Cypress Gardens Photos and POV video of their woodie!!!

[robbalvey]

Ok, I fixed it.

 

Works really good now!

 

--Robb

[Rockman89]

That seems like quite the fix up for that little park. Looks like it's worth stopping at next time I'm in Florida.

[Homer]

^Bring back Boardwalk and Baseball!

 

Elissa "it was much better than Cypress Gardens!" Alvey

 

No, bring back FLORIDALAND

 

-Carl "At least Sarasota had a "theme park" (puts Floridaland closing as another reason of how retired people (no offense) made Sarasota boring), Now if only they installed a few rides..." F.

[Jeezus Juice]

^What exactly was the facination people had with deer parks? It's not like you can ride them very far. Plus deer ticks are ginormus.

 

Now if they had a scenic railway with Bambi as a brakeman, well, that would be different.

 

 

Don "would rather visit a 'Battle your own Monkey' park" G

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

^Bring back Boardwalk and Baseball!

 

Elissa "it was much better than Cypress Gardens!" Alvey

 

No argument there. I am a huge fan myself. Prior to the demolition of Boardwalk and Baseball's last existing structure (The Imax Theater).... I and a couple of members of the Florida Historical Foundation (a student organization) got permission from the new owners (Posner Park) to save what ever remaining pieces of the theme park.

 

We are hoping to start a theme park museum one day. We got a lot of great old pieces -- including planks of wood from the boardwalk, several lighted marques, seats from theater, the giant film reel of the Imax movie (six feet wide), large aerial photos (4 foot long) and more.... We even found a birthday card addressed to the CEO of Boardwalk & Baseball, Dick Howard, with signatures of all the B&B employees. The building was a time capsule.

 

We filmed hours of DV footage of the final days of what was left. When we got to the top floors of the imax building (which was also the HBJ theme parks corporate headquarters) -- we saved schematics of the park, artist renderings, internal memos and more.... We even found some Circus World (the previous version of the park) paperwork!!!

 

It turns out that Busch lied about the reasons to why they closed it. We now have attendance logs of its operations -- and the park was profitable in both 1987 and 1988.... When it closed in 1990, Busch claimed the park was never profitable.... and we have balance sheets that prove otherwise!

 

That Imax Building was a truly amazing building in itself. Built for Circus World -- it had trap doors and secret passages (mostly where the money vault for daily operations was kept)... The building held up well considering it had been vacant for 14 years. There were several areas that looked brand new inside and still smelled of fresh paint!

 

.... and of course prominantly displayed throughout the Imax building were huge photos from HBJ's other parks, namely Cypress Gardens and Sea World.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

I do find it interesting.... Both Boardwalk & Baseball and Cypress Gardens were part of the defunct HBJ theme park trio (with Sea World). They both went out of business.... and they both had a wooden roller coaster as their main attraction -- that was named Hurricane.

 

...Quite a few things in common between these former sister parks.

 

Its interesting, too. Because Boardwalk and Baseball was inspired by Coney Island.... and it seems vice versa. Coney Island recently built a minor league baseball stadium right next to the Boardwalk!

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

I'm going to Cyp for the first time next month. Is it about an hour from BGT?

I'm planning on doing both the same day then WA either the next day or the day after (depending on weather, I don't want to get rained out again, grrr).

 

If it all goes as planned Triple Hurricane will not only be my 400th coaster, but my 100th woodie as well.

 

I was saving myself for Hades but what can I say, Trips is cuter!

 

-Jeezy Weeze

 

Busch is about an hour from Cypress Gardens. Just take I-4 to SR-570... Its really a quick and direct route. I just spotted the 5th coaster on RCDB.com that Cypress Gardens is building... I'm a little disappointed -- its just a wild mouse named Galaxy Spin. Well, at least the Starliner is a really awesome coaster (John Allen was a genius with woodies).

 

The new animal pavilion and model train layout open next month. The Night Magic laser show in June. Splash Island in July. Pirate Show, Bird Aviary, Galaxy Spin Coaster are all due for Winter. So, Cypress Gardens seems like its adding new attractions faster than anyone else. The Starliner wooden coaster will probably be running early next year.

 

Supposedly, Cypress Gardens is already beating several Disney Parks in attendance (namely Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon). If true, the park was never able to do that for any of CG's previous owners.

[CoasterFanatic]

^ I can't imagine that Cypress Gardens is anywhere near the attendance levels of Animal Kingdom.

 

Not even close.

 

On the B&B tip, I visited the park around '87 or so, and I absolutely loved the place. My Dad took me, and while he is not a big theme park fan, he loves baseball and it was his idea to begin with. They had a most excellent Arrow flume that is now operating at Sea World Texas.

 

// Remembers eating at the Perkins across the street, watching one of the last remaining buildings burn to the ground.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

^ I can't imagine that Cypress Gardens is anywhere near the attendance levels of Animal Kingdom.

 

Not even close.

 

On the B&B tip, I visited the park around '87 or so, and I absolutely loved the place. My Dad took me, and while he is not a big theme park fan, he loves baseball and it was his idea to begin with. They had a most excellent Arrow flume that is now operating at Sea World Texas.

 

// Remembers eating at the Perkins across the street, watching one of the last remaining buildings burn to the ground.

 

Cypress Gardens easily beats Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Cypress Gardens beating Aninal Kingdom in attendance is just a rumor -- and it comes from a few friends of mine who work at Cypress Gardens (so take it with a grain of salt).

 

But in their defense, Animal Kingdom has performed very poorly since its opening. And if you go to Cypress Gardens on concert days -- the place is packed beyond belief..... So it might be true. I dunno.

 

As for B&B, it was probably the nicest traditional amusement park I've ever seen (regarding landscaping/aesthetics). The real reason it was closed was that Busch wanted to eliminate competition to its park 50 miles to the west. But compared to B&B, Busch's park was a joke at the Time. Boardwalk and Baseball had the superior flume and roller coaster.

[SharkTums]

^So you're judging an amusement park that is brand new versus water parks during the Winter Season...I don't know if that's a really fair comparison. As for CG beating AK, that's just silly.

 

Elissa "I remember hearing that Wild Adventures broke it's attendance record with aDestiny's Child concert and that was only like a 45K day" Alvey

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

^So you're judging an amusement park that is brand new versus water parks during the Winter Season...I don't know if that's a really fair comparison. As for CG beating AK, that's just silly.

 

Elissa "I remember hearing that Wild Adventures broke it's attendance record with aDestiny's Child concert and that was only like a 45K day" Alvey

 

No, I was going by the estimates for annual attendance.

Cypress Gardens is now projected to hit annual attendance of 1.75 million visitors. That's nearly double what they projected for the first year (prior to re-opening).

 

Of course, attendance could drop off, too. The novelty of CG might wear off on families. The thrill seekers who CG doesn't have much to offer might only go once and never come back.

 

Wet & Wild beats that attendance figure -- but Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon only get about 1.2 million visitors.... Don't have figures on Animal Kingdom, couldn't find them. Although the few times I did go to AK, it was a ghost town (weekdays).

[Three]

From my experience, Animal Kingdom is rarely a "ghost town".

 

Many people I talk to hate the park because it's always so freaking crowded. The layout of the park is conducive to large amounts of people in small amounts of area, and I've found the crowds to be quite excruciating at times.

 

Though they're rectifying the problem by making paths from region to region (Africa-Asia, Asia-Dinoland). Before, you had to go through Discovery Island to get anywhere.

 

Anyway, my opinion: I sincerely doubt Cypress Gardens is pulling in attendance figures anywhere near Disney levels. Any Disney levels.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

From my experience, Animal Kingdom is rarely a "ghost town".

 

Many people I talk to hate the park because it's always so freaking crowded. The layout of the park is conducive to large amounts of people in small amounts of area, and I've found the crowds to be quite excruciating at times.

 

Though they're rectifying the problem by making paths from region to region (Africa-Asia, Asia-Dinoland). Before, you had to go through Discovery Island to get anywhere.

 

Anyway, my opinion: I sincerely doubt Cypress Gardens is pulling in attendance figures anywhere near Disney levels. Any Disney levels.

 

Well, I'm a Florida resident and visit the Disney Parks often. Animal Kingdom is indeed crowded on weekends... its also busy on weekdays in the Summer. But go on a weekday, the other 8 months on a year -- and you could hear a pin drop.

 

The weaker Disney Parks don't draw crowds like you think. There is just too much competition in Orlando -- and the fact that AK absolutely sucks -(its the worst theme park in the southeast). So to me, the rumor is possible.

 

Don't get me wrong -- The Magic Kingdom is #1 in the world and will probably always be that way. Epcot is absurdly strong, too. But several of Disney parks struggle. River Country is probably going to get bulldozed for goodness sake! See this link:

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/river/river.htm

 

....Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon do alright -- but they don't draw 1.75 million like CG is projected. CG will soon have a 7 ride water park --so its definitely being molded as a competitor to these parks.

 

As for CG versus Animal Kingdom. Cypress Gardens is ALREADY a better park. I dunno about attendance. CG is out in the middle of freakin' nowhere (Winter Haven). Animal Kingdom is close to the World's #1 theme park. Its a sad day when anyone pays $60 to get into AK. Again, I was just passing along a RUMOR.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

Speaking of Dead Disney Parks:

 

I found some recent photos of River Country.

http://users.adelphia.net/~tburr/index.html

 

I didn't realized that it has been closed for 4 years already. They've got bushes and algae growning out of the splash pools. I didn't realize just how bad it got. It looks like the janitors are using it as a junk yard.

 

Sad too, it was one of the most charming attractions Disney had. Not like the newer dumbed-down attractions.

[Three]

It really doesn't matter that a lot of theme park gurus online think Animal Kingdom is lame. It really doesn't matter that some people are really digging Cypress Gardens.

 

Animal Kingdom is still, quite often, crowded as hell. Simply because it has the Disney label on it. Because Disney put it on the same pedestal as its other three parks. Because it's on the park hoppers just like the rest. Because little kids who go with their parents on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disney World from wherever in the world they come from UNIVERSALLY love animals. And they love Disney. And a power combo of the two is not to be missed.

 

It doesn't matter that the discerning few on theme park message boards don't really care for Disney's fourth park. We're not how Disney makes its money. Disney has boatloads of tourists from everywhere from Miami to Mozambique who absolutely must do everything there is to do at Disney. Very possibly Universal too. Sea World and Busch Gardens? If there's time. Little old Cypress Gardens has yet to register on 98.7% of the tourist hoard's minds.

 

Perhaps it will in time. But the Central Florida theme park scene is quite hard to break into unless you've already established yourself. Cypress Gardens has already been muscled out once. And I'm not particularly optimistic that they'll be able to squeeze there way onto the scene simply because some guy with a small little park in Georgia had his credit limit expanded and was itching for a challenge.

[Three]

Oh, and about those River Country photos -- that's really sad. I've seen pictures of abandoned parks before. But none I'd ever actually attended.

 

Man, that really hits home....

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

Oh, and about those River Country photos -- that's really sad. I've seen pictures of abandoned parks before. But none I'd ever actually attended.

 

Man, that really hits home....

 

I actually was depressed when Disney officially announced in January 2005 -- that it was closed permanently. Prior to that, they claimed it was being refurbished.

 

I love Disney... I just think Animal Kingdom tarnishes the name. The limited # of rides that are at AK just aren't up to the quality of Disney's 3 sister parks.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

It really doesn't matter that a lot of theme park gurus online think Animal Kingdom is lame. It really doesn't matter that some people are really digging Cypress Gardens.

 

Perhaps it will in time. But the Central Florida theme park scene is quite hard to break into unless you've already established yourself. Cypress Gardens has already been muscled out once. And I'm not particularly optimistic that they'll be able to squeeze there way onto the scene simply because some guy with a small little park in Georgia had his credit limit expanded and was itching for a challenge.

 

Well, the more I read about Animal Kingdom -- the more I doubt that CG was beating Animal Kingdom in attendance. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking from the CG employees I was talking to... or perhaps they were talking about a single day....

 

To their credit, the new owners of CG have already set new records for its daily attendance (its peak year was 1979 with 1.6 million visitors). If they are able to maintain the current pace -- it will set a new record for them... the first year under the new management (a very impressive feat).

 

As for mixing-the-animals-with-rides type Theme Parks -- IMO Animal Kingdom pales to Busch Gardens or even Wild Adventures (CG's sister park). Its sad that Disney made such a half-hearted attempt.

 

...and I don't think CG's mission is ever to compete with Disney. Disney is a comprehesive tourist destination -- CG is being built up as a regional amusement park (one day outing).

[Gregory DG]

CG is a nice and lazy park with some fun rides. Nothing super spectacular, but fun nontheless. (I personally am not big on the stomach-wrenching rides anyway.) Frankly, it's about 1000x more interesting than the old park that had NO RIDES at all. So, complaints about the current park are silly when you consider what was there before.

 

I live in Winter Haven about 5 minutes from the park and have an annual pass. I plan to go regularly and take photos. I love to see the progression and the updates to it. Here's some photos I've put together from my solo visit this past Saturday. I eventually plan to have photos of every ride, attraction, and shop at the park.

 

Why? I like histotorical places and such. Besides, it's fun walking around taking photos of everything and having the guests look at you funny.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

I was impressed with your web site -- you had a ton a photos....

 

I think Cypress Gardens is the perfect "unwinding" park where you can just relax. Its got all those quiet areas in the botanical gardens where you can chill out. About 90% of the rides all my kids can ride -- and they love the short lines.

 

Apparently attendence is strong -- yet the park never seems crowded. Whatever, they are doing -- they seem to be getting it right. My kids can't wait until the water park opens, too. Its nice that they finally got the animal area open. I heard that the Steamboat rides begin running this month, too. It really has something for everyone.

[CoasterG]

I've gotten 2 visits this year so far and noticed that their parking lot gets packed but the park seems relatively uncrowded. I think its the way the park is spread out - the only crowded area I've seen is the food area by Triple Hurricane, it can get fairly crowded on a good day.

 

The park is doing great, anyone know the progress on their new additions? Any sign of the mouse?

[Gregory DG]

I was impressed with your web site -- you had a ton a photos....

Cool, thanks for taking a look at it. If at least one person looks at it, it won't have been a waste of time for me.

 

I think Cypress Gardens is the perfect "unwinding" park where you can just relax. Its got all those quiet areas in the botanical gardens where you can chill out. About 90% of the rides all my kids can ride -- and they love the short lines.

Yeah, they've done a good job of blending the old with the new. You can barely even tell there's new stuff if you're walking around the old park. That should make the seniors happy.

 

Apparently attendence is strong -- yet the park never seems crowded. Whatever, they are doing -- they seem to be getting it right.

I saw some figures and added them up... I'm estimating the park has made about $13 million on attendance alone. That will go a long way towards the $45-50 Beuschler paid to buy & update it. I read his estimate was 1 1/2 year until profitability. That could be cut to 1 year.

 

My kids can't wait until the water park opens, too. Its nice that they finally got the animal area open. I heard that the Steamboat rides begin running this month, too. It really has something for everyone.

I can't wait for the water park too. That's gonna be a lot of fun, especially since I don't have a pool.

 

I did overhear some snotty punk kids complaining that there weren't enough animals. Um... It only just opened this past week!

 

Yes, Buescher bought the paddle boat last month it'll take awhile to get going though. Here's the story (copied for your convenience since you do have to register at polkonline.com.)

 

http://www.polkonline.com/stories/040305/communitynews_breeze.shtml

 

Gardens owner acquires Southern Breeze

 

Paddle wheel boat has been purchased

 

By JAMIE J. ANDERSON

jamie.anderson@

 

WINTER HAVEN - The Southern Breeze, an authentic replica of a 19th century paddle wheel boat that operated from inside Cypress Gardens, has come under new management.

 

Kent Buescher, owner of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, has purchased the 70-ton boat for an undisclosed amount. He plans to rename the boat Cypress Belle, in honor of the belles of Cypress Gardens.

 

The boat was previously owned by Espen Tandberg of Southern Grace Cruises Inc. The Popes, the previous owners of Cypress Gardens, had a contract with Tandberg in which park guests could purchase tickets for the boat at a booth located just inside the old park entrance. The cruise was an additional charge.

 

The dinner cruise continued to operate even after the park closed in 2003.

 

"We allowed the owner of the boat to operate even while we were under construction," said Alyson Gernert, public relations manager of the park. "We provided numerous services, including electricity and security, to help him keep the dinner cruise open."

 

The last cruise launched about a week ago, Gernert said.

 

"Kent - being committed to maintain quality and service inside the park - wanted to purchase it ourselves to make it an in-house function," Gernert said.

 

The cruise will no longer operate, allowing time for the boat to be refurbished. It will then reopen as Cypress Belle. Park officials plan to have the renovations complete sometime during the summer.

 

"At this point, we're still trying to figure out what its use will be," Gernert said. "We're not sure whether a dinner cruise or private function boat. We're still tossing around some ideas."

 

The Southern Breeze was originally built in 1989 by LaCrosse Riverboat Company in LaCrosse, Wis., as one of nine in a series of 1880s-style paddle-wheel boats. It is a true paddle-wheel, diesel-propelled only by two stern wheels.

 

When the paddle boat first arrived at Cypress Gardens, it was a joint partnership between Southern Grace Cruises, a company out of St. Petersburg, and the Gardens. The Southern Breeze replaced existing pontoon boat rides at the park. It was only the third such watercraft in Central Florida, joining boats in Sanford and St. Petersburg. Before arriving in Winter Haven, the Southern Breeze worked in Chicago, New York City and the Ohio River in Cleveland.

 

It provided 5 mile per hour excursions on Lake Eloise numerous times a day. Every evening, a two-hour dinner cruise was held on the boat, and a separate brunch cruise was scheduled on Sundays. The schedule in years to come would vary based on patron demand. It was capable of carrying 200 passengers, including crew, and serving meals for 160 people.

 

Southern Grace Cruises owned and operated the boat, while Cypress Gardens provided the venue and marketing.

 

The boat is currently parked in Lake Summit and will be refurbished on site.

 

I'm guessing they're going to use it to ferry people back 'n' forth to the water park since it'll be a long slog otherwise. (Unless they add another parking lot closer to it, which I doubt they'll do.) Pretty sure this will be the loading dock (sorry if the image gets broken):

 

[Gregory DG]

I've gotten 2 visits this year so far and noticed that their parking lot gets packed but the park seems relatively uncrowded. I think its the way the park is spread out - the only crowded area I've seen is the food area by Triple Hurricane, it can get fairly crowded on a good day.

There's sometimes a line to ride the coasters... Although I've never had to wait more that 2 runs to ride one. Some of the outdoor food stands can get crazy crowded if you time it wrong.

 

The park is doing great, anyone know the progress on their new additions? Any sign of the mouse?

Shoot, I haven't see squat. Looks like to me they're focusing all their energy on the water park. My guess is the mouse is going in across from the Okeechobee Rampage.

 

The fence to the left of this shot is all covered up. I'm guessing that's where the mouse will go. But I have no idea...

 

As for the Starliner... I hope it does come to CG, but it looks like a very LONG coaster. I don't know where they could put it since CG looks short on real estate. Just look at the map and see what I mean.

[BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever]

Well, according to this newspaper article that came out today -- the Galaxy Spin Mouse Coaster opens next month!?!? I too am betting that it will be placed near the Oky Rampage.

 

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050512/NEWS/505120366/1001/BUSINESS

 

I guess its feasible. Wild Mouse coasters can be assembled quickly for traveling carnival/fairs, so I don't see why it would take more than a few weeks to get the Galaxy Spin running.

 

The water park is still on schedule to open in July.

Kent wants both the 5th Coaster and the Water Park fully operational for the summer season! I dunno if he is going to make it. I'm happy that the Animal Pavilion is open. I hear the Night Magic show will be ready for June, too.

 

I hear the Starliner loading area will be across from Swamp Thing. They are going to try to fit the wooden coaster next to the wave pool of Splash Island.

[Gregory DG]

I hear the Starliner loading area will be across from Swamp Thing. They are going to try to fit the wooden coaster next to the wave pool of Splash Island.

Wow, that's going to be a tight fit, I think. Especially considering the train tracks are right around there too.