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POSTCARDS: STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA (2); BANYAN TREE: LEGOLAND FLORIDA RESORT
DARING SHOWS on Lake Eloise made
Cypress Gardens the “water-skiing capital
of the world.” Below, the seedling banyan
tree planted in 1939 is massive today.In1931,Dickand
JuliePopebought
several acres of
cypress swamp
on Lake Eloise in
Winter Haven, FL,
for a tourist garden.
It took five years to
clear the land, dig
canals and procure
the plants. Cypress
Gardens opened
Jan. 2, 1936; 182
visitors each paid
25centstogetin.
The gardens
featured more than
30 kinds of palms,
26 varieties of
banana trees, 40
varieties of azalea
and 30 kinds of
camellias. Plants
came from Africa,
Asia, Oceana and
the Americas.From Swamp to Swank:
CYPRESS GARDENS’ RISEskiing a craze that
lasted well into
the 1970s.
A tireless
promoter, Dick was
known to say to his
staff, “I’ve called the
press and told them
something big is
happening here
today. Any ideas?”When frost killed
vines at the gates
in 1940, Julie had
a staff member in a
hooped dress stand
nearby to divert
visitors’ attention.
Roaming southern
belles were soon
regular fixtures.
In 1941, when a
newspaper printed
a picture of the
gardens with water
skiers, several
servicemen showed
up to see the skiing
show. There was
no such thing at
the time, but on the
spot, Julie rounded
up her kids and
friends to put one
on. Cypress Gardens
has been credited
with making waterThe Pope family
sold the park in- After several
owners, closings
and reopenings, the
gardens became
part of Legoland
Florida in 2010, and
joined the National
Register of Historic
Places in 2014.