So.. Apparently Cypress Gardens closed somewhere along the lines?

[LordAthens]

I decided that for our 10 day stay at Disney this year that we would rent a car for a day or two and get off of property for a bit. Back in 96, I went along with my mom, grandma and grandpa to Orlando \ Disney \ Cypress \ etc and had a really great time. Of course, I was 14 at the time...

Anyhow, I started checking some things out and my jaw about hit the floor when I found out that Cypress Gardens closed for just over a year and a half and then reopened as a... amusement park?!?!

Now granted, i've only been there small handful of times but i'm really quite disappointed. I really wanted to go relax a day away there, bring back some exellent memories of family, and being an amature photographer, take a few hundred shutter clicks. But now... I don't think so. Not for $40 bucks a pop atleast! I'm more so disappointed that you can't even buy a general admission to go walk about the park, like it was originally intended to look at the beautiful plant's and flowers. Yeah, I read the whole story about it being 6 million in debt and then being sold to the park managers who couldn't keep it afloat, closing and then reopening with a guy with some really deep pockets.

Maybe I'm just a bit in shock, I don't know. I know this is old news to a lot of you, but i'm just really suprised I guess. It's just one of those things that has been around for so long and the format has always been the same, I never thought in a thousand years it would change.

 

[Aidensmom]

Probably not the opinion you are looking for, but....

I always liked Cypress Gardens too, but as far back as I can remember, and I am not a teenager, it has always had a fairly high admission price. Believe me, when it was $15 to get in when I was 10 is very comparable now to being $40 now that I am 38. Disney, Busch Gardens, etc, have all raised their prices accordingly. In college I could get into WDW for $19 as a FL resident, it's about $50 now....

It has always been intended to be a money-making venture. They are just doing what needs to be done to make that happen now. I personally plan to go thee\re now, while I would not have previously paid admission just to see some flowers and waterskiers. You can see that all over FL for free.

 

[LordAthens]

I can see your point. I have no idea what we paid back in 96 to get in, I assumed it was fairly cheap, but I could very well be wrong. I'll have to look through the photo albums next time I head down to Cincinnati to see grandma and grandpa. I'd put 1000\1 odds that my grandma saved the ticket stubs and put them in a photo album. She saves EVERYTHING! It's a ton of fun going through the albums over the holiday's though, it really brings back some great memories!

I guess Cypress just holds a special place in my heart and I wasn't expecting the change.

And hey, it's not just waterskiers and flowers.. You can't forget the Belle's!

 

[ioahulk]

I decided that for our 10 day stay at Disney this year that we would rent a car for a day or two and get off of property for a bit. Back in 96, I went along with my mom, grandma and grandpa to Orlando \ Disney \ Cypress \ etc and had a really great time. Of course, I was 14 at the time...

Anyhow, I started checking some things out and my jaw about hit the floor when I found out that Cypress Gardens closed for just over a year and a half and then reopened as a... amusement park?!?!

Now granted, i've only been there small handful of times but i'm really quite disappointed. I really wanted to go relax a day away there, bring back some exellent memories of family, and being an amature photographer, take a few hundred shutter clicks. But now... I don't think so. Not for $40 bucks a pop atleast! I'm more so disappointed that you can't even buy a general admission to go walk about the park, like it was originally intended to look at the beautiful plant's and flowers. Yeah, I read the whole story about it being 6 million in debt and then being sold to the park managers who couldn't keep it afloat, closing and then reopening with a guy with some really deep pockets.

Maybe I'm just a bit in shock, I don't know. I know this is old news to a lot of you, but i'm just really suprised I guess. It's just one of those things that has been around for so long and the format has always been the same, I never thought in a thousand years it would change.

The rides are pretty much an addition to what used to be there. The still have the gardens with all the plants, flowers, trees, etc...

 

[Slacking]

Admission is a little less than $40, still cheaper compared to the $60 the other parks charge. In fact an annual pass can be purchased for a bit more than $60.

Also, its a good thing that the park was purchased and that the amusement area was added to it. Otherwise the park would still be closed, rotting away and you'd enver get the opportunity to see the gardens again.

And yes, the gardens are still there, and its still beautiful. The amusement area was added on I believe what was part of the old parking lot. Its not like they took amusement rides and plopped them into the middle of the gardens or already existing areas, they're pretty much confined to their own little area. So, you can pretty much enjoy the day enjoying the gardens and not have to worry about the amusement rides distracting from that.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

On a side note, There is an attraction ticket that will cover Cypress Gardens and many other popular attractions in Orlando. You pay one price and you buy days. What you do with the days is up to you. You can do as many attractions as you want. It is unlimited. This way, you might feel a little bit better instead of paying 42.75 for Cypress Gardens alone. The website for this ticket is www.goorlandocard.com .

 

[Virgo10]

I go to CG quite a bit. It's only about 20 minutes from my house. They have kept the best of the "Gardens" and added a lot more in the way of amusements and entertainment. It really is the best of both worlds.

Here are some photos I took last Saturday when I was there for the Brenda Lee concert.

These were taken during some of my other trips.

The Sunshine Sky Adventure.

The Triple Hurricane roller coaster. Mild enough so that even I went on.

The rest of the photos can be found here:
Cypress Gardens

Don't despair! Like you, I'm of an age that I still consider CG to be the ORIGINAL amusement park. It is still beautiful and now it appeals to everyone from 2 to 102.

You won't be disappointed.

 

[UrsulasMyHero]

back in 1993, I went to Cypress Gardens and it was $36.00 to get in. This was after they had done some re-vamping to their area near the revolving island and then closed it down. They didn't even have the Southern Belles then. I was greatly dissapointed in it. I'd deffinately go back now. They've got a lot of rides and it's 'Keeping up with the Jones'es" in the area from what I understand in the themeing these days.

 

[riu girl]

There is a coupon in the current seeorlando booklet. It costs $31.95 plus tax and includes two full days of admission.

What else can anyone tell me about it. Would it be a good park for a 5 and 8yr year old.
What do they offer int he way of animals.
Suzy