Manatee Tours - Weird Statues
Homosassa, Florida
A sign advertises "Manatee Tours," but the unofficial attraction is a wild assortment of weathered statues and theme park castoffs sprinkled on and around a building. When we stopped in it was deserted, the door locked, but we'd love to return and get the story. Whoever accumulated this stuff might run a helluva Manatee Tour.
Weeki Wachee Springs is just south, though the statues could originate from any number of local tourist attractions (many have closed over the decades). There are sea creatures: a menacing shark, a nutty orange octopus, some fish. A mermaid missing a hand balances a finned mer-baby on her hip. Another mermaid, sans hair, cavorts with a dolphin. There's even a Fred Flintstone, propped against a fake boulder.
A curious collection. The one thing missing -- a manatee!