ORLANDO, Fla. – Everyone is aware of the title Walt Disney.
But are you aware about Dick Pope Sr.?
Back when Florida was solely identified for its oranges and mosquitoes, and many years earlier than Disney dreamed of creating the Happiest Place on Earth, Dick Pope Sr. opened a theme park that will ultimately remodel Florida right into a vacationer vacation spot.
All week, producer Katrina Scales is diving deeper into her favourite random Florida info from 2022.
On Thursday’s episode of Your Florida Daily: the flamboyant salesman behind Florida’s first business theme park and the way he later grew to become often called the father of American water snowboarding.
Listen under:
As a Florida child born within the 1990′s, I used to be half of one of the final generations that obtained to get pleasure from Cypress Gardens as a baby.
The park had large topiaries formed like animals with vivid flowers and exquisite girls dressed as Southern Belles sitting within the gardens.
Everyone would collect on the lake for the water snowboarding present.
Speedboats flew throughout the water with 5, 10 and even 15 individuals in tow, usually stacked up holding flags or carrying costumes.
It was this distinctive combo of sights that introduced vacationers from everywhere in the world to Florida for over 70 years. And all of it obtained began by one man: Dick Pope Sr.—well—with the help of his wife, Julie.
Back within the 1920′s, Pope and his brother bought speedboats. Hoping to drum up pleasure for purchasers, he began snowboarding behind the boats, ultimately including completely different strikes and tips.
A number of years later, Pope truly grew to become the primary particular person to efficiently full a bounce on water skis after using a wood ramp and touchdown a distance of 25 ft.
But this isn’t what impressed Pope to open a theme park.
The inspiration truly got here a number of years later when his spouse, Julie, confirmed Pope {a magazine} article a few man displaying off his manicured gardens round a mansion and charging guests to see it.
From this, the couple hatched the thought of Cypress Gardens and transformed 16 acres of Winter Haven swamp into an idyllic wonderland.
The park opened in 1936 and was an instantaneous success.
For 25 cents a pop, 1000’s got here to tour the botanical backyard. Fast ahead to the 1940′s, Julie prompt including younger girls in antebellum-style gown to behave as hostesses on the park.
During World War II, the story goes {that a} group of troopers noticed pictures of water skiers on the lake and believed the water ski reveals had been an attraction.
When the troopers arrived, able to pay for tickets to the ski present, Julie rounded up her two youngsters and their mates and staged an impromptu water snowboarding exhibition.
The efficiency was an enormous hit and the subsequent weekend lots of extra troopers arrived to see the present.
From that time on, the reveals had been a staple at Cypress Gardens.
Fifty world information had been damaged there, popularizing the game and turning Winter Haven into the water skiing capital of the world. Celebrities visited and Hollywood filmmakers shot motion pictures on the park main Pope to extend ticket costs to $1, then $2.
But it wasn’t till 1963 when Pope met an bold entrepreneur who was scouring Central Florida for his personal theme park.
His title was Walt Disney.
Wearing his signature turquoise go well with with vivid pink trim, Pope welcomed Disney and absolutely supported his thought of an enormous amusement park, believing that elevated tourism can be good for Florida.
In 1971, an hour north of Cypress Gardens, Disney World opened its gates. This finally led to a decline in guests at Cypress Gardens.
Still, Pope remained mates with Disney and have become the primary customer to obtain a lifetime cross to the brand new Magic Kingdom.
Despite a number of modifications in possession, the addition of rollercoasters and a water park, Cypress Gardens by no means returned to its glory days.
The park formally closed in 2009 however the website didn’t keep empty for lengthy. A pair of years later, Legoland opened in its spot.
Though Cypress Gardens is a factor of the previous, the botanical garden remains intact inside Legoland, preserved as a homage to Dick and Julie’s creation.
Stay tuned for extra particular episodes of Your Florida Daily. Listen each weekday on ClickOrlando.com, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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