Visit Cypress Gardens, Florida

Everyone loves a happy ending, especially when it means the revival of a destination to thrill every member of the family. Such is the case with Winter Haven's beloved Cypress Gardens, Florida, saved from an uncertain future and thriving.

It's almost hard to imagine that just a couple of short years ago, Cypress Gardens had closed its gates indefinitely, ostensibly bringing an end to 67 years of old-fashioned family-oriented Central Florida fun. Attendance, it seems, had dwindled, particularly impacted by a decline in tourism in the wake of 9/11.

Founded in 1936 by Dick and Julie Pope, Cypress Gardens had been a groundbreaking achievement, Florida's first theme park, pairing rides and events with spectacular tropical gardens featuring more than 8,000 varieties of flowers from more than 90 countries. Over the years, the park had attracted the attention of movie-makers and advertisers, as a gorgeous backdrop for their various wares, as well as a destination for a variety of pageant-winning beauty queens, including several Miss Americas. Known for its water-skiing rides, concerts, southern bells, and unique rides, the Gardens became not only a Mecca for tourists, it became a cornerstone of the community. The years brought expansion, but also more than one changing-of-hands, with the park acquired by HBJ/SW in 1985, and in 1989, by the Busch Entertainment Corporation, to be later sold yet again to a private partnership. Its closing resulted in more than 400 lost jobs as well as a trickle-down effect on the area's economy. However grim the future looked, though, Cypress Gardens would not go gently into that goodnight . . .

As American as the park itself, a grassroots organization would step in to help save the day. The Friends of the Cypress Gardens formed almost immediately, citing a desire to "save this treasured part of -Old Florida' for our beloved future generations." Dedicated volunteers were pounding the pavement as early as the day the park closed, in April 2003, handing out fliers to the park's final guests, asking that they e-mail Governor Jeb Bush and make a plea to get the government involved in saving the historic location. The efforts were not made in vain - the Governor vowed almost immediately that the State of Florida would pursue the purchase of the 140 plus-acre property.

In August of 2003, the Trust for Public Land stepped in and, ultimately, the park was acquired by Kent Buescher, a Valdosta, Ga. businessman who already had one successful theme park to his name - Georgia's Wild Adventures.

Cypress Gardens reopened to much fan-fair in November 2004, despite setbacks from the year's record-breaking and destructive hurricanes, an homage, perhaps, to the park's never-say-die spirit. Since then, the park has continued to balance the preservation of the past with a move into the future.

With more than three dozen rides among its offerings, Cypress Gardens holds its own amidst the competition of other area theme parks, with the world's tallest spinning rapids ride and five roller coasters, including The Hurricane, an old-fashioned wooden coaster that boasts "lightening-fast hills, negative g-forces and plenty of -air-time.'" True to its name, the coaster was one of the few structures unscathed in the wake of Hurricanes Charley and Frances; it is a true testament to the past. Other attractions include the Citrus Line Railroad, which features a narrated history of Cypress Gardens, and the Sunshine Sky Adventure, which offers a stunning 360-degree view of not only Cypress Gardens but up to 17 miles of the surrounding area. This year alone, the park has added two new attractions, the Galaxy Spin roller coaster, which owner Buescher calls a "wonderful compliment to our ride selection, in keeping with our effort to offer great family excitement," as well as Splash Island, a water park featuring tubing, a lazy river, and an interactive play structure dubbed "Polynesian Adventure."

The gardens, of course, are as spectacular as ever, featuring native plants and exotic species, including the giant Banyan tree, a park fixture, planted as a seedling in 1939. The Wings of Wonder attraction compliments the gardens, featuring hundreds of colorful specimens of more than 20 species of butterflies, flitting amidst lush tropical foliage.

Animal lovers will have a chance to visit with their favorite furry, feathered and scaly friends, in the new Nature's Way exhibit. Landscaped walkways provide a picture-perfect setting for guests to stroll and catch glimpses of more than 150 animals, from alligators to Nile crocodiles, parrots to wallabies to lemurs, as well as a beautiful and exotic female jaguar.

The Star Haven Amphitheater hosts more than 50 all-star concerts annually, and in a nod to the gardens storied past, Ski Show Bay continues to host spectacular water ski shows daily, while the Royal Palm Theater features dazzling figure skating displays.

Jubilee Junction completes the picture, offering a bustling village where food and shopping are plentiful.

The park is located at 6000 Cypress Gardens Blvd., in Winter Haven, midway between Orlando and Tampa. For more information, visit Cypress Gardens online.

Article provided by Homesteader