Cypress Gardens fails again, owners look for buyers

Posted | Contributed by Chitown

Cypress Gardens shut down once again Wednesday, its owner saying it has exhausted "every possible approach" to keep the storied-but-struggling tourist attraction open. The company said it has begun negotiations with several potential buyers and lessees interested in acquiring all or parts of the property.

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Legoland Florida

Surprise.

Lance has been on a roll lately.

My author website: mgrantroberts.com

I ask again...why did they expect that a strategy that not only killed Conneaut Lake, but also failed previously at Cypress Gardens would work this time?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
...who fears for Kentucky Kingdom...

    /X\        _      *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
   /XXX\      /X\     /X\_      _     /X\__      _     _        _____
  /XXXXX\    /XXX\   /XXXX\_   /X\   /XXXXX\    /X\   /X\      /XXXXX
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Blackstone is taking over Orlando - grab the wife and kids! ;)

I guess they figured the waterpark would be able to carry them into the black.

Ensign Smith said:
Lance has been on a roll lately.

You didn't exactly need a crystal ball to see this coming.

Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog

rollergator said:
Blackstone is taking over Orlando - grab the wife and kids! ;)

I heard the same thing today from a reputable source. hmmmmm!

Ensign Smith said: Lance has been on a roll lately.

With all due respect to Lance, I don't think he comes up with the rumors himself. He posts what is submitted to him. If anything it's his sources who were "lucky."

So basically, when he's wrong, he's wrong, and when he's right, he's just lucky? Was it just chance that he correctly reported the removal of Chang? How was that obvious? I wouldn't have thought twice about the rumored removal of Big Bad Wolf if it had not been for Screamscape. I don't get why people don't give him credit for the stuff he gets correct. Sure, it might not have been far fetched to see Cypress Gardens closing, but it's not like he was reporting the opposite.

While we can blame this on the economy and distance from the Orlando attractions, the new owners made a very dumb move based on what Seniors wanted.

The Seniors felt the rides were a distraction and ruined the park's natural beauty, they felt it should be as it was in the old days (just gardens and the water ski show) and they felt it was too long of a walk from the entrance to the gardens. The original entrance was at that circular pond with the Cypress Gardens sign.

To shorten the walk the owners would have removed the rides from that circular area. I believe that area had a carnival feel to it compared to the walkway where the coasters are. Rides just seemed to be plopped there without any flow or design.

The owners didn't want to deal with the rides and animals (maybe because of insurance costs) but to returned to what didn't work before on the demands of Seniors who didn't come back anyway led to this disaster. Even the employees were mixed on their feelings of the rides and animals

The park had some nice coasters and if properly done it could have been successful, along the lines of Idlewild Park, with a botanical gardens. I know some of the land is protected but I think condos will dot the lake in the near future unless a new managing team does it right. .

Last edited by OlympicParkFan,

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