coast with 11, and Central with 3. There were 25 schools competing for a region title and 222 wrestlers looking to have their “ticket punched” to the state tournament. The top four boys in each weight class would advance. Hernando High School, as a team, was the region’s runner-up with 182.5 points; only 37 points behind Palm Bay. Weeki Wachee came in 5th with 108.5 points, Nature Coast had 67 points and Central had 7.

Of the 40 local boys, 14 earned the much-coveted spot to compete at this year’s FHSAA State Championships to be held at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida, March 2-4. Six of the 14 boys made it to the finals match of the regional tournament, and Hernando’s Devin Williams won a region title. Devin Williams is a senior at Hernando with a record of 37-3 this season and is currently ranked 3rd in the state in the 285 lb weight class.

The 14 wrestlers heading to state championship tournament are:

106 Nick Guy (WW) 27-5, So. placed 3rd 113 Kyle Pearson (Her) 36-10, Jr. placed 3rd 120 Jordyn Valle (Her) 34-7, Sr. placed 3rd Ben Goyeneche (NC) 34-7, Fr. placed 4th 126 Addison Breeding (WW) 43-7, Sr. placed 2nd 132 Kenneth Pritz (Her) 32-9, So. placed 2nd 138 TJ Rodier (Her) 42-9, Sr. placed 3rd Kaden Etheridge (NC) 35-11, So. placed 4th 145 James Gadson (Her) 40-9, Sr. placed 2nd Ricky Bowermaster (WW) 26-8, So. placed 3rd 152 Shaw Garrett (Her) 41-11, Fr. placed 3rd 182 Jisir Allen (WW) 39-9, Sr. placed 2nd 195 Jayshawn Nantce (Her) 41-8, Sr. placed 2nd 285 Devin Williams (Her) 37-3, Sr. Region Champion