|
BUCCANEER BAY Florida’s only natural spring waterpark
featuring the Thunderbolt and Pirates Revenge speed flumes, Lazy River tube
ride, children’s play area, white sandy beaches, volleyball and picnic areas.
Located adjacent to Weeki Wachee Spring, 45 minutes north of Tampa on US 19.
(800)678-9335.Adults,
$10.95; children 3-10, $9.95; 3 and under, free (800) 678-9335
CHURCH STREET STATION Historic downtown Orlando's
complete entertainment complex featuring Rosie O'Grady's, Phineas Phogg's, The
Orchid Garden Ballroom, the Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House plus plenty of
dining and shopping. Open 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. year round. 129 W. Church St.,
Orlando, FL 32801 407/422-2434 Currently closed and awaiting renovation (March
2003)
CYPRESS GARDENS
Currently closed
Hope for Cypress Gardens,
Florida's First Theme Park
Story by Margaret Foster /
Sept. 4, 2003
When Cypress Gardens, a 67-year-old theme park
located in Winter Haven, Fla., 40 miles southwest of Orlando, closed
suddenly this April, more than 500 people lost their jobs. That day, a
grassroots group called Friends of Cypress Gardens began distributing
flyers with Gov. Jeb Bush's personal e-mail address, urging park
supporters to plead its case. "Gov. Bush was bombarded with mail," says
Burma Davis Posey, president of the
Friends of Cypress Gardens.
The assault continued last week, when water skiers and Southern belles
dressed in Cypress Gardens costumes gathered outside the Florida Cabinet
chambers to show their support for the state's first theme park. The
tactic worked. On Aug. 26, Gov. Bush and his cabinet voted to make Cypress
Gardens eligible for state preservation funds, which means the state could
buy the development rights to the 176-acre park. The vote came days after
the Trust for Public Land announced that it would buy 107 acres of the
historic park to preserve it and its wetlands. On Jan. 2, 1936,
entrepreneur Richard Pope opened Cypress Gardens. Later, stars like Johnny
Carson and Esther Williams performed at its stadium, surrounded by
botanical gardens, a butterfly conservatory, and a Florida-shaped pool.
Owners Larry Maxwell and Bill Reynolds closed the park because of low
attendance, but Posey says her group has learned that the owners had
planned to develop the land. The Friends of Cypress Gardens want to keep
the park open to the public. "If we are successful in saving the gardens,
we plan to ad a history and collections centre," Posey says. "We hope to
make Cypress Gardens a 'Smithsonian of the South.'"
DISCOVERY COVE
Located in Orlando, Discovery Cove, provides the
perfect back drop for memorable family vacations. Everyone can experience the
thrills of interacting with amazing animals, swim and play with dolphins and
snorkelling through a coral reef, all in a tropical setting with no crowds and no
lines. Reservations and information are available by calling toll-free (877)
4-DISCOVERY.
DISNEY WORLD (WALT DISNEY
WORLD RESORT) Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot®, Disney-MGM Studios, resort hotels
and Fort Wilderness Campground, 5 championship golf courses, Typhoon Lagoon,
Pleasure Island, River Country, Discovery Island and Disney Village Marketplace.
Open daily. P.O. Box 10,000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830 Information:
(407)824-4321; Hotel Reservations (407)W-DISNEY.
|
