Rating:
* * * * *
Type: Beautifully landscaped gardens
Time: 40 to 45 minutes or as long as you wish
Kelly says: Among the best of its kind in the world
and a photographer’s paradise
By definition, botanical gardens are a sort of museum. Most botanical gardens seem to strive for order. Succulents here, pines there, palms over there. Tropical plants in this area, temperate plants in that area. That way people can study them better. Completeness is also a goal, trying to have more epiphytes than the next botanical garden, for example. The aesthetics of display, while important, often seem to be a secondary concern, except in the more formal gardens.
The designers of Cypress Gardens, however, seem to have started by asking a simple yet powerful question — “How can we produce the most stunning visual spectacle possible?” — and letting everything else follow from there. The result is a remarkable blend of over-the-top landscaping hyperbole and serene beauty.
These 16 acres contain over 8,000 different kinds of plants, trees, and flowers collected from 90 different countries. There are over 60 varieties of azaleas alone. I have no idea whether that means the collection is unusually complete (I mention azaleas only because it’s a flower I recognize). Nor do I know if the designers have carefully segregated tropical plants from the temperate varieties (I suspect they have not). But I can’t imagine anyone will care.
Here the purely aesthetic experience is paramount. A leisurely stroll, with open eyes and a receptive soul, will yield abundant treasures. And if you’re a typical vacation photographer, bring along a few more rolls of film (or memory cards) than usual. You’ll find ample use for them. As large as it is, the garden is not a maze and there’s little likelihood of getting lost.
Tip: The garden is dotted with wooden benches. Bring a handkerchief or paper towel, as many of them are wet in the morning hours, before the sun has had a chance to dry them off.
As you enter the gardens, you cross a bridge onto a chain of man-made islands. To your left is Lake Eloise, its shore guarded by stately cypress trees emerging from the shallow water. To the right is a man-made canal. Must-see sights along this archipelago are the Big Lagoon, across which you might see a pretty Southern Belle gracing one of Cypress Garden’s loveliest vistas. At the end of the island is a typical Dick Pope inspiration, the Florida Pool. This is a swimming pool in the shape of the state of Florida, nestled right against the lake shore. It’s fenced off now and used primarily for publicity shots. Its main claim to immortality is its appearance in the 1953 Esther Williams film, Easy To Love.
The Oriental Gardens are an oasis of cool serenity presided over by a towering Buddha. A wooden “Japanese tea house” offers a place to sit in the shade and survey the scene. Even those seemingly immune to Nature’s wonders will be startled by the massive banyan tree. This behemoth began its tenure at Cypress Gardens as a 50-pound sapling in a bucket. Today it’s larger than your average castle, with its aerial root system creating a charming maze of paths through its very heart.
Perhaps the most beautiful spot in the entire gardens is the Gazebo. This is no rustic wooden affair but a resplendent white-domed structure, inspired by Greek architecture, supported by eight fluted columns, and flanked by gently bubbling fountains. Also known as the “Love Chapel,” it was the site of the over 300 weddings that took place at Cypress Gardens each year. The Gazebo stands at the top of a rise that looks down across the Big Lagoon and out to Lake Eloise; the view from here is as fine as the reverse view from below. An ingenious photo op has been provided here. You stand facing a large mirror with your back to the Gazebo. Place your camera on the small platform (also facing the mirror), set the timer, and smile. You’ll get a lovely shot of yourself with the Gazebo in the background and the words “Cypress Gardens” floating on the mirror.
Twice a day, there are Garden Tours with the Experts that give you a chance to get those burning horticultural questions answered. The schedule is printed on the back of the park map; tours are not available every day.
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