29yrswithaGApass Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 Source: The Ledger Cypress Gardens to Close for Several Months Owners plan to expand water park area, remove rides, animal attractions. By Rick Rousos Published: Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. WINTER HAVEN | Cypress Gardens will close beginning Nov. 17 and plans to reopen in March with an expanded water park but without its rides and animal attractions, company officials said Sunday night. Cypress Gardens owners said the park was trying to be too many things. "It is obvious the park cannot successfully function as four parks in one. We have some exciting new plans that everyone will be thrilled to see come March," co-owner Rob Harper said in a prepared statement. Cypress Gardens has about 200 hourly workers, most of them part time, and 15 full-time salaried employees, said Brian Philpot, the other owner. About half of the workers were told of the closing and renovation plans Sunday evening and the others are to be told today. "We are in the process of notifying our employees. The vast majority of them will be temporarily without work at the park during the renovations, and those eligible will be reinstated when renovations are complete," Harper said in the prepared statement. Philpot said Cypress Gardens will choose, likely in December, between a variety of options to expand the water park area of the park. Cypress Gardens now has a big wave pool, a lazy river and a swimming area for kids that includes five slides. The move to expand the water park and to eliminate the 38 rides and animal exhibits came after what the owners say was months of exhaustive analysis. Other improvements include adding a parking area and moving the main entrance back to where it was years ago. The new parking area will be much closer to the water park and gardens than the current one. Cypress Gardens will also add a display featuring the history of Cypress Gardens. The owners say the renovations come during a normally slow time of year and the park will reopen just before the peak of the tourism season. They say they are sorry for having to let employees go temporarily and for any inconvenience to guests and pass holders. Pass holders are asked to visit www.cypressgardens.com for more information about their passes in the coming weeks. "There will be several options for them," Philpot said. "We depend on our pass holders and we want them to be happy." In 2004, Adventure Parks Group, owned by Kent Buescher, purchased Cypress Gardens for $7 million. But the park was devastated by debt caused by the hurricanes of 2004. Harper and Philpot, who own Mulberry-based Land South Holdings, bought Cypress Gardens in a bankruptcy sale in September 2007 for $16.8 million. Cypress Gardens' management, responding to revenue shortfalls, in September began opening the park three days per week, Friday through Sunday. The 72-year-old attraction had previously been open seven days per week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkridedan Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 Mother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted November 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2008 You can find all of Cypress Gardens' rides for sale HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted November 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 I went to Cypress Gardens once last July. It was a nice place but not really spectacular. The park was pretty empty for a summer day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkridedan Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Wow. It's even more beautiful than I pictured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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