Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick and Julie Pope. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belle models.
It became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because many of the sport's landmark "firsts" and over 50 world records were broken there. Numerous movies have been filmed at the park, including portions of "This is Cinerama," the first feature filmed in that wide-screen format, and a string of Esther Williams films and TV specials in the 1950s and 1960s. With their addition of a custom photography boat named Miss Cover Girl in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials.
Competition for guests increased after Walt Disney World Resort opened nearby in 1971. In the early 1980s, the Popes retired and transferred the park to their son, Dick Pope Jr.
In the 1980s book publisher Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich purchased the park along with SeaWorld, Circus World (later rebuilt as Boardwalk & Baseball) and Stars Hall of Fame, but sold most of the businesses to Anheuser-Busch in 1989. Busch continued to operate Cypress Gardens until April 1, 1995, when a group of the park's managers led by Bill Reynolds bought the property.
Under President and CEO Reynolds, the park operated until April 13, 2003, when it closed after a prolonged tourism decline following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. 529 people were put out of work with only three days notice.
Immediately the Friends of Cypress Gardens, founded and led by Burma Davis Posey, was incorporated. www.FriendsofCypressGardens.org. They enlisted members in all 50 states and 27 countries. Within 3-1/2 months this grass-roots effort raised $13,500,000 and saved the Park. Governor Jeb Bush placed an environmental easement over the entire property to protect it from future developmental abuse.
On February 22, 2004, Adventure Parks Group, owned by Kent Buescher, purchased the property and renamed it Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. The purchase of the amusement park portion of the Cypress Gardens property was part of a larger conservation transaction. In that transaction, the entire 150-acre (61 ha) site was purchased from its previous owner, First Gardens, L.C., by The Trust for Public Land, a national conservation organization (TPL). TPL then sold a conservation easement over the entire property to the state of Florida, while Polk County purchased the 30-acre (12 ha) gardens portion of the property, less the development rights conveyed in the state easement. And finally, Adventure Parks Group purchased the balance of the property, also subject to the conservation easement.
Buescher's plan to reopen the park in September 2004 was delayed by damages created by hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne. Cypress Gardens Adventure Park finally opened in November 2004. One of its new attractions, the Triple Hurricane roller coaster, was named for the tumultuous storm season. The adjacent Splash Island water park opened in 2005, along with the Galaxy Spin roller coaster.
In September 2006, Adventure Parks Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the Florida site following approximately $30 million in damages sustained by the 2004 hurricanes.
Land South Adventures, a subsidiary of Mulberry, Florida-based Land South Holdings, purchased Cypress Gardens at a bankruptcy auction on October 16, 2007 for $16.9 million, leaving Buescher as interim manager until Baker Leisure Group of Orlando, Florida took over park operations in January 2008.[1]
Many celebrities and dignitaries have skied and visited at the park, including Elvis Presley, Jordan's former King Hussein and his son and successor, King Abdullah II. It was also the site of a Johnny Carson special.
News: Monday, November 10, 2008
Cypress Gardens is closing its doors - but only temporarily.
The Polk County theme park will shut down on Nov. 17 and reopen in March with an expanded water park.
But when the park does reopen, it will do so without rides and animal attractions, although the water park will be expanded.
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Cypress Gardens has announced that the park will close for renovations, reopening in the spring. They plan on removing the ride and animals, while expanding the water park and gardens. It is unknown what will happen to many of these waymarks, several will be removed/relocated to other parks, but others might be lost forever. Here are the structures as they were on the last day of operation—November 16, 2008.
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Cypress Gardens to eliminate rides and animals, expand water park
By Rick Rousos, Lakeland Ledger
In print: Tuesday, November 11, 2008
WINTER HAVEN — Cypress Gardens will close Monday and plans to reopen in March with an expanded water park but without its rides and animal attractions, company officials said.
The botanical gardens and the ski shows will stay.
Cypress Gardens owners said the park was trying to be too many things.
"It is obvious the park cannot successfully function as four parks in one. We have some exciting new plans that everyone will be thrilled to see come March," co-owner Rob Harper said in a statement Sunday night.
The move to expand the water park and to eliminate the 38 rides and animal exhibits came after what the owners say was months of exhaustive analysis.
Other improvements include adding a parking area and moving the main entrance back to where it was years ago. The new parking area will be much closer to the water park and gardens than the current one.
Cypress Gardens also will add a display featuring the history of the attraction.
The owners say the renovations come during a normally slow time of year and the park will reopen just before the peak of the tourism season. They say they are sorry for having to let employees go temporarily and for any inconvenience to guests and pass holders.
St Pete Times Article
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With a history as deep as the roots Cypress Gardens was founded on more than 72 years ago, take a look into our storied past and learn the names and famous faces who have discovered the true charm of Florida’s first theme park.
Founded in 1936 by Dick and Julie Pope, Cypress Gardens was a showcase for Central Florida and paved the way for other parks such as Disney and Universal to follow. Under his guidance, the beautiful botanical gardens became the backdrop for beautiful belles and peaceful boat rides, as well as many movies and thousands of advertising campaigns over the years. Familiar Starlets who have walked our paths include: Betty Davis, Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, Esther Williams and Elvis to name just a few. Proclaimed the Water Ski Capitol of the World, Cypress Gardens became the birthplace of performance water skiing in 1941. In 1962, Dick Pope turned the reins of the park over to his son, Dick Pope, Jr., and then committed himself to promoting tourism and the development of Florida.
The park left control of the Pope family in 1985 when it was acquired by HBJ/SW. Four years later, Busch Entertainment Corporation, a subsidiary of Anheuser Busch Companies, Inc. purchased the park and ran it until it was sold to a private partnership in 1995. The decision to close the park came in April of 2003 after a severe blow to the tourism industry on September 11, 2001.
Kent Buescher, owner of Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Ga. initially became interested in purchasing the Christmas displays for Wild Adventures, but was captured by a vision of Cypress Gardens’ potential. Working hand-in-hand with the state, local government and the Trust For Public Land, a historic deal was inked early in 2004 to save the venerable attraction with Buescher at the helm. His plans for the park were based upon the same simple formula that made Wild Adventures such a success; provide a great variety of affordable family fun that all ages can enjoy.
Work revitalizing and restoring the park began immediately but was almost derailed by the hurricane season of 2004. However, Kent Buescher and his staff persevered in the Pope tradition and Cypress Gardens Adventure Park was reborn in November of the same year. Now, guests will find an exhilarating world of thrilling rides, Splash Island water park, dazzling entertainment, historic gardens, animals, the famed Southern Belles and world-famous water ski show, as well as Jubilee Junction, an old-fashioned village chock-full of exceptional shopping and fabulous food. Approximately 1.4 million guests sampled the delights of the newly refurbished park in 2005, one of the highest attendance counts at Cypress Gardens in the history of the park and the trend continued into 2006.
In 2007 Land South Adventures, LLC, out of Mulberry, Florida purchased Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, however Kent Buescher, remained as the interim manager until Baker Leisure Group took over the management in January 2008. The Baker Leisure Group is an Orlando-based company and has been involved with more than 100 theme parks, attractions and related assignments around the world since the firm was founded in 1988 by 40-year theme park and attractions management specialist Steve Baker. The owners and cast of Cypress Gardens invite you to leave your cares behind as you step into the natural beauty of real Florida and discover something completely Unexpected!
Cypress Gardens
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