Cypress Gardens has proven yet again that it’s not going down without a fight! According to the Orlando Sentinel:
“British amusement operator Merlin Entertainments Group has purchased Cypress Gardens, the venerable Polk County attraction that shut down last fall.
A spokeswoman for Merlin said Friday the purchase includes the current Cypress Gardens theme park, the Splash Island water park and the adjacent botanical gardens.
The sale closed Jan. 7. The price was not immediately disclosed.
Merlin is the second busiest amusement operator in the world. Its holdings include Legoland theme parks, Madame Tussaud’s wax museums and the London Eye.
Rumors have been circulating for months that Merlin would like to open a Legoland in Florida, which would be its second U.S. location. The company currently operates four parks themed around the toy building blocks in Carlsbad, Calif.; Germany; Denmark; and England.
Spokeswoman Julie Estrada said Merlin has been working with Polk County and Florida officials on new business plans for Cypress Gardens. Details are expected to be unveiled at press conference Merlin has scheduled for Thursday.
The acquisition expands the presence of private-equity colossus The Blackstone Group in Central Florida’s theme-park industry. Blackstone, which last fall purchased SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment for roughly $2.5 billion and co-owns Universal Orlando with General Electric Co., holds a majority stake in Merlin.
Once famed for its botanical gardens and Southern Belles, Cypress Gardens has struggled over the last decade, enduring multiple closures and a bankruptcy. The 73-year-old Winter Haven attraction has been unable to compete with Orlando’s much larger, more modern theme parks.
Cypress Gardens’ current owner, Land South Adventures, spent $17 million to buy the park at a bankruptcy auction in 2007, betting it could revitalize the park through a combination of scaled-back attractions and cheaper tickets. The bet failed and Land South abruptly shuttered Cypress Gardens in September, saying it could find no way “to keep the park running in its traditional form.”
A representative for Land South on Friday referred all questions to Merlin.”
That really came out of nowhere!