Cypress Gardens opened in Winter Haven in 1936, decades before Central Florida became synonymous with giant theme parks. Its botanical gardens, Southern-belle imagery, Hollywood exposure and famous water-ski shows turned Lake Eloise into an international tourism stage. The historic gardens now survive inside LEGOLAND Florida Resort.
The gardens came first
Dick and Julie Pope opened Cypress Gardens as a botanical attraction on Lake Eloise. The combination of subtropical landscaping and relentless promotion gave travelers a reason to stop in inland Florida at a time when modern Central Florida tourism barely existed.
The ski show became the legend
The water-ski show grew during the 1940s and became the image most associated with Cypress Gardens. Human pyramids, barefoot skiing, ballet-style routines and constant innovation made Winter Haven a center of show skiing rather than simply a place where people happened to ski.
Hollywood amplified the place
Films, television and celebrity visits carried Cypress Gardens imagery far beyond Polk County. Water, flowers and performers became a shorthand for Florida leisure, helping the attraction shape the state's tourism image long before the interstate-era theme parks dominated it.
The gardens did not disappear
After ownership changes and closure, the Cypress Gardens property was acquired for the development that became LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The historic botanical gardens and the massive banyan tree remain part of the site, giving today's family attraction a direct physical connection to Winter Haven's earlier tourism story.
Make it current
Use the live calendar before you lock in the day. A festival, home game, museum program, concert or road closure can change the best version of this plan.