Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936, as a
botanical garden planted by
Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie. Over the years it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its
water ski shows, gardens, and
Southern Belles. It became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because it was the site of many of the sport's landmark firsts and over 50 world records were broken there. During
World War II, soldiers visited and waterskiing was introduced for their entertainment. In the 1950s the Southern Belles attraction was introduced, in which young women dressed in the
crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the 1961-1965
American Civil War Centennial young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. In the early 1960s a custom photography boat named
Miss Cover Girl was introduced, and the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. Many celebrities and dignitaries have skied and visited at the park, including
Elvis Presley,
King Hussein of Jordan and his son and successor,
King Abdullah II. It was also the site of a
Johnny Carson special. On April 14, 2014, it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places. Harcourt sold the other 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 three days' notice.
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park 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 site was purchased from its previous owner, First Gardens, L.C., by
The Trust for Public Land, a national conservation organization. TPL then sold a
conservation easement over the entire property to the state of Florida, while
Polk County purchased the gardens portion of the property, less the development rights conveyed in the state easement. 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 damage from 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. On May 18, 2006, scenes for the film
Grace Is Gone, starring
John Cusack, were shot at Cypress Gardens. In the film, a man delays telling his daughters that their mother has been killed in the
Iraq War by taking them to "Enchanted Gardens", their favorite theme park. In September 2006, Adventure Parks Group filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the Florida site citing approximately $30 million in damages sustained from 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. On Monday, November 10, 2008, Land South Holdings announced the temporary closure of the park, which was shut down November 17 of that year. It reopened on March 28, 2009, with an expanded water park named Splash Island. The animals, however, were gone, and the rides did not operate or had already been removed. Cypress Gardens and Splash Island began separate ticketing, with dual-park season passes also available; parking was free. On September 23, 2009, owner Land South Holdings LLC announced that the park was closing immediately, saying that all avenues to keep the park open had been explored but that they were unable to find a way to "keep the park running in its traditional form".
Legoland acquisition On January 15, 2010, the world's second largest theme park and attraction operator
Merlin Entertainments bought Cypress Gardens with intent to use the site for the fifth
Legoland. On January 21, 2010,
Merlin Entertainments announced that the park would be turned into
Legoland Florida. On October 21, 2010, an October 2011 opening date was announced. Opening day occurred on October 15, 2011, at 10 am EDT. ==Attractions==