Cypress Gardens is a census-designated place located in Polk County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 8,844.

"Florida's Oldest Theme Park"

Cypress Gardens is best known as a theme park, started in 1936 by an entrepreneurial couple, Dick and Julie Pope. It was in continuous operation until 2003 when it closed, but reopened under a new owner in late 2004 after an extensive renovation. Although not confirmed by any unimpeachable source, the Gardens' claim to be "Florida's oldest theme park" is widely accepted.

Cypress Gardens is considered a "regional theme park," as opposed to destination theme parks like Disney World (in nearby Orlando) that draw visitors from all over. However, in its first three decades of existence Cypress Gardens aggressively lured tourists from around the world with its water-skiing exhibitions, eye-catching botanical gardens and even more eye-catching young women. Cypress Gardens hosted scores of beauty pageants in its early years -- Dick Pope liked to call himself the "king of beauty queens" -- and later developed a reputation as a place where Miss Americas came to greet the crowds and enjoy a respite from the rigors of touring.

In recent years the park was passed from one corporate owner to the next, and its reputation faded. Attendance dropped, and it no longer attracted younger tourists or families like it had. Under its new owner Kent Buescher, a Georgia entrepreneur who built his first theme park on his own property, Cypress Gardens appeared to move back to the spirit of the original owners. Buescher added dozens of family-friendly rides and wholesome entertainment while preserving many of the elements that made Cypress Gardens a crowd favorite in the first place. The water skiing shows go off twice a day, the botanical walks were refurbished (a necessary task after three hurricanes struck the site in 2004, while it was closed for renovation), and the "Southern belles," young women in full antebellum dress, still stroll the premises greeting tourists.

A Brief History of Cypress Gardens

http://www.cypressgardens.com/pressrelease/displaynews.asp?newsid=1008

They say Cypress Gardens founder Dick Pope, Sr. was born in the midst of an Iowa cyclone. And, the energy of that cyclone -- and the bluster -- was absorbed by Pope and drove him energetically through all his life.

Born at the dawn of the new century, Pope came to Florida with his father at age 11 and honed his sales skills helping his dad sell real estate, closing his first deal at the age of 12.

He met and married his life partner, Julie Downing, in 1926. After the Florida real estate market went bust in 1927, Pope needed a way to support his new wife. Outboard motors were just coming into use and Dick had heard that one manufacturer was planning a publicity campaign. He and his bride hopped into a car and headed to Johnson Outboards headquarters. At every city en route, Dick stopped and sent a telegram to the president: "Hold all publicity plans until I get there. Your problem is solved." The company, bowled over by his high-pressure approach, gave him a $1,000 a month job.

He staged death-defying boat races all over the state of Florida to publicize the introduction of the famous Johnson SeaHorse outboard motor. He became so successful that he started his own public relations agency.

His client list grew and he had elegant offices in the prestigious Tribune building in Chicago and the Graybar building in New York. But Pope had been touting the Sunshine State for so long he had convinced himself that Florida was the only place to live. So, in the midst of the worst depression this country has ever endured, he and Julie decided to head back to the land of oranges.

According to Pope, “This all came about, you know, because Julie showed me an article in Good Housekeeping, while we were living in New York, about a banker in Charleston who had opened his private estate to the public, and charged admission and had taken in $36,000 cash in one year -- a big sum in those days. It stayed in our minds, and one day after we decided to come back to Florida, we talked it over and said, “someday we'd build a Garden, so I could be president -- and attract visitors to Winter Haven!”

In the latter part of 1932 -- while Florida was in the grip of the depression that followed the boom -- he sold the WFERA -- a branch of the WPA -- on the idea that instead of having men raking leaves at a dollar a day, they could beautify and rebuild the canals and chain of lakes.

They started work on the canals, and then planned on adding a hanging garden on Lake Eloise, which later became Cypress Gardens. At the time, Pope was chairman of the canal commission for the Lake Region, so the property was put in their name.

But after spending about $3500 of government money and $1500 of the canal commission's money, opposition to the project locally became so severe that it was canceled by the WFERA and the canal commission was repaid its $1500. They deeded the property over to the Florida Cypress Gardens Association, Inc.

Working side by side with the laborers in the muck, Pope began constructing his dream garden. Many in the press laughed at the idea of building a beautiful tropical showcase in the middle of a 16-acre marsh, calling him “Maharaja of Muck” and “Swami of the Swamp,” but he persevered. Dick didn't know one flower from another, but Julie Pope, born and raised in Brewton, AL, knew plants, loved them and had a "green thumb."

Always a picture enthusiast, Pope set up an 8 by 10 view camera while laying out the Garden’s paths to be sure he could get good picture compositions with his plantings. If a big tree or lagoon appeared as an obstacle, he went around it with his walkways (and besides, it cost money to build bridges and fill stump-holes).

Finally, on January 2, 1936, the gates opened on what would become a showplace for 8,000 varieties of plants from more than 90 different countries. In 1938, the first electric boats began gliding through the tropical canals.

Pope’s newsreels, photographs, and tireless showmanship soon resulted in countless images of beautiful women, palm trees, exotic flowers and always-sunny Florida skies published around the world. He was proclaimed “Mr. Florida,” first citizen of the state and, in time, the “Father of Florida Tourism.”

Through the years, some of Cypress Gardens’ icons came about out of necessity. For instance, in 1940, the flame vine on the entrance wall, the first plant visitors saw when they arrived, died during a freeze. All the plants inside the Gardens were protected by smudge pots and were fine. Twenty people drove up the first day and drove away again without going in.

Mrs. Pope called one of the girls. "Put on an old-fashioned dress,” she said, "that will be warm without looking warm and we'll put a shawl on your shoulders. Then you go stand by that dead vine and flirt with everybody that comes in so hard that they don't see the vine." People quit leaving without entering the gardens. In fact, they didn’t even notice the dead vine. The gracious Southern Belles became a tradition that is an ongoing part of the beauty of the Gardens.

The world famous water ski show had the same sort of beginning. In 1943, while Pope was serving in World War II, one of the photos in a local newspaper featured water skiers being pulled by a boat at Cypress Gardens. Several soldiers in the area came to see the “water show,” even though none existed. But Julie, the consummate businesswoman, rounded up her children and their friends to stage the park’s first water ski show. The next weekend, 800 soldiers showed up, and the rest, as they say, is history. Cypress Gardens was soon dubbed the “water ski capital of the world,” a distinction it still enjoys today.

Celebrities and Hollywood movie producers discovered Cypress Gardens in the late ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, including Elvis Presley, Esther Williams and Johnny Carson. Full-length features including “On an Island With You,” “Easy to Love,” parts of “Moon Over Miami,” “This is Cinerama,” and hundreds of short features flooded movie theaters all over the country, building the tremendous recognition of the Gardens.

Cypress Gardens expanded during the ‘70s and ‘80s to compete with new Central Florida theme parks springing up. In the early ‘80s, Pope retired and passed the reins to his son, Dick Jr.

In June 1985, after almost a half-century of Pope family ownership and involvement, Cypress Gardens was sold to publishing conglomerate Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. HBJ sunk several million dollars into a new package of attractions, shows and food concessions before selling Cypress Gardens and four Sea World parks to Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC) in 1989. During BEC’s tenure, the park again underwent capital expansions and improvements, including the introduction of more new attractions, shows, shops and festivals.

In 1995, BEC sold Cypress Gardens to the park’s current management team. Back in the hands of local owners, Cypress Gardens’ attendance has since flourished with such new attractions as a spring lights festival, ice skating show, covered floral show and zoo. And, in 1999, the park added an authentic paddle wheel boat for sightseeing tours and romantic brunch and dinner cruises.

“Not only do we have Dick Pope’s legacy to live up to, but we purchased a Florida tourism icon that is as well branded as Proctor and Gamble,” said Bill Reynolds, president and CEO. “As stewards for this incredible historic attraction, we are strategically planning the future of the park to ensure its position as one of Florida’s true tourism treasures. We will continue to emphasize the park’s traditional heritage as a world-famous botanical garden and water ski capital as well as introduce new entertainment elements designed to appeal to all ages.”

Adult admission is $34.95, youth $22.95, and child 12.95.

Cypress Gardens is a 200-acre “must-see” tropical theme park noted for its beautiful plants and flowers and its world-famous water ski shows. It is located off U.S. Hwy. 27 just 22 miles south of I-4 between Orlando and Tampa on the shores of Lake Eloise and Lake Summit near Winter Haven.

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Closing of Cypress Gardens April 2003

http://www.cypressgardens.com/pressrelease/displaynews.asp?newsid=1028

Florida Cypress Gardens announced today its plans to cease normal park operations when the park closes at 7:00pm Sunday, April 13th. This announcement comes from Bill Reynolds, President and CEO.

This painful decision is one which the owners and operators of Florida Cypress Gardens have little to no control over. The circumstances dating back to September 11th, 2001 which brought about an immediate decline in the tourism industry are part of the decision to close. Attendance, the park’s major source of revenue, has never rebounded from this event. Even with the best entertainment offering in its history, the park’s March attendance was down 42,000 visitors from the previous year.”

The ensuing worsening economy, and the effect on those who rely on interest for their income – the majority of Cypress Gardens’ clientele – have also been contributing factors. The threat of terrorism and the Iraq threat and ultimate war have impacted the park’s ability to sustain itself.

This unavoidable action will result in the immediate layoff of essentially the entire staff, although a skeleton crew will remain for a short time to secure the property and wrap up the park’s affairs in an orderly manner.

Reynolds stated that this is purely a financial decision. “It is mandated by our lack of funds to sustain the normal operations. These diminished funds have impacted the company and placed it in this faltering and distressed situation. This distressed situation has been created as previously mentioned by unforeseen factors beyond the control of Cypress Gardens’ management and efforts.”

Reynolds and his ownership team acquired the Cypress Gardens property on April 1, 1995 from the Anheuser Busch theme park division. This sale took place in an effort to better position Cypress Gardens for continued operation. It was believed that a private entrepreneurial ownership would be the best course of action for this small Central Florida attraction. Over the eight years of private ownership, despite imaginative and creative marketing strategies and substantial capital investment in the park, the operations have accumulated losses of over six million dollars.

Financial issues pertaining to creditors and others will be dealt with in accordance with the limited resources available, and in consultation with financial advisors and legal counsel.

Reynolds commented that one reason this decision is so painful is because of the tremendous efforts that have been undertaken by the Cypress Gardens’ employees to provide a wonderful experience for its guests. “I’d like to thank them for all of their dedication and work over the years.”

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Movies made at Cypress Gardens:

Easy to Love (1953)

Esther Williams .... Julie Hallerton

Van Johnson .... Ray Lloyd

Tony Martin .... Barry Gordon

Set against the background of Florida's Cypress Gardens, and featuring many stretches of water carnival-ballet numbers, the slight story line finds swimming star Julie Hallerton (Esther Williams) in love with Ray Lloyd (Van Johnson), her boss and the creator and operator of the operation. She stays mostly wet, while he stays mostly disinterested in anything other than the cash receipts. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045718/

Cypress Gardens Adventure Park reopens Thursday, December 9, 2004

Official site: http://cypressgardens.com/welcome.asp

Un-Official site: http://www.actwon.com/cg/ap - Photos, News, History and More...

Geography

Cypress Gardens is located at 28°0'12" North, 81°41'26" West (28.003443, -81.690492).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.1 km² (4.3 mi²). 9.8 km² (3.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.42% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 8,844 people, 3,584 households, and 2,630 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 898.6/km² (2,328.6/mi²). There are 3,942 housing units at an average density of 400.5/km² (1,037.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 94.09% White, 1.92% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 3.10% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,584 households out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% are non-families. 23.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 2.84.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $49,778, and the median income for a family is $57,387. Males have a median income of $39,286 versus $26,595 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $25,366. 3.2% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.6% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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