Buccaneer Bay is the swimming beach and spring-fed water park inside Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, a 27-acre Florida state park at the headspring of the Weeki Wachee River in the small city of Weeki Wachee, Hernando County. The State of Florida took over the old roadside attraction in 2008, and it is now part of the Florida State Park system under the Department of Environmental Protection. Ticketing, food and rentals are run by the park's contractor, Guest Services, Inc. The swim area opened in 1982 and sits right on the first-magnitude spring, a short walk from the underwater theater where mermaids have performed since 1947.

The park entrance is at 6131 Commercial Way, where U.S. 19 meets State Road 50, roughly 45 minutes north of Tampa. Parking is in the lot outside the gate. After you buy tickets, the water park side is to the right of the entrance, with lockers and tube rentals near the beach. Once the park reaches capacity, ticket sales stop, so on summer weekends arrive close to the 9 a.m. opening.

The beach is white sand that slopes into the spring basin, and the water is clear spring water that holds near 74 degrees F all year (the water management district's gauge read 75 F in early October 2026). It feels cold on a hot day. The main spring pool is a cone more than 150 feet across and about 45 feet deep at the center, over the deepest known freshwater cave system in the country, so expect deep water beyond the shallows. Certified lifeguards are on duty. Two slides, Cannonball (48-inch minimum height) and Pirate's Revenge (42-inch minimum), drop riders straight into the spring, and a lazy river with a natural current loops around the swimming area for guests with a rented tube and wristband (42-inch minimum, one rider per tube). The Lil' Mates kiddie pool is closed for renovation.

Buccaneer Bay is not free. Entry comes with state park admission of $13 for adults and $8 for children 6 to 12, and children 5 and under get in free. That ticket covers the beach, swimming, slides and the mermaid show; tubes, cabanas and beach rentals cost extra. The park is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day of the year, and the beach and swimming are open daily, but swimming closes at 5 p.m. and the slides at 4:30 p.m. The slides and lazy river are seasonal. In 2026 they ran daily from May 23 to August 8 and on weekends only through September 30, so from October until the spring schedule is posted, expect beach swimming only.

You cannot bring your own tubes or rafts (child floats and noodles are fine), pets, glass, alcohol, grills, pop-up tents, personal speakers or coolers larger than 45 quarts. Slide riders cannot wear denim or swimwear with buckles or rivets, and goggles, life jackets and phones are not allowed on the slides. Staff close the water park for lightning and storms without refunds. Water levels have been low: since December 12, 2025 the park has paused daytime Wilderness River Cruise trips for that reason, and the water management district lists nitrate enrichment and recreation damage among the river's main problems.

The same ticket gets you into the 400-seat underwater Mermaid Theater and the park's animal show. Weeki Fresh Water Adventures rents kayaks and paddleboards inside the park for trips down the clear upper river (extra fee), and the Tiki Bar and other snack stands near the beach sell food and drinks.