Just back from Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, FL with DD 6. It is about 30-45 mins away from WDW. We had an awesome time!! 
We live about 4 hours north of CG and we have a Wild Adventures pass, so we did not have to pay admission. Both parks are owned by the same company. We go to WA quite often and wanted to check out CG.
On Monday, we left mid-afternoon (wanted to leave earlier... just couldn't get everything together
). So since we got a late start and CG was only open until 7pm all this week ( they're open later of the weekends), we went to WDW and stayed until 11pm. Needless to say, it was very packed. 
Still enjoyed it though.
On Tuesday, we went to CG all day ... open from 10-7. Had a blast!
They have several shows and lots of rides. The park itself is very pretty. Lots of green grass, trees, topiaries, etc. But you would not believe how low the crowd were. To give you an example, we could see our car from the front gate! There were people there, just not the multitudes you see at WDW.
They also have a water park included in your park admission that we spent alot of time in ( wave pool, lazy river, kiddie play area, water slides).
On Wednesday, we went back to CG and did some things we didn't have a chance to do on Tuesday. One thing I wanted to do was the paddle boat cruise, but DD6 wanted to spend her time in the water park area, so we'll do that next time.
One more thing that surprised me.... I overheard one of the workers say that this time of year is their slow time! He said that their busiest time was the winter time when the snow birds came down.
Anyway, I would recommend this park, as a change of pace, more beautiful park than some I have visited previously. Every park has its place. Feel free to ask any questions.
wdwgal
We live about 4 hours north of CG and we have a Wild Adventures pass, so we did not have to pay admission. Both parks are owned by the same company. We go to WA quite often and wanted to check out CG.
On Monday, we left mid-afternoon (wanted to leave earlier... just couldn't get everything together
). So since we got a late start and CG was only open until 7pm all this week ( they're open later of the weekends), we went to WDW and stayed until 11pm. Needless to say, it was very packed. Still enjoyed it though.On Tuesday, we went to CG all day ... open from 10-7. Had a blast!
They have several shows and lots of rides. The park itself is very pretty. Lots of green grass, trees, topiaries, etc. But you would not believe how low the crowd were. To give you an example, we could see our car from the front gate! There were people there, just not the multitudes you see at WDW. They also have a water park included in your park admission that we spent alot of time in ( wave pool, lazy river, kiddie play area, water slides).
On Wednesday, we went back to CG and did some things we didn't have a chance to do on Tuesday. One thing I wanted to do was the paddle boat cruise, but DD6 wanted to spend her time in the water park area, so we'll do that next time.
One more thing that surprised me.... I overheard one of the workers say that this time of year is their slow time!
He said that their busiest time was the winter time when the snow birds came down.Anyway, I would recommend this park, as a change of pace, more beautiful park than some I have visited previously. Every park has its place. Feel free to ask any questions.
wdwgal
