Cypress Gardens
Hosting its famous four annual flower festivals, Cypress Gardens was Florida's first theme park and remains
as popular as ever. It is situated 45 minutes south of Orlando, near Winter Haven and the peaceful shores of
Lake Eloise. It originated in the 1930,s and inherited its name due to the giant, shading cypress trees.
Although initially relatively small in size, it now covers over 220 acres and boasts a large variety of
attractions, including different shows, shopping and top quality dining, a large selection of animals,
beautiful manicured gardens, stunning topiary and various other horticultural exhibits. The highlight of the
park is generally the fabulous Botanical Gardens, with its shaded brick pathways winding through the dense
heliconias and bromeliads, the colorful bougainvilles and bamboo forests. Although the gardens are a
pleasure to visit at any time of the year, it is difficult to better the Spring Flower Festival, November's Mum
Festival, with over 3 million chrysanthemum blooming, and the Poinsettia Festival. The floral aspect, as
important and popular as it is, is by no means the only attraction available. Water-skiing on the nearby lake
provides endless fun, and the 153-f00t-high Island in the Sky revolving observatory. At its base, Southern
Crossroads boasts several eateries and shops. The Butterfly Conservatory and Nature's Way have been
added more recently, and provide a aviary, animal enclosures and a boardwalk area on Lake Eloise.
|
