Florida's Theme Park Legacy: A Story of Local Innovation One of the biggest perks of living in an HOA managed community in Florida is of course the proximity to incredible entertainment destinations. Florida has its sandy beaches, but it is near-impossible to separate Florida and the Florida living experience from its theme park history. The Florida tourism industry began as early as the late 1800s, attracting visitors with our warm climate, beautiful natural sights like freshwater springs, and booming citrus industry, bringing railroads and real estate developers with them. (For more information on early tourism of Florida's natural landscape, visit here: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/naturalists/tourism/) It’s hard to imagine Florida without the large corporate parks we know today and their wide influence, but the theme parks that first began drawing people to the Sunshine State pioneered the creativity and immersive experiences that would continue to be synonymous with Florida. When Disney World opened in 1971, its size and scope meant that it quickly began to outshine many of the smaller, more homegrown Florida theme parks and attractions, leading to the closure of many of the locations that originally put Florida on the map as an entertainment destination. These original parks may now belong to Florida’s past, but they played an integral role in creating the tourist state that Florida is today. Read on to take a look into a few important building blocks in Florida’s theme park history. Cypress Gardens: Florida's First Tourist Attraction