Another new theme park

[dcentity2000]

From source: clicky

WINTER HAVEN -- When it opens later this year, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park essentially will be two parks in one: one part botanical gardens and water ski shows, the other part roller coasters and water rides.

New owner Kent Buescher is betting that 36 new thrill rides will allow the park to flourish in the shadow of Walt Disney World in Orlando and Busch Gardens in Tampa by bringing back the young families that were conspicuously absent in Cypress Gardens' twilight.

But Buescher walks a tightrope trying to maintain the attractions that made Cypress Gardens a legend for 67 years and avoid alienating the loyal seniors who kept the park afloat for so long.

After working for nearly a year to win Cypress Gardens, Buescher unveiled a master plan Monday that illustrates the vision of someone both awed by the legend of Cypress Gardens' founder, Dick Pope Sr., and confident in his own abilities. Buescher owns the successful Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, Ga.

"We were able to combine the best of Wild Adventures with the best of Cypress Gardens," Buescher said.

The layout Buescher revealed includes one entrance but two distinct paths through the park.

The western pathway will lead visitors through a craftsmen's village -- inspired by similar displays at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo., and Dollywood in Tennessee -- then by the water-ski stadiums and ultimately to the botanical gardens.

The eastern path will funnel thrill seekers by the new Star Haven amphitheater -- capacity 12,000 -- and into an area that will hold 36 new rides including four roller coasters, two water rides and a drop tower simulating a 120-foot free fall. A water park ready by spring 2005 will be that path's final destination.

An opening date is still not firm, but Buescher hopes to capture the summer season with a July 1 opening. If that's not possible, it will probably be pushed back to Oct. 1, he said.

Buescher plans to open with about 350 employees, most of whom will be hired about 30 days before opening. He currently has positions open for a public-relations director, a receptionist, and managers for operations, revenue operations and human resources.

The new owner fielded dozens of questions from longtime Cypress Gardens fans and former employees Monday in Winter Haven. People wanted to know the fate of their favorite parts of the park and the opportunities to return to their old jobs.

The reaction appeared unanimously positive and hopeful among those who turned out to learn about the rebirth of the park after a year's hiatus.

Billie Morris, 77, former president of the Winter Haven Women's Club, said she was "overly, grossly excited" by what she heard from Buescher.

"I think he's going to do exactly what the park needed," she said.

What the park needed was something to make it relevant to today's families, Buescher said.

Jarrod Snapko agreed wholeheartedly. The 20-year-old former announcer for the water-ski shows could hardly contain the enthusiasm that no doubt helped him land the job he hopes to win back.

"It will be a great place to work," with more people and more going on, he said.

Snapko used to daydream with friends at the park, " 'Man, you could do so much with this place,' " they always said.

After hearing Buescher's plans, Snapko said, "This is exactly what the park needs."

 

[All Aboard]

I went to the Cypress Gardens website to see what they were saying. All they had was a note indicating that it was reopening in the summer. But, they directed folks to the website of another theme park in Georgia.

Now, if they are planning to turn half of Cypress into THAT, then they'll likely fail. The other park is comprised mostly of rides that are found at County Fairs such as the "Inverter" and the "Sky Coaster."

 

[Planogirl]

I think that the new Cypress Gardens could succeed as a regional park if it is priced accordingly. Magic Mountain seems to do well with a lot of other theme parks in the area and since Busch Gardens is a pretty long drive, this MIGHT work. I hope so, I'd like to return.

 

[laceemouse]

Having visited both Dollywood and Silver Dollar City, our family loves the craftsman alley areas. We enjoy seeing the glass blowing, candle dipping, etc. We are not thrill ride people. I think he could do okay locally, if we still lived in Florida we would definitely go, but I can't see many tourist leaving Orlando for a trek over there. There is so much in Orlando most people don't get to do all of that even. I was not sure how to vote on the poll. I would like to see this be great but I have my doubts.

 

[raidermatt]

There really isn't one "theme park market" in Florida. There are different markets that do overlap, but also have a lot of differences. The most obvious and basic is "locals" vs. "family vacationers". Certainly some similarities in their theme/amusement park habits, but also a lot of differences.

While all parks would love to be big in all of the markets, they generally focus on subsets of the overall theme/amusement market.

All that said, I think the market can sustain a reasonable level of growth, but only with the obvious caveat that the new and/or expanded offerings be what the customers are looking for.

(That last bit should go without saying, I know, but invariably in these discussions somebody points to WDW's flat attendance as proof the market is saturated.)

 

[Captain Crook]

And that "somebody" would be who Matt?

 

[ShadowWind]

As a local amusement park, while still keeping the seniors happy, maybe he would succeed if the price is right. I think his analysis that his Valdosta park is successful, so this one will be, is kinda messed up. Valdosta doesn't have a huge mega-billion entertainment complex sitting at it's back door with state of the art rides and amusements from the finest designers. The tourist buck pretty much stops at the Orlando/Tampa line when it comes to theme parks.

Still with the right planning, which I'm kinda doubtful of given the article, it is possible. Busch Gardens was nothing more than a gardens, a bird show, a brewery tour, and some animals back in the late 60's before Disney opened. My family used to visit there every year from Connecticut. I used to love the place. I still have fond memories of watching all those exotic birds play. Course I was 6 at the time. During that same period is my only visit to Cypress Gardens, which honestly I don't remember at all. However, when Disney moved in, BG found itself having to be reinvented in order to continue to rake in the money. Their eagle logo was shot (kidding) and they became The Dark Continent and expanded to build more thrills, etc, over the years. Busch, being the large corporation they are, was able to create a park powerful enough to pull people in from Orlando, while still catering to the beach crowd that made them famous way back when.

Fast forward to Lakeland in the early 80's. Circus World. A big disaster. It promised to be a park like no other based on circus attractions. They had an elephant show, an IMAX movie that literally made the audience throw up (imagine being hung from a trapeze upside down and watch a motorhome go back and forth while sitting in a stationary theatre and you get the idea). It closed later on, only to be reopened with many off the shelf rides as Boardwalk and Baseball which sounds a lot like what he is planning for the ride portion of the park. But even though Lakeland isn't that far, they were just buried by the wonder of Disney and closed not too long after opening.

Location is everything and the problem with Cypress Gardens is not whether it can create a decent localized amusement park, but it is out of the way from the central traffic of tourism. The only way I can see CG doing well is if it has a kick butt, state of the art, rollercoaster that is comparable to the Kumba at Busch Gardens, who's coasters are famous. If it's just a local park with carnival type attractions, people can see that in their own states, so why go there? Think about DCA for a second and how it has a hard time even competing and it is Disney, due to it's off the shelf nature.

Of course adding such rides can only help bring other traffic in, but the question will be whether it will be enough to balance out the cost of the new additions. That is the question.

This is just my two cents. As a Floridian, I'm all for seeing Florida's natural treasures stay alive so that people can experience the wonder beyond the Orlando empire, but the cynic in me wonders if that's possible.

 

[dcentity2000]

We're a little left out as far as theme parks go here in the UK.

Over 60 million people and we have a total of three major parks - Alton Towers (BIG!), Chessington World Of Adventures (BIG but a tad rough?) and Thorpe Park (simply cute ).

The concept of a single county being flooded with so many parks (for example, Californa, housing Disneyland, DCA, a SeaWorld, Universal and a few more minor ones) all at the same time kinda has a effect on us

America's the only country in the world where this really runs riot, so you yanks be thankful for what you've got



Rich::