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Get Away

Revisionist tinkering

After falling into the role of the poor stepsister to Florida's more well-know theme parks, Cypress Gardens banks on a makeover to return it to a place of prominence.

By JAY CRIDLIN
Published May 11, 2006

	[Cypress Gardens]
	Visitors at Cypress Gardens prepare for the ascent on the Storm Surge water ride.
	The theme park’s gardens and butterfly observatory were retained in the $45-million makeover.
	Variations on a theme Temperatures are rising. School is about to let out. You can practically feel the asphalt melting beneath your feet. Coaster reaches the top of the world All hail the mighty Yeti. Island has new adventure The prevailing wisdom on water slides is, when you've ridden one, you've ridden them all. Revisionist tinkering After falling into the role of the poor stepsister to Florida's more well-know theme parks, Cypress Gardens banks on a makeover to return it to a place of prominence. SeaWorld goes showbiz What you need to know about Believe, the lavish new killer whale show opening today at SeaWorld, is that Shamu is still the star. The best of the rest Most theme parks tout one or two new attractions each year. Here are a few other highlights from the Central Florida theme parks.

WINTER HAVEN

Today's theme park thrillseekers can be a pain to impress.

They want exotic animals with funny names, like the dik-dik and lorikeet. They want roller coasters based on movies based on TV shows based on comic books.

But do they still want pyramidding water-skiers and frou-frou Southern belles?

This is the challenge faced by historic Cypress Gardens, the tweedy Winter Haven theme park that this year is celebrating 70 years of belles, botany and Banana George Blair on yellow skis.

We hear you groaning.

But before you write off Cypress Gardens as a dusty old pre-Disney dinosaur, know that the park has tried to adapt and evolve. It closed in 2003, and over the next 19 months, a new owner spent more than $45-million reinventing Cypress Gardens, adding dozens of rides and a water park, Splash Island.

Did it make a difference? It all depends on how much bang you want for your theme park dollar.

At Cypress Gardens, you will, of course, meet world-class water-skiers and beautiful young women in hoop skirts. The park's botanical gardens and butterfly observatory remain as gorgeous as ever. Parking is abundant, the walkways are peaceful and the noise level is whisper-soft. (Try finding that at Disney or Busch Gardens.)

But this is supposed to be the new Cypress Gardens. So what's new?

One of the most welcome additions is Splash Island, which boasts a wave pool, lazy river rafts and several big slides. Not many theme parks contain a fully operational water park, which is included in the price of admission.

And the park's yearlong concert series is still among the best of any regional theme park, with acts like Trisha Yearwood, Hank Williams Jr. and George Jones on tap.

There's also a greater emphasis on rides than in the old days, with coasters like the Triple Hurricane, named for Charley, Frances and Jeanne, which stormed through Polk County in 2004. It's a dandy little wooden coaster, one that's over much too soon. And the Thunderbolt, a 120-foot free-fall drop ride, is genuinely frightening.

None of the rides is enormous. In fact, they're all small enough to be part of a good carnival midway.

This is a problem. While Cypress Gardens doesn't claim its rides can compete with those at Universal Studios, they do represent the park's biggest physical upgrade. Your average Joe SixFlags may leave underwhelmed.

In a region flush with entertainment options, $39.95 - the price of one adult ticket to Cypress Gardens - may seem a tad pricey for a place that no longer dominates Florida's theme park food chain.

But consider everything that ticket buys you. Shows, rides, gardens, animals, concerts, a second day free, a water park, a touch of historic Florida - add it all up, and suddenly, you've got a pretty diverse entertainment menu. Very little about Cypress Gardens will actually blow you away, but the sum of its parts is greater than you might realize.

One might regard Cypress Gardens as the White House press corps regards veteran journalist Helen Thomas: She may seem a little out of touch, but she's still a brassy old dame who's not afraid to compete with the big boys, no matter how unfashionable her hats have become.

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Cypress Gardens Adventure Park is at 6000 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven, in eastern Polk County, about 50 miles east of downtown Tampa. (863) 324-2111; www.cypressgardens.com. Hours vary. $39.95 general, $34.95 ages 55 and older and ages 3-9 includes Splash Island water park. A second day is free within six days of first visit.

[Last modified May 10, 2006, 12:08:15]