Remembering Central Florida amusement parks and tourist traps that no longer exist

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.

Mystery Fun House

Orlando
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.

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.

Marineland Florida

Flagler County
Marineland Florida was like a low-rent Sea World, located about 20 miles south of St. Augustine. The park was opened to the public in 1938 and was originally called Marine Studios, as it was built as an underwater studio for filming marine life. Tourists were later invited to the site to catch a glimpse of dolphins, fish and more sea life up close.

Cypress Gardens

Winter Haven
Now the home of Legoland, this plot in Winter Haven once housed one of the hottest tourist traps in the area. Cypress Gardens was a botanical garden and theme park that operated from 1936 to 2009, offering waterskiing and live entertainment. Billed as Florida's very first tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because many of the sport's firsts were achieved and more than 50 world records were broken there. World War II soldiers were known to visit the park, and it became a popular site for filming movies and TV commercials.

Bongoland Ruins

Port Orange
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 eerily present at the site to this day.

Weeki Wachee Springs

Spring Hill
The mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs can still be seen today, but the park was very different when it got its start. Tourists flocked for its underwater mermaid shows and live entertainment as early as 1947. The park and its fantastical theme was created by Newton Perry, a U.S. Navy veteran who trained soldiers to swim underwater during World War II. He scouted out the location in 1946 with the intention of enlisting future mermaids.

WigWam Village Motel

OBT
The WigWam Village Motel on Orange Blossom Trail opened in Orlando in the 1960s. Each concrete tepee consisted of a bedroom and a bathroom where guests paid to stay the night.

Splendid China

Four Corners
This 75-acre miniature theme park offered more than 60 replicas at a one-tenth scale of major Chinese symbols and landmarks, and each piece was handmade. When the park opened in 1993, Chinese artists were hired to perform in the park. A number of them, however tried to seek political asylum in the U.S., so they were replaced with local performers, according to records.

Six Gun Territory

Ocala
Six Gun Territory was a Wild West-themed theme park first opened in 1963 and located at the (now) Kirby Family Farm. For about 20 years, the park entertained guests with simulated gun fights, themed walkthrough areas and its very own railroad. Two steam locomotives traveled the railroad daily.

Rainbow Springs

Dunellon
Rainbow Springs, near Dunellon, was once home to submarine boats that allowed guests to see into the crystal-clear waters while they cruised through the springs. Opened during Florida's tourism boom in the 1960s, this state park was once more of a tourist attraction than natural land, with man-made waterfalls, live wild animals on display in cages, a dining terrace and more. It operated until the 1970s, around the time that Walt Disney World's buzz started to grow and the competition subsided. Rainbow Springs State Park still exists, but it's all about the nature now.

Sanlando Springs

Longwood
Before Disney World, Central Florida residents loved to spend their summers swimming and diving in the cool watering hole known as Sanlando Springs. Originally called Hoosier Springs, the Longwood spot was renamed "Sanlando" because of its location between Orlando and Sanford by developer James Franklin Haithcox when he bought it in 1925. The spring was transformed into an amusement park open to the public with a water slide, in-ground pool, bathhouse, beauty contests, dances and lush tropical plants. And guests came by the thousands – generations of Central Floridians enjoyed Sanlando Springs from the 1920s until the 1970s. The park came to an end when Sanlando Springs became a private community called The Springs and stopped being open to the public.

Casper's Ostrich and Alligator Farm

St. Augustine
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.

Fairyland

Tampa
Once upon a time, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo was home to Fairyland, featuring dozens of fairytale figures children could roam through. The attraction opened in 1957 with rides, live animals and a petting zoo, a golf course, boating and more fantasy fun.

Boardwalk and Baseball

Haines City
Replacing the defunct Circus World at the same location, Boardwalk and Baseball was a baseball-themed amusement park with roller coasters and a coastal boardwalk theme. It opened in April 1987 and lasted only three years before it shut down for good.

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.

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!

Silver Springs

Ocala
Silver Springs State Park is still alive and well today, but long ago, the site looked a little different. Tourism took over and we were left with a park focused on underwater photography, natural sightseeing and live entertainment.