Cypress Gardens 1965


I loved Cypress Gardens in the 1970's. Lush gardens, beautiful Southern Belles, and remarkable water ski shows in Winterhaven, Florida. With the introduction of Disney World in the early 70's, Florida garden parks began to dwindle. People were ready for a new kind of entertainment - my guess is they figured tropical plants were common, why pay to see them?

Here's a shot of the water ski show in 1965. Note that the spectators sat on the grass. This was before the grandstand (if that's what they call it) was built.

A close up of the skiers in one of their famous formations.

I know Cypress Gardens closed a couple of years ago, and rumor had it that they might sell to a developer. Well, it's still a theme park, and the Southern Belles and water ski shows have survived!

Thanks for the photos dad!

Find out here:
http://cypressgardens.com/welcome.asp

http://goflorida.about.com/cs/attractionsalpha/a/aa062303a.htm

coming soon:
Silver Springs
Sunken Gardens
Weeki Wachee

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