Chuck Welch over at LakelandLocal.com reports that Winter Haven’s historic Cypress Gardens Adventure Park is rumored to once again be on the road to closure.
The park, which dates back to January 2, 1936 began as a botanical garden planted by Dick and Julie Pope. Through the years, Cypress Gardens became renowned as one of Florida’s largest and well attended attractions, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and famous Southern Belle models.
Over the past several years, the park has seen hard times and has changed hands via arrangements with the State, Adventure Park developer Kent Buescher, and most recently, Land South Holdings of Mulberry, FL and the Baker Leisure Group of Orlando, FL.
In his LakelandLocal.com blog report, Welch relays a report from the Disney Blog stating that:
The experiment that turned the beautiful, but dying, Cypress Gardens into an amusement park may be nearing an end. It pains me to write this rumor, but I completely understand the reasoning behind it. Winter Haven is just too far off the beaten path to be supported by tourists, especially when gas costs are high and with Disney’s ability to keep guests on resort property for the whole vacation. Unfortunately the local economy isn’t strong enough to support the park either.
So with IAAPA in town in a few days the park will be shopping its free-standing amusement park attractions to the highest bidder. Apparently, they’ve had appraisals done and already sold a few.
Cypress Gardens has been a fixture here in Winter Haven for all of my life. The latest confirmed report on the park’s status was that the Baker Group cut operating hours in September due to poor park attendance – limiting days open to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I can’t imagine the city without it. But as time change, so does a city’s landscape. We don’t know all there is to know about this latest development, but things have definitely looked better for this Central Florida landmark.
Do you have any special memories of the Cypress Gardens theme park? If so, how far back do they go?
Photo Credit: hyku
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Its a very sad news to hear. Well everything comes to an end. Thanks Cypress Gardens Adventure Park for you had brought smiles in FLorida.