The Southern Belles
deserve a special note. Although the botanical gardens seem to
be their “natural habitat,” they will be seen in all
areas of the park. The story of their origins is another example
of the wonderfully ingenious and utterly benign hucksterism that
characterizes the history of Cypress Gardens.
It seems that in 1940 a devastating winter freeze killed the colorful but delicate flame vines that framed the entrance at that time. The interior of the park had been saved by the heat of many oil heaters and looked just fine. Visitors didn’t know this, however, and when they saw the wilted entrance they assumed the worst and kept on driving.
Noticing this, Julie Pope, Dick’s wife, rounded up a bevy of local high school girls and outfitted them in colorful antebellum hoop-skirted gowns. She then placed them strategically in front of the damaged flame vines to wave at approaching cars. Not only did attendance pick up, but the visitors were so enchanted by the girls that another Cypress Gardens tradition was born. Today, the Southern Belles take turns sitting decorously in the hot Florida sun to serve as beautiful props in tourists’ photos. Their bright and fanciful gowns are another Cypress Gardens trademark. All of them are made by hand at the park. Each one takes some 13 yards of fabric, 5 yards of lining, over 63 yards of lace, and more than 45 hours to complete. Since that moment of inspiration in 1940, over 800 of them have been created.
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