Central Florida has long been a hub of tourism, largely thanks to one very special mouse-fueled world. But even before Disney World and Universal Orlando, Central Florida was home to plenty of tourist traps and parks for the wandering traveler.

Reptile farms, giant circuses and even a replica Great Wall of China adorned Central Florida once upon a time. Take a look back into some of the best defunct amusement parks no longer with us. 

Circus World Haines City Back in 1973, Circus World opened to the masses about 30 miles from Orlando in the small Polk County town of Haines City. The Feld family, owners of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, wanted the Central Florida theme park to combine live shows and amusement park rides with a new winter quarters for the circus, according to State Library & Archives of Florida. In its heyday, Circus World had a 27,000-square-foot building that looked like a giant circus tent, carousel, Ferris wheel, wooden roller coaster, polar bear show, lion tamer, flaming high diver, elephant performances and rides, and of course, lots of clowns. Visitors could even attempt to walk across a tightrope or trapeze through the air. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Mystery Fun House From 1976 until 2001, Mystery Fun House was a second-tier tourist attraction that operated in the I-Drive corridor in Orlando. It was an old-school fun house, with mirror mazes and creepy dungeon rooms and monsters and magic shows, and it was wildly popular with families in the 1970s and ’80s. Today, it’s a Westgate Resorts/Florida Visitors Welcome Center owned by Central Florida Investments (which owns Westgate). Credit: Photo via flcrm.gov
Water Mania Kissimmee Smaller and less fancy than other water parks in the area, Water Mania in Kissimmee was like the red-headed stepchild of our local theme-park scene until it closed in 2005. The park featured rides like the Double Berserker, the Anaconda and the Cruisin’ Creek (their version of a lazy river), and it was also home to an inland surfing experience called “Wipe Out.” At its peak in the mid-’90s, the chlorine-soaked park welcomed about 500,000 people a year through its turnstiles. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Marineland Florida Marineland Florida was kind of like a low-rent Sea World, located about 20 miles south of St. Augustine. The park was opened to the publis in 1938 and was originally called Marine Stusios, as it was built as an underwater studio for filming marine life. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven (now the home of Legoland) was once one of the hottest tourist traps around. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Bongoland Ruins Visitors could ride a brontosaurus at the Bongoland Ruins at Dunlawton Plantation Sugar Mill Ruins in Port Orange. The quirky, short-lived dinosaur-themed amusement park was scattered with concrete replicas of prehistoric creatures, some of which have stood the test of time and are still present at the site to this day. Credit: Photo via flcrm.gov
Weeki Wachee Springs Weeki Wachee Springs was long famous for its live underwater mermaid performances, like this one captured in 1950. Floridians and tourists flocked to the site to enjoy the clear waters and revel in the fantasy of elegant sea-people. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
WigWam Village Motel There was a WigWam Village Motel on Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando in the 1960s. Each wigwam had a bedroom and a bathroom. Credit: Photo via dc.ocls.info
It also had a miniature version of the Great Wall of China. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Six Gun Territory Six Gun Territory in Ocala was a Wild West-themed theme park first opened in 1963. For about 20 years, the park entertained guests with simulated gun fights. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Rainbow Springs Rainbow Springs near Dunellon was home to submarine boats that allowed guests to see into the crystal clear waters while they waded through the springs. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
People enjoying the day at Sanlando Springs, sometime in the 1940s. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Casper’s Ostrich and Alligator Farm Also known as Casper’s Gatorland and Casper’s Gator Jungle, Casper’s Ostrich and Alligator Farm ran in St. Augustine from 1946 to 1982. The spot was home to plenty of native and nonnative animals, including Big Bessie, the spot’s famed 15-foot python. Credit: Photo via flcrm.gov
Fairyland Once upon a time, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo was home to Fairyland, featuring dozens of fairytale figures children could roam through. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
The new park was unveiled in 1987. It was called Boardwalk and Baseball. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory
Marco Polo Park Palm Coast The short-lived Marco Polo Park theme park offered rides and experiences themed after the exotic travels of explorer Marco Polo through Turkey, India, China and Japan. Credit: Photo via Orlando Memory
Holy Land Experience Orlando Holy Land Experience was a Christian theme park right here in Orlando, open from 2001 to 2020. The park was themed after 1st-century Jerusalem and conducted weekly church services and bible studies for the general public, alongside live reenactments of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Fun! Credit: Photo via Holy Land Experience
Silver Springs The springs were so clear at Silver Springs that they used to set up underwater vignettes, like this one from the 1940s, to show them off. Credit: Photo via Florida Memory

Additional Slideshows