| Cypress Gardens Contributor(s): Flekke, Mary M. (Author), MacDonald, Sarah E. (Author), MacDonald, Randall M. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1531626394 ISBN-13: 9781531626396 Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Library Editions OUR PRICE: $28.79 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 2006 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - General |
| Dewey: 975.967 |
| Physical Information: 0.38" H x 6.69" W x 9.61" (0.91 lbs) 130 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - South Atlantic - Cultural Region - Southeast U.S. - Geographic Orientation - Florida |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Florida's first theme park, Cypress Gardens, was the brainchild of Richard Downing Dick" Pope Sr. With his wife, Julie Downing Pope, he transformed a marshy, lakeside property in Winter Haven into a magnificent garden. The park's first visitors in 1936 toured pathways surrounded by lush plants from around the world. Two years later, electric boats meandered through the park's winding, hand-dug canals. Water ski shows commenced in 1942, and the park became the "Water Ski Capital of the World." The Florida-shaped Esther Williams Swimming Pool still graces the shore of Lake Eloise. The park was a set for dozens of short feature films, a stage for beauty pageants, and a site for special television broadcasts. A butterfly garden, zoo, rides, and the small-town Southern Crossroads shopping and dining area remain popular features. Kent Buescher purchased Cypress Gardens in 2004, and today's expanded Cypress Gardens Adventure Park preserves the family-friendly appeal of Dick and Julie Pope's magnificent park." |