Legoland owner buys Cypress Gardens

[brapt]

I LOVED Circus World as a kid.  Didn't it change hands to "Boardwalks and Baseball" after?  I believe I went there once and it was fun, but no Circus World.

[Ocklawaha]

or "Airplane" ...  

I was only 10 at the time, so I didn't know what Airplane was. Now, I can appreciate the humor.

Wow what a downer y'all, reading this thread makes me think I picked a bad day to stop methamphetamine's.

OCKLAWAHA 

[brapt]

Ock never takes methamphetamines at home...

[copperfiend]

I LOVED Circus World as a kid.  Didn't it change hands to "Boardwalks and Baseball" after?  I believe I went there once and it was fun, but no Circus World.

Yes. ESPN used to have a game show originating from Boardwalk and Baseball.

[tufsu1]

Its official...Cypress Gardens will be a Legoland

http://www.floridatrend.com/article.asp?aID=52371

[thelakelander]

Legoland Florida: Merlin Entertainments reveals details of new Winter Haven park

Central Florida will be home to the world's largest Legoland by the end of 2011, Merlin Entertainments Group said Thursday.

The park, which is planned for the former site of the historic Cypress Gardens, is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs. The historical gardens will stay intact, according to Nick Varney, Merlin's chief executive officer.

Varney announced the details of Florida's newest theme park at a news conference attended by government and tourism officials, including Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Varney kicked off the event by calling Legoland Florida's "worst-kept secret," referring to the fact that details of today's announcement leaked out Wednesday, after an email surfaced confirming that it was indeed Legoland that was coming to Polk County.

Legoland, Varney said, "is without question one of the strongest brands in the world."

The Florida park is Legoland's second U.S. location, after Legoland California in Carlsbad, Calif. The addition of a Legoland in the Sunshine State is part of a broader push into the U.S. for Merlin.

"We see it as a big development market for us," Varney said.

Merlin Entertainments said it plans to make a "substantial investment" in the Polk County attraction. Governor Charlie Crist went further, saying the company will put hundreds of millions of dollars into the project.

In exchange for building a Legoland in Winter Haven, Merlin Entertainments will receive $5 million in incentives from Polk County over a 10 year period, plus road improvements. The package includes $150,000 per year for job creation and $350,000 per year in marketing support, sources said.

"Obviously in these challenging economic times, these jobs are fabulous," said Florida Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-legoland-florida-park-20100121,0,1659229.story

[Jason]

I wish them the best.  They are the experts but I'm still skeptical that the location will pay off.

[tufsu1]

they've made Legoland Cailifornia work...between LA and San Diego...and its at least 30 miles south of Disneyland

[Jason]

Yeah, but the Cali location is right off of I5 which is an 8 lane freeway and is only about 30 minutes from San Diego.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Hopefully the conversion will in some way incorporate the gardens and pay homage to their importance in Florida tourism history.