Pictures of the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida
87Cypress Gardens in Florida
This hub will show many pictures of the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida that my mother and I got to enjoy one year while on vacation.
Hope you enjoy them half as much as we did in taking the photos and strolling through the gardens.
We were making our way on over to Florida from Houston to visit my aunt and uncle and did some sightseeing along the way.
After leaving Tarpon Springs "the sponge capitol of the world" and a very interesting Greek influenced town in Florida, my mother and I decided that we had enough time to visit the renowned and beautiful Cypress Gardens before we would be expected to arrive at my aunt and uncle's home in Englewood, Florida.
Cypress Gardens opened in 1936 and was visited by my grandparents along with many other people over the course of numerous passing years.
It is the oldest operating tourist attraction in Florida which is a state filled to the brim with other tourist attractions.
Cypress Gardens
Dick and Julie Pope were the founders and owners for many years until it was finally sold in 1985.
Julie had a "green thumb" and with her involvement over 8,000 varieties of plants were showcased in this scenic garden with waterways and cypress trees adorning this distinctive piece of land.
cypress gardens florida
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Cypress Gardens
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Water skiing and hang gliding at Cypress Gardens
In 1938 electric boats were added to take the touring visitors through the gardens via this mode of transportation.
The water ski shows became a part of this evolving attraction in 1943.
When my mother and I saw it in March of 1998, Ski Xtreme was advertised with water skiers forming a human pyramid culminating the performance. Every type of acrobatic showmanship was shown including jumps off of a ramp and other fast moving entertainment to make for a very enjoyable and memorable water show.
Some pictures from the water ski show that we got to enjoy at Cypress Gardens
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water skiing
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Cypress Gardens
Southern Bells
Young women dressed like Southern Bells in hoop skirted colorful dresses adorned the gardens adding even more color to the already beautiful sight.
Other young women could rent these hoop dresses in all types of colors for photo opportunities and we saw several families taking pictures of their young daughters dressed in this attire.
southern bell ladies
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hoop skirts
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Cypress Gardens
Topiary at Cypress Gardens
Besides the botanical gardens, topiary elements were cultivated and punctuate the landscape with fantastic shapes.
This is a gardening art form that takes plenty of tending and constant pruning to keep the desired characters in shape. The topiary forms we saw included things like cute teddy bear shapes, a horse drawn carriage in which people could actually sit for photos, and a hoop skirted woman that was made to look like she was standing outside near a waterway painting a canvas. This is just a small example of the many topiaries that graced the grounds when we were visiting.
Some of the topiary in Cypress Gardens...
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Fryar's Topiaries (Amazing!)
topiary
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Patagonian Cavy at Cypress Gardens
A small zoo was also a part of Cypress Gardens when we visited there.
One of the pictures that I took was of an animal called a Capybara. This interesting creature normally lives in marshes and swamps or wooded areas near water in Central & South America. Their diet consists of eating aquatic plants, grains and fruits. They can weigh from 60 to 110 pounds when full grown.
Another photo was of the Patagonian Cavy. These are rodents that live in the dry grasslands of southern South America. They live on raw vegetables, hay and green matter. They get to be 2 1/2 feet long and nest in burrows. Rapid runners, they can also leap up to 6 feet in the air.
Capybara at Cypress Gardens
Mammals of the World: Patagonian Cavy
Have you ever visited Cypress Gardens in Florida?
See results without votingThe ever evolving Cypress Gardens...Interesting background
- Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, Florida
We were sad when the "Water Ski Capital of the World" closed -- but Cypress Gardens is back on the map.
Cypress Gardens overview
A look back...Cypress Gardens 1957
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When the Pope family sold Cypress Gardens in 1985, things began to change. Slowly carnival and adventure rides including things like roller-coasters were added. A paddle wheel boat joined the scene in 1999. Splash Island, a water park was added.
After September 11th............our modern "day of infamy" in the United States............the park was running such a large deficit that it had to be closed.
Today Cypress Gardens has pretty much gone back to its roots. What is being featured once again are the spectacular gardens. The water park, Splash Island, is being continued and one can pay separate admission charges to see one or the other.
The adventure rides are being sold off and the zoo animals are being relocated into other good homes. Apparently that is an ongoing project as of this date.
The water ski show will continue to be an attraction, according to what I have read, but the human pyramid will no longer be a part of the show for cost cutting economic reasons.
Personally I believe that eliminating all of those rides and keeping the quiet beauty of the gardens as the focus will serve Cypress Gardens best in the long run. People can go elsewhere to enjoy an amusement park atmosphere. I am happy that my grandparents saw it many years ago and that my mother and I got to see it in almost the same condition that many decades later.
Hopefully Cypress Gardens will continue to offer it's gracious southern charm and atmosphere to generations of visitors to central Florida for generations to come. Enjoy the pictures that I took on that sunny day in March of 1988 and leave a comment if you wish. Thanks!
More Cypress Gardens images
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Update...
Cypress Gardens is now forever closed and has been replaced by a Lego Land. Hope that you enjoyed these pictures of what the beautiful Cypress Gardens used to look like in Florida. It is like the passing of an era!
Cypress Gardens Butterflies (In Memory of the once Beautiful Butterfly Garden at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Florida.)
Cypress Gardens near Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida - Other hubs about Florida by Peggy W
- Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota - Epiphytes set the stage
Look at the size of that orchid!
Cypress Gardens images
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Full tour of Legoland Florida - A look at all the attractions... (This is what has taken the place of Cypress Gardens)
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I went to the Cypress Gardens 30 years ago and have a picture of that same view.
Hi RTalloni,
I am thankful that several generations of my family got to see the beautiful Cypress Gardens as it existed for years. Sad to know that it is now gone. At least we can still share pictures of what it used to look like. Thanks for your comment.
Hi Ann,
No, I did not know that it had closed and is now a Lego Land. What a shame! The passing of an era that will be long remembered!
Hello Kris Heeter,
They had many of those topiaries at Cypress Gardens which added to the beauty of the place. Glad that you enjoyed these photos. Thanks for your comment.
When this popped up it brought back a lot of memories--thanks for sharing. My what changes over the years!
Hi Peggy, I am glad I saved all my pictures of CG. Did you know it closed? It is now the home of Lego Land. It just opened last month. We used to visit once a year and sure going to miss it.
I love the topiary elements - those always fascinate me. Beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing!
Hello LeroyShane,
Thanks for your brief but complimentary comment on this hub about pictures of the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida. :-)
Hello simon64,
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the pictures of Cypress Gardens in Florida and thanks for the comment.
Great Hub. The pictures are just stunning!
Hi Micky,
You are certainly busy reading a bunch of my hubs! Glad you liked this one about Cypress Gardens in Florida. I enjoyed myself taking the pictures and strolling the grounds with my mother. Thanks for the comment.
It's another wonderful travel hub! The pictures and descriptions with the videos make a fantastic hub. You are just incredible!
Hello minutecreature,
So happy to hear that you enjoyed reading this hub about the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida. I had a lot of fun taking pictures...and that pre-dated the common use of digital cameras! I would have a heyday now! Thanks for the nice comment.
Hi Peggy, I really love your posts. They are very informative and nice to read. God bless and more power!
Hello Florida Collection Agency,
If you live in Florida (which I am assuming from the name of your business that you do) you MUST visit the Cypress Gardens! They are truly amazing and so beautiful. Thanks for the comment.
Amazing pictures. I can't believe this place exists. I have to make it there soon.
Hello sdp,
Thanks for adding this information regarding the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida. You were fortunate in living nearby to such a pretty site.
I grew up in Lakeland, just beside Winter Haven, and have been to Cypress Gardens countless times. I have pictures from the 70s of myself near or beside these landmarks. Don't forget the swimming pool shaped the state of Florida. The boat ride took you up beside it.
Hello Property-Invest,
Thanks for appreciating and commenting on this Cypress Gardens, Florida hub.
This is a really stunning hub, thanks!
Hello annmeadows,
Hope that you enjoy the beautiful Cypress Gardens as much as my mother and I did when we were visiting in Florida. Thanks for the nice comment.
Peggy, I've got to visit this place on my trip through Florida. Thanks for all the beautiful pictures and rich content.
Hi Dawn Goodrich,
So very happy that you liked these pictures of the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida. You certainly live in a pretty State of the Union! Thanks for the very nice comment.
Very nice pictures. Thank you so much.
We are from Florida. This brings us back to our roots
and makes us proud to see.
Hello Journey*,
Glad that you liked them. Cypress Gardens is so beautiful that it would be hard not to get good photos in that scenic part of Florida. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Peggy W, these photos are lovely! Thanks for sharing with us.
Greetings blpelton,
Happy to hear that you enjoyed the photos of Florida's Cypress Gardens. Thanks for leaving a comment.
great journey loved the pix! great hub! THX 4 sharing!!!
Hello My Digest,
So happy that you enjoyed this hub about the beautiful Cypress Gardens in Florida. Going over to your site now to see if you have written any articles about gardens. Thanks for the comment.
I love gardens and I enjoy gardens and breathe gardens...LOL thank you for this beautiful hub!
Hello loveroflife,
They have acres and acres of gorgeous garden scenery at Cypress Gardens in Florida. Not to worry! LOL
Cypress Gardens is a beautiful attraction. Glad they were able to keep most of it available for viewing.
Hi swathin2,
Hope you enjoy your outing at Cypress Gardens as much as we did. Thanks for the comment.
the photos are really wonderful and pleasure to watch. i am going to make my next outing to this place
Glad you liked them Scott. Enjoy your day also. Thanks for commenting.
Wow, this is gorgeous, I've always loved Florida. Thanks for showing these pictures and writing this hub! Have a great day. ~ Scott
Hi Laila, Imagine having a place this beautiful in which to relax and unwind every day. A bit of paradise on earth! Thanks for commenting.
And, hello gpetrou85........thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Hi ripplemaker, Happy that you could enjoy this journey via my photos. I agree about nature being a wonderful place in which to bask and unwind. Thanks for commenting.
Wow..thanks for sharing these amazing photos!Yes,just keeping the quiet beauty of the gardens is a great idea as they are so relaxing and soothing to the mind!Thanks!
Hey this is so cool. I love watching the photos and the well tended gardens and would definitely love to watch the shows including the acrobatics performed on water. Oooh, I would love that a lot! Nature is very soothing and calming and it would be a joy to bask in it. Thanks for sharing the photos you took Peggy W! :-)
very nice,good hub.
Hi frogyfish, Glad that this brought back some good memories for you. Writing about places that I have seen does the same for me. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
I visited Cypress Gardens as a young teen, and that day there were none of the 'workers' in uniform'. It is or should I say was a quiet beautiful place. Loved traveling with you!
Hi katyzzz, So happy you liked every square inch of it. Thanks for commenting.
What an exquisite journey you have taken us on. I loved every square inch of it.
Hi kiran, Glad that you enjoyed this hub. Thanks for the comment.
Hello Birte, So many places in the U.S. and the world for that matter...it would be difficult (almost impossible) to see them all! That is one nice thing about hubpages. We can all learn from one another. Hope you get to see Cypress Gardens if you would like as well as other places high on your list of things to view. Thanks!
Hi Pete, Glad that this brought back memories for you of the water show. Did you get to see the human pyramid? That was an amazing sight! At least for those that will never be able to see it in the future....I have a photo of it in this hub. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
And....hello Dolores. I couldn't agree with you more about gardens being quiet places of beauty. Somehow roller coasters and gardens do not fit my idea of something that I would enjoy seeing blended together. Glad to read that they are getting rid of those rides. Thanks for reading this and leaving your comments.
Thanks for sharing the wonderful pics, Peggy. I think you are so right about getting rid of the rides, gardens should be places of quiet, except for birds and frogs etc. The topiary is out of this world especially the horse and carriage.
It is a beautiful place. I had forgotten about the water ski shows.
Thanks Peggy for showing yet another side and place of the US that someone like me has not yet had the chance to see
Wonderful pictures peggy, thanks a lot for the article and the pics :)
Melody, Thanks for reading and my wish is that you get there and many other beautiful places in the world!
Hi K@ri, Where in Florida do your parents live? I've only seen parts of the west coast of Florida and some of the interior of the state. But from what I have experienced, Florida is a wonderland filled with attractions worth seeing. Intend to write more hubs regarding things we have experienced. Thanks again for commenting on this and many other hubs. Appreciate it. Enjoy your hubs as well.
Beautiful pictures Peggy! I can't believe there are people sitting in that horse and carriage! I never knew you could sit in topiary. The ground look lovely. My parents are in Florida, I'm going to have to see how far away they are from Cypress Gardens and Tarpon Springs!
Oh, wish I could go to this beautiful place, thanks for sharing.
Hi G-Ma, The Butchart Gardens in Victoria are beautiful also. We also loved the ones in Vancouver equally well. Guess we simply like beautiful gardens where ever they happen to be! Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Awww that was great..Loved it sweetie...reminds me of The Butchart Gardens in Victoria Canada....I also was impressed with the water pictures, very nice..Thanks for sharing...G-Ma :O) Hugs
Peggy W Hub Author 5 months ago
Hello East Texas Girl,
Nice that you also have pictures and memories of the beautiful Cypress Gardens. Thanks for your comment.