Cypress Gardens purchased by non-profit group

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Cypress Gardens, a venerable but recently closed Florida tourist attraction famous for water skiers and Southern belles, is set to be bought by a nonprofit environmental group in a $22 million deal that would save the park from immediate dissection. Five months after the Winter Haven theme park shut its doors, the Trust for Public Land said on Thursday it has reached agreement with the park's owners to purchase the park that was a vacation destination for millions of tourists over its 60-year life.

Read more from Reuters.

This is good news indeed. I'm relieved to see efforts to keep the park open as the beautiful botanical and historical gem that it is, rather than see it developed into an amusement park or condos.

this is the best news. I have been here before. When I was in college I visited the Park regularly. It is very beautiful .Im so glad that this place was saved. 22 million is a great price for such a historic wildlife area that will be prserved for ever.

I can see it now: Six Flags Cypress Gardens.

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

Not likely. Six Flags is in deep doo-doo and won't make any new investments. Cypress Gardens should probably stay like it is as a garden not a ride park. I love coasters but BGT has a job to fo by bring us a B&M airtime hyper. I hope they get one. Lets have BGT fill our neede void instead of Kent Bushner or whatever his name is. I would support his proposal but I don't think the locals would so this plan may be the best for Cypress Gardens. At least my mother will still enjoy going there. It would be an interesting place to visit and should be saved!

Hmmm...Busch Cypress Gardens anyone? J/k...too close to Tampa.

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Nashville needs a theme park!

What are any of you talking about? The news is that they were bought by a non-profit that's going to run the park.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?

And I quote:

"The group hopes to sell the property to another buyer ..."

"Potential buyers have already discussed several options, including adding amusement park rides "

It just makes you wonder who these "potential buyers" are.

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

I'd think one of the prospective buyers who wants to add rides is the gentelman who owns Wild Adventures up in Validosta. He has stated several times that he would like to preserve the park as well as add coasters and other rides to make the park more profitable.

Have Phun

Paul Drabek

thrillerman1: Cypress Gardens was once part of the Busch chain, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know when they sold it, though.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

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