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The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access

Riverside holiday home in Weeki Wachee Gardens with kitchen

Photo gallery for The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access

Cafe Lights Continue to Back Deck
Gather around the riverside fire pit for s’mores and great conversation
A back deck MADE for waterfront enjoyment!
Watch the passing by kayakers and wildlfe! (Taken from backyard)
Why did we name our house The Blue Heron? Cause some of our frequent visitors match our house color!

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
3 bedrooms1+ bathroomSleeps 6800 sq ft

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Dryer
  • Pet-friendly
  • Air-conditioning
  • Parking available

Explore the area

View in a map
Weeki Wachee Gardens, FL
  • Place, Weeki Wachee River
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Weeki Wachee Springs
    ‪11 min drive‬
  • Place, Three Sisters Springs
    ‪58 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 6)

Bedroom 1

1 Queen Bed

1 bathroom, 1 half bathroom

Bathroom 1

Bathroom 2

Spaces

Porch or lanai
Kitchen

About this property

The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access

Private riverfront retreat in Weeki Wachee with direct water access and preserve views. Launch kayaks from the backyard and explore crystal-clear waterways leading to the main river and Gulf. Peaceful cul-de-sac setting with no neighbors across the water. Newly renovated, thoughtfully designed, and ideal for couples or families seeking a calm, nature-focused escape.

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Kitchen
Washing machine
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Air conditioning
Parking available

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 25
Check out before 11:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

Pets allowed
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

About the area

Spring Hill

Located in Weeki Wachee Gardens, this holiday home is on the waterfront. Weeki Wachee Springs and Bowlero Spring Hill are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those looking for area attractions can visit Nature Coast Botanical Gardens and Adventure Coast Fun Park. Take the opportunity to explore the area for water adventures such as scuba diving.
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Map
Weeki Wachee Gardens, FL

What's nearby

  • Weeki Wachee River - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Pine Island Beach Park - 11 min drive - 10.5 km
  • Weeki Wachee Springs - 11 min drive - 10.1 km
  • Three Sisters Springs - 58 min drive - 74.8 km
  • Innisbrook Golf Club - 59 min drive - 65.9 km

Getting around

  • Tampa, FL (TPA-Tampa Intl.) - 60 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Dunkin' - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Weeki Pub - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪7-Eleven - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Starbucks - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Steak 'n Shake - ‬13 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

How much is parking at The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is The Blue Heron | Riverfront Stay + Gulf Access located?

Situated on the waterfront, this holiday home is steps from Weeki Wachee River and 3 mi (4.8 km) from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Bayport Park Boat Ramp and Bayport Park Pier are also within 6 miles (10 km).

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 14 out of 15 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 0 out of 15 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 15 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 15 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 15 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

9.6/10

Communication

9.6/10

Location

9.2/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Lynn B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Girls vacation! We had such a fun time! Great communication from the beginning to end of our stay. Clean home with all the amenities we needed and then some. Kayaking was our highlight....fairly easy launch area, and easy paddle to find hoards of manatees and dolphins. Evenings at the fire ring exchanging stories and making S'mores was just what the 4 of us needed! Thanks for a GREAT experience, Candice!
Evening view of river
S'mores around the evening camp fire
"Charlie". A lot of local photogenic wildlife!
Pine Island Beach
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Rhett B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great stay!

House was great!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Marcella F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Cute, cozy house, just what we needed for a couple of days. Simple check-in and out. Well stocked kitchen. Peaceful location, short paddle to main river, close to grocery and coast for sunsets.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Leander S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We had such a wonderful stay! The river is amazing. We saw manatee and dolphin. Caught bass and had such a relaxing stay. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful home with us!
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sarah P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great Little Getaway

My little family of 4 and our 2 dogs had a wonderful time. Will be back for sure
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sterling G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfection

Manatee's in the backyard, perfect cozy interior, all the sights nearby. Kayak sights minutes away. I cant do it justice with words. The blue heron is a Treasure!
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Aimee L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location

This property was so cute and right on the river. They include lots of amenities in case you forget something. The next door houseboat traps debris so it was a bit dirty in this off canal. It's a great place to kayak from, very good location. They have 4 kayaks and 1 double so you don't have to rent. That was very convenient. Rogers Park and The Upper Deck were with kayak or walking distance. We didn't see any animals except for some fish, though others signing their guest book saw lots of other wildlife. All in all it was a great place to stay for a week.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Michelle S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Adorable Home!

Celebrated my daughter graduating! Great last minute find
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Philip R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Charming cozy home.

Our stay at the Blue Heron was awesome. The home is cozy but large enough to stretch out. The outdoor area is great. Sun in the morning and afternoon and shade in the late afternoon evening. Perfect for winding the day down. The river is less trafficked than other parts upstream. But we still had our share of people watching. lol. Easy in and out of the kayak the way the sea wall is. We’ll be back.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mallory W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Slice of heaven on earth

We have been vacationing in Weeki Wachee for 5 years now and this was our favorite rental so far. Perfect spot on the river for relaxing and a great spot to get good sun all day! Easy paddle to Roger’s Park and a quick walk to Upper Deck. Candice was so kind and encouraged us to check out the sunset on the river. The house was cute and cozy. We were greeted with an awesome welcome basket filled with snacks and waterproof phone cases to use while on the river. 100/10 recommend!! We will definitely be repeat guests here! Thank you!!
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sena B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful Week!

Candice was great to work with and everything with reservation and check in went so smoothly. The house is small but very well done and equipped with everthing you'd need for a stay on the river! The house was clean and comfortable.The kayaks were a huge asset, and it was so nice to have floaties and water toys for the kids. The location was great and quiet, even on a terribly busy day on the river. The manatees liked the quiet spot too! We enjoyed our stay and Weeki Wachee will always hold special memories for us!
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Amy T.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect location - access to River and Gulf

The location of this property is great. The views from the back are of the Weeki Wachi preserve making for a private sit out on the back porch. Very easy access to the gulf, should you want to venture that way and even easier access to the River. There are stairs set up to the river concrete shelf to make for easier access to kayaks, etc.... I love being able to walk out the door and be on the water in 2 minutes
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nick B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
A Hidden Gem on the River – We’ll Be Back!Our stay at The Blue Heron was unforgettable. From the moment we arrived, we could tell this home was something special. The view of the river is stunning. Calm, peaceful, and perfect for morning coffee on the back deck or evening wine by the water. One night, after a quick rainstorm we even got a beautiful rainbow. And! Manatee swam right up to us! The house was spotless, beautifully designed, and thoughtfully stocked with everything we needed—from kitchen essentials to comfy beds and extra towels. The open layout gave everyone space to relax, and the little details like the welcome basket and local activity guide made us feel like true guests, not just renters.One of our favorite parts was the direct water access. We used the kayaks to explore the Weeki Wachee River. After long days of fun, we really enjoyed the night view while we did some remote work. The location was also perfect—quiet and serene but close enough to restaurants, beaches, and the state park for easy day trips. We walked to Upper Deck in the afternoons some for a "business snack" while our kids were attending a summer camp at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (they highly recommend). It’s clear that a lot of heart has gone into making The Blue Heron the kind of place you want to come back to year after year.Highly recommend this house to anyone looking for a relaxing, comfortable, and memorable waterfront stay. Already planning our next visit!
The birds are BOLD
Rainbow!
Work view
Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer N.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location

This place is a gem!

This place is such a gem! Very clean and well maintained. Decorated nicely with a great use of space and everything you need to have a great time! All you really need to bring are your personal belongings, bathing suits, some fishing poles, food and a love for the outdoors/river life. We had an amazing time during our visit and the attention to detail, the thoughtful welcoming basket and everything that came with the house was more than we expected! The platform at the bottom 9f the stairs made it very easy to get in and out of the kyacks. We kept ourself busy with board games during the rain, treasured the outdoor shower after swimming in the cold river cooked out, enjoyed the fire pit, caught fish and saw manaties/otters from the back yard, saw more manatees and dolphins while out paddling on the river, and did a buch of swimming/floating at many of the stops along the way. You really dont need to go anywhere or plan anything else cause everything is right out the back door. The only thing i felt was misleading was calling it a 3 bedroom place because the 3rd room has no interior door, closet or curtains for privacy or to block the sun if you wanted to sleep past sunrise. So if you truly need the 3rd room, just something to be aware of. Everything else about tthis place was absolutely perfect! Thank you for providing such a wonderful space to spend time as a family. So many great memories and We are already looking forward to our next weeki wachee trip.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

esperanza n.

Disliked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We were really looking forward to our trip, but unfortunately this property was a major disappointment.After a 16 hour drive, we arrived around 1 a.m. only to find that we could not get into the home. We tried everything—using the door code repeatedly, logging into the Vrbo app, searching for Wi-Fi, and attempting to contact the owner. After nearly an hour of trying, we had no choice but to find another pet-friendly hotel 30 minutes away. By the time we finally got to bed, it was 5 a.m.We had a scheduled paddleboard excursion at Weeki Wachee State Park later that morning, but were simply too exhausted and still had no proper place to stay with our pets. This was a huge letdown.The owner did reach out the following morning and said she would reimburse us for the first night, but by then the damage was done—we had already lost valuable vacation time. After so much back and forth, we felt our trip was ruined before it even started. We ultimately decided that Weeki Wachee was not meant to be and moved on to Destin earlier than planned.To the owner’s credit, she did reimburse us for the full trip. However, considering the stress, lost excursion costs, extra lodging, and additional gas expenses, we feel more should have been done.Overall, this was a waste of time and an incredibly frustrating start to what should have been a fun vacation.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2025

About the host

Hosted by Candice Braun

Host profile image
My husband and I have two beautiful kids. We love to travel, go boating, paddle boarding, dogs, good local food, and anything with some adventure!

Why they chose this property

I have been an avid traveler all my life and with so many places to see there was never any plan to visit the same place twice. Fast forward to marrying my husband and birth (2) beautiful kids together my family fell so much in love with the Weeki Wachee River that year after year it was a requested trip. I mean where else can you snorkel with manatees, swim nearly year-round, see live mermaids, and more?! So, we now enjoy the area more and enjoy being able to share the house with other families in attainable way so that they, too, can experience the unique awesomeness that resides in Weeki Wachee, FL

What makes this property unique

The Blue Heron's location is what makes it special. Across from the preserve (not a backyard), 5 minute paddle to the open Gulf of Mexico, and on one of, if not THE most, peaceful stretches of the river. Being so close to the Gulf means more manatee action along with other wildlife not commonly seen further down river; such as dolphins. While we offer the same staples other rentals do we also offer more unique items such as an 18ft floating mat and giant novelty floats for other water enjoyment besides just kayaks and fire pits, but we have those too ;)

Languages:

English

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