A mermaid princess has come to the city seeking her true love. Depending on which trail you walk her tale comes to a different "heart-pounding" conclusion.

That's the premise of the the city’s new “Heart & Art Mermaid Story Trails,” opened June 9^th 2005, designed to encourage family fitness, early childhood literacy, promote urban fitness and fight childhood obesity.

Five years ago Norfolk placed colorful mermaids throughout the city as part of a public art project.

This trail system allows families to exercise together, walking from mermaid to mermaid, viewing the colorful sculptures and reading the “page” of a new mermaid tale attached to each sculpture - 3 trails, totaling 10,000 healthy heart steps. Three mermaid tales. To read each tale in its entirety, walkers must complete each trail.