{"product_id":"cypress-gardens-mary-m-flekke-9781531626396","title":"Cypress Gardens","description":"Florida's first theme park, Cypress Gardens, was the brainchild of Richard Downing Dick\" Pope Sr. With his wife, Julie Downing Pope, he transformed a marshy, lakeside property in Winter Haven into a magnificent garden. The park's first visitors in 1936 toured pathways surrounded by lush plants from around the world. Two years later, electric boats meandered through the park's winding, hand-dug canals. Water ski shows commenced in 1942, and the park became the \"Water Ski Capital of the World.\" The Florida-shaped Esther Williams Swimming Pool still graces the shore of Lake Eloise. The park was a set for dozens of short feature films, a stage for beauty pageants, and a site for special television broadcasts. A butterfly garden, zoo, rides, and the small-town Southern Crossroads shopping and dining area remain popular features. Kent Buescher purchased Cypress Gardens in 2004, and today's expanded Cypress Gardens Adventure Park preserves the family-friendly appeal of Dick and Julie Pope's magnificent park.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mary M. Flekke, Sarah E. MacDonald, Randall M. MacDonald\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1531626394\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781531626396\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Arcadia Publishing Library Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/22\/2006\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 130\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.91lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.38d","brand":"Mary M. Flekke","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44045744144639,"sku":"9781531626396","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_348fa6d8-aa2d-4fcd-a787-cb85f3a52b05.jpg?v=1684980497","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/cypress-gardens-mary-m-flekke-9781531626396","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}