8 mermaid experiences you have to try

Summer may be in the rearview mirror, but there’s no reason you can’t keep the summertime vibes going year-round, especially with all of the mermaid experiences out there. Whether a fan of mythology or Ariel, or both, we’ve rounded up seven mermaid experiences you have to try, from swimming like mermaids to sipping cocktails alongside them. Go ahead, dive in!

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Work out like a mermaid

Photo courtesy of Aqua Mermaid

In February 2015, Marielle Chartier Hénault made a splash with AquaMermaid and its mermaid swimming and workout classes for all ages, genders and swimming levels. Today, AquaMermaid is found in pools in Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, Edmonton and Kitchener, and is driven by three values: have fun, be active and always learn.

Swim like a mermaid

Photo courtesy of Hotel del Coronado

A spot where you’re likely to find mermaids is San Diego, and it just so happens that the Hotel del Coronado offers its own mermaid classes during which you’ll quickly learn it’s not easy being a mermaid—those ladies work hard! “Molly Mermaid,” a former synchronized swimmer, leads her protégés through arm workouts and mermaid swimming drills; take it from this mermaid-want-to-be, you’ll be sore for days! It’s not all work and no play, though—Molly leaves plenty of time at the end of class for melfies, or mermaid selfies.

Treasure hunt like a mermaid

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Silva, Sunset Key

Off of the coast of Key West, another spot where you might expect mermaids to gather, Sunset Key Cottages has teemed up with Southernmost Mermaid School to offer private mermaid training programs to guests of the luxury island resort. The two-hour program for budding mermaids ages 9 and older includes a custom mermaid tail fitting, one-on-one training, underwater treasure hunt and waterside tea party. In other words, your mermaid dreams come true.

Learn from pro mermaids

Photo courtesy of John Athanason, Weeki Wachee

After practicing your own mermaid skills, watch the pros perform at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park on Florida’s west coast, just as they’ve been for 70 years (the first show was on October 13, 1947). Weeki Wachee has 19 mermaids on its roster today, and they perform their version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” twice daily, and Fish Tails on the weekend during which the mermaids perform underwater feats such as eating and drinking underwater.

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Raise a glass to a mermaid

Photo courtesy of BOcean Resort

Back in South Florida, in Fort Lauderdale, mermaid tales were told at the Wreck Lounge in the ship-shaped Yankee Clipper hotel from 1956 through 1965, when swim shows were performed alongside Vaudevillian comedy and musical acts. The hotel, now called B Ocean Fort Lauderdale, reintroduced the mermaid shows to its Wreck Bar in 2006, and it’s now performed by MeduSirena and her Pod of Aquaticats.

Spend the night with mermaids

Sip and Dip, Great Falls, MN

You may be surprised to find mermaids in a landlocked state like Montana, but a visit to the tiki-styled Sip ’N Dip Lounge at the O’Haire Motor Inn in Great Falls is a sure bet. Take a seat and watch through a glass wall as “barmaids” swim and frolic underwater in the hotel’s pool. The mermaids put on their fan-tail-tastic show every night of the week but Sundays, when they host their Mermaid Brunch. Well, every other Sunday—a mermaid needs a day off every so often!

Roll the dice with mermaids

Photo courtesy of Silverton Casino Hotel

Another landlocked state in which you’ll find mermaids is Nevada, but it’s likely no surprise they’re in Las Vegas. The Mermaid Lounge at the Silverton Casino Hotel features a 117,000-gallon saltwater tank in which 4,000 tropical fish swim alongside mermaids. This is a part of your Vegas trip you will want to tell your friends back home about.

Marvel at a mermaid masterpiece

Flickr CC: News Oresund

One of the most iconic mermaids worldwide is “The Little Mermaid” in Copenhagen. The sculpture was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale of the same name, made of bronze and granite by Edvard Eriksen, and gifted to the city by Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen. “The Little Mermaid” was unveiled in August 1913, and is one of the city’s most famous attractions.

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