Losing a Piece of History

For those of you who never had the opportunity to visit these beautiful gardens let me share some of the history.

The 200-acre gardens opened in 1936 as a showcase for more than 8,000 plant species collected from more than 90 individual countries.

In 1938, a new attraction was introduced; electric boats. Visitors could glide through the marshy waterways where huge cypress trees resided.

Famous for its magnificent flowers and innovative water and ski shows, it was also a prime location for Hollywood in the 40's. Many classic "water extravaganzas" starring Esther Williams were filmed here along with "pin-up" girl Betty Grable's "Moon Over Miami".

I visited the gardens in 1967 and was truly amazed at the enormity of the gardens, the variety of flowers, the manicured lawns that went for miles and of course the beautiful Southern Belles who dotted the gardens year round.

These ladies made you think you were strolling the lawns at Tara as they passed by in their authentic gowns with full petticoats and toteing a frilly parasol. A highlight of the visit was to have your picture taken as a special memento of the day.

We had no notification here in Florida that the gardens were being closed. It was announced on April 10th that the last day to visit was April 13th. Not much time and it came as a complete surprise. The gardens have always been there.

Right after the closing of the park there was great speculation among Florida residents as to the future of the gardens. Was it to be torn up and made into a parking lot, were we to be inundated with yet another resort area or worse yet was another set of resort/condos to be built on this beautiful land.

It was announced that Governor Jeb Bush directed state environment officials to meet with Bill Reynolds, one of the owners of the park, to talk about a possible acquisition by the state utilizing the Florida Forever program specifically designed for conservation and environmental issues concerning the preservation of land in Florida.

Another prospect was from Kent Buescher owner of Wild Adventures in Georgia who was also interested in acquiring the gardens and turning it into another attraction area for tourists but maintaining the gardens and the history that goes along with them. From the last story I read, he had not been able to reach the owners for talks.

Go To Page: 1 2