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Update: When I published this article on April 17, 2003, it looked like Cypress Gardens
was history.
Maybe the core gardens would be saved as a public park by the state of Florida,
but it seemed likely that the rest of real estate would give way to a more profitable use.
This story has a happy ending.
Kent Buescher, owner of the successful Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, Georgia,
acquired Cypress Gardens.
His plan was to broaden the appeal of Cypress Gardens by spending $50 million for standard family amusement park rides.
On December 9, 2004, Cypress Gardens reopened as Cypress Gardens Adventure Park.
In addition to the famed botanical gardens and water ski show, the park now offers four
roller coasters and dozens of other rides.
I haven’t been back since the park reopened.
I’m not a big fan of carnival type rides,
but I’m glad to see that Cypress Gardens was resuscitated, even if the medicine involved “off the shelf” rides.
— Werner Weiss
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Goodbye, Cypress Gardens
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A SIDE TRIP FROM
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We’re Cypress Gardens’ Topiary Band
We hope you have enjoyed the show
Cypress Gardens’ Topiary Band
We’re sorry, but it’s time to go.
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April 17, 2003
What’s the most famous, most popular visitor attraction in central Florida?
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the answer would have been Cypress Gardens.
Master showman Dick Pope opened his spectacular botanical gardens on January 2, 1936.
The park kept getting better through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Pope and later from the deep pockets of two corporate owners. The first was publishing company Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ) which owned Sea World.
Then Anheuser Busch acquired the Sea World parks from HBJ in 1989, winding up with Cypress Gardens as part of the deal.
In 1995, Busch sold Cypress Gardens to some of the park’s managers.
These new owners made a valiant effort to attract guests with new shows, special events, and attention to the qualities and traditions that made the park famous in the first place.
But after years of declining attendance, the owners of Cypress Gardens announced that on Sunday, April 13, 2003, the park would welcome guests for the last time.
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Cypress Gardens’ water ski show featured the world-famous human pyramid.
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Upon entering Cypress Gardens, you faced two marine stadiums.
Several times a day, the roar of powerboats and the grace and athleticism of water skiers combined to entertain guests at the “water ski capital of the world.”
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The original botanical gardens from 1936 were the park’s highlight until the final day.
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There are many botanical gardens in the world, but there was something particularly dramatic about how this one was designed.
Of course, it helps that all sorts of amazing plants thrive in central Florida’s climate.
And these gardens not only had waterfalls, islands, exotic plants, and a massive banyan tree—these gardens had Southern Belles.
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Southern belles were a tradition since 1940.
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Just imagine how many rolls of Kodak film have been used on the Southern Belles!
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A recent Cypress Gardens press release explains how the tradition of Southern Belles started:
Through the years, some of Cypress Gardens’ icons came about out of necessity. For instance, in 1940, the flame vine on the entrance wall, the first plant visitors saw when they arrived, died during a freeze. All the plants inside the Gardens were protected by smudge pots and were fine. Twenty people drove up the first day and drove away again without going in.
Mrs. Pope called one of the girls. “Put on an old-fashioned dress,” she said, “that will be warm without looking warm and we’ll put a shawl on your shoulders. Then you go stand by that dead vine and flirt with everybody that comes in so hard that they don’t see the vine.” People quit leaving without entering the gardens. In fact, they didn’t even notice the dead vine. The gracious Southern Belles became a tradition that is an ongoing part of the beauty of the Gardens.
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Electric boats transported guests through the garden canals since 1938.
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Cypress Gardens wasn’t a ride park.
It was a theme park, in that it had themed areas.
But there were no roller coasters or other stomach churning hardware typically found at theme parks.
The Electric Boats provided a lovely way to see the botanical gardens.
A different boat went out into Lake Eloise, on whose shore the park sits.
In later years, an unusual attraction called the Island in the Sky lifted dozens of guests at a time with a giant crane arm for a panoramic view of the park from above.
There some children’s rides too.
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Southern Crossroads was the home to a carousel and various kiddie rides.
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Instead of rides, the emphasis was on shows and exhibits.
Wings of Wonder was a walk-in butterfly conservatory.
Cypress Junction was an unbelievably elaborate model train exhibit.
There were seasonal floral exhibits that provided guests with new things to see all year long.
Patagonian cavies, capybaras, and other critters were in the Nature’s Boardwalk zoo area.
At every turn there was something to see.
Oh, and while Anheuser Busch owned the park, there was free beer tasting.
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In 1983, Cypress Gardens had a “Gator Show” in the Living Forest animal area.
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Back in the 1980s, the park had a Gator Show, a Duck Show (in which ducks played musical instruments), and a Bird Show.
More recently, performing animals gave way to an ice skating revue and a small circus with a genuinely clever and engaging clown.
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In 1983, the future Curator of Yesterland performed a “Fake Gator Show” for the camera.
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What will happen to Cypress Gardens now?
Within days of the park’s closing, there were newspaper reports that the State of Florida was studying the possibility of purchasing Cypress Gardens.
The Associated Press (AP) quoted Bob Ballard, Florida’s deputy secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, saying,
“What a grand park this is. It’s truly not only a Florida landmark but a national landmark, an international landmark.”
The state has a $3 billion program called Florida Forever that helps preserve “environmentally sensitive land and important cultural and historical properties.”
There’s precedent for the state to acquire historic attractions.
According to the AP article, “The state has made similar buys of theme parks, including Silver Springs near Ocala and Weeki Wachee Springs in Hernando County. Both were leased to the original owners to operate, Ballard said.
The state also purchased Homosassa Springs Nature World near Inverness and made it a state wildlife park, he said.”
It remains to be seen how much of the 200-acre property has a future that doesn’t include condominiums or home sites. At the very least, the original 37-acre core of the park, including the botanical gardens, deserves to be saved for future generations.
And it would be better if more of Cypress Gardens could survive.
The name of this Yesterland article is “Goodbye, Cypress Gardens.”
I hope I’ll soon be writing another article, “Welcome Back, Cypress Gardens.”
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© 2007 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks
Updated January 12, 2007.
Photograph of Cypress Gardens’ Topiary Band by Werner Weiss, 2000.
Photograph of world-famous human pyramid by Werner Weiss, 2000.
Photograph of botanical gardens by Werner Weiss, 1983.
Photograph of Southern Belles walking by Werner Weiss, 1993.
Photograph of Southern Belle in purple by Werner Weiss, 1983.
Photograph of electric boat by Werner Weiss, 1983.
Photograph of airplane kiddie ride by Werner Weiss, 1993.
Photograph of Gator Show by Werner Weiss, 1983.
Photograph of future Curator of Yesterland by Dennis Derr, 1983.
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