A Day at Florida's Original Theme Park
Cypress Gardens first opened in 1936 as a botanical garden. Located on the shore of Lake Eloise in Winter Haven, FL, the park became known in its early days for water ski shows and set many world firsts for water ski activities. Competition from Disney and other amusement parks resulted in a slow decline until the park closed in 2003. Our visit was shortly before the closing. The property went through a couple of redevelopment plans before ultimately being purchased and partially redeveloped into LEGOLAND Florida. A fair amount of the original gardens is listed as a state historic site; they are still maintained and accessible from the new theme park. Here are few pictures from our visit.
The gardens were home to many butterflies
One of the manicured lawns
The banyan tree on the property was very large
They kept a few animals on the site as well
