2004 (as Cypress Gardens Adventure Park)
October 15, 2011 (as Legoland Florida)
Legoland Florida, originally known as Cypress Gardens, is an amusement park in Winter Haven, Florida, USA. It is currently run by Merlin Entertainments and is the largest park in the Legoland chain.
History
The park opened on January 2, 1936 and was built by Dick and Julie Pope. It was bought by Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich in 1985, however it was sold to the Busch Corporation in 1989. On January 4, 1995, it was sold to a group of the park's managers.
The park was closed on April 13, 2003 due to declining tourism following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.[1]
Kent Buescher, owner of Wild Adventures, purchased the park in 2004 and reopened it as Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. In 2006, the park filed for bankruptcy largely due to damages caused by hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne.[2] The park was purchased by Florida-based Land South Adventures, LLC, who operated the park for two seasons, closing on September 23, 2009.
On October 15, 2011, the park reopened under Merlin ownership. Its rides were re-branded to fit in with the Legoland theme.[3]
Roller coasters
Present
Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coastersaurus | Martin & Vleminckx | Wooden | November 26, 2004 | Operating |
Dragon | Vekoma | Sit-Down | November 26, 2004 | Operating |
The Great Lego Race | Mack Rides | Wild Mouse | October 15, 2011 | Operating |
Past
Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fiesta Express | Zamperla | Kiddie | November 26, 2004 | November 16, 2011 | Relocated to Gillian's FunLand |
Galaxy Spin | Zamperla | Wild Mouse | August 17, 2005 | November 16, 2008 | Relocated to Fun Spot America |
Starliner | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. | Wooden | July 14, 2007 | November 16, 2008 | Sold - stored |
Flying School | Vekoma | Inverted roller coaster | December 9, 2004 | August 12, 2023 | Scrapped |
Attractions
- This list is incomplete, please expand it if you can.
Present
Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened |
---|---|---|---|
Aquazone Wave Racers | Zierer | Jet Skis | 2011 |
Battle of Bricksburg | Mack Rides | Splash Battle | 2013 |
Beetle Bounce | S&S Worldwide | Junior Drop Tower x2 | 2011 |
Coast Guard Academy | Garmendale | Boat Ride | 2011 |
Duplo Tractor | Unknown | Track Ride | 2011 |
Duplo Train | Unknown | Junior Railway | 2011 |
Grand Carousel | Bertazzon | Gallopers | 2011 |
The Lego Movie Masters of Flight | Brogent Technologies | Flying Theatre | 2019 |
Lego Ninjago The Ride | Triotech ART Engineering |
Tracked Dark Ride | 2017 |
Lost Kingdom Adventure | Bertazzon | Tracked Dark Ride | 2011 |
Merlin's Challenge | Unknown | Sea Storm | 2011 |
Mia's Riding Adventure | Zamperla | Disk'O | 2015 |
Pirate River Quest | Unknown | Boat Ride | 2022 |
Rescue Academy | Metallbau Emmeln | Fire Academy | 2011 |
The Royal Joust | Metallbau Emmeln | Pony Trek | 2011 |
Safari Trek | Metallbau Emmeln | Track Ride | 2011 |
Technicycle | Zamperla | Magic Bikes | 2011 |
Unikitty's Disco Drop | Zierer | Junior Drop Tower | 2019 |
Closed
Water slides
Legoland Water Park is located at the back of Legoland Florida. It originally opened in 2005 as Splash Island when the park was called Cypress Gardens.[4] It closed alongside Cypress Gardens in 2009, and reopened under its current name on May 26, 2012.[5] The park operates as an extra paid facility for existing Legoland guests and cannot be accessed on its own.
Name | Manufacturer | Class | Type | Opened |
---|---|---|---|---|
Duplo Splash Safari | WhiteWater West | Body | Kiddie | 2012 |
Joker Soaker | WhiteWater West | Body | Water Play Structure | 2005 |
Splash Out | WhiteWater West | Body | Speed | 2005 |
Twin Chasers | WhiteWater West | Tube | N/A | 2005 |
References
- ↑ "CYPRESS GARDENS TO CLOSE ITS GATES".
- ↑ "Cypress Gardens files bankruptcy".
- ↑ "LEGOLAND Florida announces grand opening date of October 15, 2011".
- ↑ Edwards, Amy L. (July 28, 2005). "Cypress Gardens betting on 'Splash'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- ↑ Reinstetle, Matt (May 24, 2012). "Public Gets Free Preview of Legoland's New Water Park". The Ledger. Polk County, Florida. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
Merlin Entertainments | Amusement parks owned/operated by|||||||||
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Dungeon | |||||||||
Eye | |||||||||
Legoland | |||||||||
Legoland Discovery Centre | |||||||||
Madame Tussauds | |||||||||
Peppa Pig Theme Park | |||||||||
Water Parks | |||||||||
Former |