New adventures at old park
Cypress Gardens adds thrill rides and concerts to its water-ski tradition
The familiar roar of ski boats has returned to Central Florida with the reopening of Cypress Gardens, the landmark theme park in Winter Haven that closed in April 2003 after more than six decades and 50 million visitors.
The gravity-defying shows that earned the park the distinction of being the "water ski capital of the world" are back. And smiling Southern belles in flouncy antebellum dresses again greet guests.
But this is not your grandmother's Cypress Gardens.
Now called Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, the attraction has been reimagined for the 21st-century family with thrill rides and an ongoing concert series. Among the 38 rides are four roller coasters and what's billed as "the world's tallest spinning rapids ride."
Cypress Gardens opened in January 1936 as Florida's first theme park, and eventually became a showplace for 8,000 varieties of flowers from more than 90 countries. The first water-ski show was staged in 1943.
After the park closed, an organization called Friends of Cypress Gardens led a grass-roots effort to save the park, and it was purchased last year by Valdosta, Ga., businessman Kent Buescher. The founder and owner of Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Buescher has spent more than $45 million revitalizing the landmark attraction.
While Hurricane Charley barely rattled the four roller coasters that were still under construction in August, the park sustained $3.5 million to $5 million in structural damage. High winds and tornadoes that touched down destroyed numerous trees and changed the lush tropical backdrop of the gardens. However, a special banyan tree, a fixture of the gardens planted by park founders Dick and Julie Pope in 1939, escaped with minor damage.
Within the gardens is Topiary Trail, which features colorful topiaries — including a variety of animals such as a rabbit, swan and serpent — and a waterfall accented by brilliant blossoms. The Plantation Gardens that highlight the manicured landscape of Snively Mansion include the aromatic herb garden, a rose garden and the adjoining Wings of Wonder butterfly arboretum.
The new rides are in Adventure Grove and Paradise Pier, a boardwalk reminiscent of old-style amusement parks. These include Hurricane, the park's signature roller coaster; Swamp Thing, a suspension coaster with more than 1,000 feet of spiraling track; Okeechobee Rampage, a family coaster; Thunderbolt, a 120-foot drop tower; Storm Surge, a six-person raft that plunges six stories down a twisting, turning river; and traditional favorites such as the Boardwalk Carousel, Paradise Sky Wheel and Tilt-a-Whirl.
Guests can wander through Jubilee Junction, a village of shops, restaurants and working artists, with architecture inspired by turn-of-the-century Florida.
In addition to the daily water-ski shows at Mango Bay, the park presents the comic Pirates of Cypress Cove, a parody of life on the high seas, in the Cypress Cove Theater. The Royal Palm Theater features ice-skating shows.
By next summer, guests can cool off at Splash Island Water Park, a twin to the one at Wild Adventures.
