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Originally Posted by Chuck N. Wined
Was it Rainbow Springs or Silver Springs that many years ago was a "privately owned attraction" but the state of Florida bought it and turned it into a state park? Or, am I totally confused?
Lonnie
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Rainbow Springs was an attraction that back in the day had "submarines" you could view the springs from and also had beautiful gardens. The web site link I posted has some of the history of the attraction and the campgrounds.
Mickey Mouse and I-75/I-95 combined a one-two punch that put quite a few old time attractions out of business. The latest to finally bite the dust is Cypress Gardens. A couple of amusement corporations tried their turn at management leases from the State and failed. A couple of weeks ago a press release now states that Lego-Land is coming and it will the largest in the world. They pledged to incorporate a couple of the Cypress Gardens features. My son can't wait!
Silver Springs is also owned by the State of Florida (purchased in 1993) and the attraction is managed through long term leases. The state recognized these attractions as natural treasures and historic landmarks. The glass bottom boat was invented in 1878 and the head spring is the largest artesian well in the world! Tarzan movies were filmed on the river and Sea Hunt was also filmed there for the underwater scenes. Silver Springs is separate from Silver River State Park and requires admission fees.
Sorry for the history lesson.... I can bore you even worse if we were sitting at a campfire!
Here's a really cool website about the lost Florida Attractions.
http://www.lostparks.com/index.htmlEdited by: BDLuke