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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. |
FLORIDA