Hello, deep sea divers and sailors lost at sea, and welcome to one of the coolest theme parks around - Weeki Wachee Springs! Located just a hop, skip, and swim up the Gulf Coast from St. Petersburg, Weeki Wachee Springs has been one of the bean's dream locations to visit for years (as you'll see why in the photos below...) .

Weeki Wachee Springs comprises of a 27-acre park built around a natural artesian spring which pumps out over 100 million gallons of crystal-clear water every day, feeding the adjoining Weeki Wachee River, which then flows towards the Gulf of Mexico. The park itself was founded in 1946 by Newton Perry, a former Navy frogman who developed the idea for breathing through strategically placed air hoses supplied by an air compressor. So apparently what's good for our military is also good for our entertainment -- hence, a mermaid park. (Same planet, different flippers.)

So let's talk about mermaids, shall we? Real live mermaids have been the main attraction at the park since its opening, but they're not just eye candy -- there's a lot of work involved before you can handle your own set of dorsal fins. They have to stay in the 72-degree spring water for up to 45 minutes at a stint, holding their breath for up to 2 1/2 minutes at a time between swigs from the semi-concealed air hoses, all while smiling and avoiding the summer afternoon lightning strikes. Wow - the life of a mermaid ain't all princes and enchanted underwater kingdoms, now is it?

It should go without saying that the frijoles couldn't wait to get inside the park and see the sites for themselves, but first they thought they should pose with this alabaster version of the most famous mermaid of all time, and hope that the poor dear had enough common sense to use at least an SPF 45...

Now do you see why the beans wanted to come here???

Ah, yes -- what would a trip to a mermaid themed park be without a visit with their honest-to-goodness Fabulous Mermaid Babes? The Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids have been part of the park's history since 1947, and no visit to the park would be complete without a smile or two from one of these beautiful young ladies/fish.

Thankfully, the mermaids were kind enough to pose with the frijoles, who are eternally grateful for their kindness and for not throwing them to the nearby gators.

As you may suspect, the beans had a great time chatting it up with the mermaids (The topics? Oh, the usual -- world travels, what it's like to be a famous frijole, hair styles, how to avoid algae build-up, and what to do about that dirty old octopus who is "all hands"...). Alas, it was soon break time, and as tempting as it was to follow the lovely mermaids back under the sea, the beans instead opted to keep their label dry and instead guarded their seat inside the clam shell while the mermaid hotties were away snacking on some plankton and Diet Coke.

And as you can see, the frijoles do indeed make a perfectly suitable stand-in for the swimming beauties, except for two slight problems: One, they don't have a tail, and two - a bikini top just isn't the same when your body is cylindrical and metallic. But it's okay -- the beans can still sing a siren's song if need be. You should just hear them belt out a rousing rendition of "She Bangs".

Now, for those of you out there who don't believe that these ladies can actually swim while wearing a 6-foot tail, the beans are going to prove it to ya. So next up, even though they're shadowed in this shot, the beans wanted you to see what's happening here in the Mermaid Theater, where the aquarium is unlike any you've ever seen before.

It's here in this see-thru theater 16 feet below the spring's surface that the mermaids perform feats of daring, such as eating and drinking underwater (hey - let's see you try it some time, buddy!) to the delight and amazement of humans (and the occasional canned veggie) everywhere.

Naturally, the beans were very impressed, and wanted to try swimming past the window too, but unfortunately they're not as buoyant as we'd like, and kept sinking out of frame. Maybe next time, huh?

It would only seem natural that Weeki Wachee would make the perfect backdrop for a movie or two, and so it has -- films such as "Neptune's Daughter", starring that living mermaid legend Esther Williams, 1948's "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid", and everyone's favorite Don Knotts project, "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" have all had scenes shot here, as well as TV series such as SeaQuest and "Route 66" (which technically never went through this part of the country, but details, schmetails...).

Being the Gulf Coast mecca it is for the celeb crowd, many famous visitors have dropped in to see the mermaids for themselves, including the beans' favorite pop icon, Elvis, who stopped by back in 1961. The frijoles thought this was pretty cool, but wondered if they were able to move their flippers as well as The King moved his hips...

Hit by hard times in the highly competitive world of tourist attractions, Weeki Wachee was in serious trouble not too long ago. In late 2003 it was starting to look like Weeki Wachee would end up on the auction block and the mermaids would be "farmed out" to Mrs. Pauls. But fortunately for all, a "Save Our Tails" campaign did just the trick, and the governing board voted to allow Weeki Wachee to stay open, as long as they made needed repairs and tried to turn a profit. So for now, everything is swimmingly great.

What more can we say? Weeki Wachee is a cool place. But don't take the highly-influenced-by-the-presence-of-mermaids beans word for it -- get off your fins and go check out Weeki Wachee for yourself. They're online at weekiwachee.com if you want more information. The frijoles highly recommend that you spend a day at this classic-yet-kitschy park, because you never know when fun family icons like this will disappear into the sea...

So in the end, the beans had a groovy time with the mermaids, and sincerely thank all of the creatures (aquatic and otherwise) for letting them hang out with them for the day. Now, if you'll excuse them, the beans have to run out and see if they can pick up a second hand Trident and some Sea Monkeys somewhere...