The Cool Down8/27/2026
Canadian woman's 52-year-old air conditioner wins contest for oldest working unit
"If you look after something, it will look after you."
Environment
Atlas ObscuraEN
June 12, 2026Mermaid Tale Trail in Brooksville, Florida
Scattered throughout Hernando County, the Mermaid Tale Trail is a sprawling scavenger hunt made up of mermaid statues painted by local artists. The project was created to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, the famous Florida attraction where performers have staged underwater mermaid shows since 1947. The trail began with 26 statues unveiled in 2022 and has since expanded to more than 35 mermaids spread across Brooksville, Weeki Wachee, Hernando Beach, and beyond. Each statue starts with the same fiberglass form: a six-foot-tall mermaid modeled from the face cast of a former Weeki Wachee performer named Kristy. From there, local artists transform them into wildly different characters. Some are painted with old Florida wildlife and mangroves, while others lean fully into fantasy, folklore, or psychedelic color palettes. Visitors follow maps and digital passports from downtown storefronts to coastal parks, discovering overlooked corners of Hernando County along the way. The experience feels somewhere between a folk-art road trip and treasure hunt.
Curated from Atlas Obscura. Classified as Environment by AI, which sometimes makes mistakes.
More like this
More ›
The Cool Down8/27/2026
Washington State expands low-cost heat pump program across 4 counties with $11.1 million
"These upgrades will also lower energy bills, improving affordability while also promoting resilience to the impacts of extreme weather."
The Cool Down8/27/2026
UK heat pump owners call cooling 'a revelation' as 95F days drop to 70F indoors
Testing has also shown that using heat pumps for cooling can work in real-world conditions.