Gay Day ... at Cypress Gardens?

A few weeks back, the idea sprouted for a day of roller-coaster riding. In general, we figured this might mean a trip out of town, or else just a day at Islands of Adventure, which tops the separate-track count in Orlando with three coasters (Hulk and the two Dueling Dragons sides). The next day, David mentioned he would like to visit Cypress Gardens before it got too hot out (as in, nearly right away). (Cypress Gardens closed in Spring 2003, and just reopened last fall post-hurricanes as Cypress Gardens Adventure Park.)

So it was that David, Jorge, Dan and I trekked (OK, only 30 minutes from our home, but more than double that away from downtown Orlando) to Winter Haven for a day at the Gardens.

They've replaced the old parking lot with a travelling-carnival style collection of midway rides, plus a couple of more permanent attractions (including three actual roller coasters). We enjoyed the rides and a gorgeous spring day in Florida — although I hit an "I'm getting old" moment, as after two of the cheesier spinning rides, my stomach went all queasy and said, "no more for a while, ok?". This was somewhat mitigated by realizing that I was probably the youngest person in the park who wasn't there because my parents brought me. (We don't think, however, we were the only 'mos in the park, and that's not even counting the ice-skating entertainment staff.)

We were surprised by how busy the park was, though — looks like it's making a decent recovery. The included-with-admission Travis Tritt concert that night certainly helped, I'm sure, although it did seem to, shall we say, bring down the level of the incoming park patrons over the course of the day. By the time we left, we understood the installation of metal detectors at the park gates.

However, beware hanging out with the rednecks — you may become one. Literally. While I remembered to apply some SPF-enhanced lotion to my face, I forgot any other areas. My face got some nice color; the back of my neck (and the back of my legs?!?) are a lovely-yet-painful shade of red. Hello, farmer tan.