Cypress Gardens closed today

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

Just read in the News Press that Cypress Gardens closed down today as the owners ponder what to do to make it a viable operation and consider bids from developers.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

What a shame. THat was a beautiful place.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

It was a great value, just too much of a drive from Orlando.

Rumor is that the Blackstone Group (Owns a stake in Universal Studios and is also rumored to be buying the Seaworld/Busch Gardens parks. Also owns the Hilton brand. ) is a potential buyer..

To me, this seems hard to believe, as it is simply the location that makes Cypress Gardens a consistent under-performer. I only visited a few times, but thought it was a great value as ticket prices and annual passes were really reasonable.. I thought it was comparable to Silver Springs in Ocala, but just didn't have the advantage of a strong repeat client base like the Ocala park- and was too far from Orlando to capture much of that tourist market.