Cypress Gardens

Winter Haven, Florida: Nestled away, off the beaten track in central Florida is the oldest theme park in Florida, Cypress Gardens. The park was known for its southern hospitality, gardens and eventually as the Water Ski Capital of the World.

In 1936, Dick and Julie Pope opened Cypress Gardens as a botanical garden, it quickly became one of the largest attractions in the state. People came from far away to see the lush tropical gardens and mingle with the Southern Belles that entertained the guests.

By the early 1940’s the popularity of the park grew with the addition of water skiing. The park quickly became known as the Water Ski Capitol of the World. Over fifty water ski records were broken on the lake at Cypress Gardens.

The park changed hands several times in the later years, first to their son Dick Pope Jr. and eventually Anheuser-Busch in 1989. Anheuser-Busch operated the park until 1995 when a group headed by a park manager purchased the park. The group kept the park open until 2003 when it closed due to a decline in tourism following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

After the park was closed, a grass roots effort known as the Friends of Cypress Gardens began a effort to reopen the historic park. In a little over three months they raised over thirteen million dollars from donors all over the world to save the park.

The park was purchased by Adventure Parks Group and work quickly began to renovate the park to compete with the mega theme parks of central Florida. Thrills rides were added including five roller coasters and two water rides. Work was delayed due to the rough hurricane season of 2004 in which three hurricanes passed over the park. But after a short delay, the park reopened in November 2004.

In 2005, the park expanded by adding the Splash Island Water Park. The theme rides and water park led to Cypress Gardens reaching their highest attendance in history, 1.4 million guests passed through the turnstiles.

But dark times fell on the park again in 2007 when the park filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The park was purchased at auction and continued minimal operations through 2009 when Cypress Gardens was closed for good.

Over the years, Cypress Gardens many visitors passed through the gates of the park. From the average citizen to notable celebrities. Some of those celebrities that visited the park include Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, Betty Davis and King Hussein to name a few. But unfortunately, the memories are all that remains of Cypress Gardens as it has entered the realm of lost attractions.

In January of 2010, Merlin Entertainments purchased the property and began construction of a new attraction. Legoland Florida will be the fifth Legoland park and is slated to open in late 2011.

For photos of the park, visit my Cypress Gardens photo gallery.

Updated August 12, 2010

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