Cypress Gardens theme park in Fla. closes doors

Cypress Gardens, which reigned as Florida's grandest theme park in the days before Disney, has shut down while its owners try to sell the attraction.

[TinMan]

Wow ....I remember being there right after the Apollo-Soyuz launch in 1975 ....too bad ...it was pretty cool .....

But kids don't want to sit in the hot Flordia sun anymore - too many video games to play in a dark room with air conditioning

[39ehonor]

That's a Shame--Economy is killing it--Cypress Gardens is a beautiful place with thousands of flowers,rides, attractions, and expert water-skiing spectacles

[Ryan]

The Economy didn't kill it, Poor Management,Rob Harper and Brian Philopt not wanting to spend money, Nothing special to attract people away from the bigger theme parks. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be fixed there

[Jessica Griner]

So sad, my family and I had so many memories there!

[Jack Little]

Hurricanes and constant management changes are nothing compared to Cypress Gardens' biggest problem: it's too far away from Interstate 4! When my family and I went there a few weeks before it closed, We almost got lost trying to find it! Out-of-state tourists who have no endearing attachments to the park or its status as a hallmark of Florida's tourism industry aren't going to want to deal with that when Cypress Gardens' competitors are all literally right off the freeway! If someone does buy the park and has the will and motivation to make it a viable attraction, the entire sight should be moved.

[Ryan]

Jack your right the location sucks. But they never really tried or even offered anything different to make people want to go there instead of Islands of Adventure or Disney. They wont move it, the location has 2 much history of the state

[David Coffman]

This is sad news. This was by far my family's favorite theme park to visit. They had great shows and roller coaster and rides for the kids too. They had so much to offer and you can't get a garden/theme park/water park/zoo all for the price of one anywhere else but Cypress Gardens.

Hopefully the new buyers will keep the rides and keep the name:)