Growing up in Michigan, I would always get excited when my mom told me we were going to Disney World. Coming to Florida for vacation was always so much fun. My love for Florida grew so much that now I reside in St. Petersburg. As a child I thought Florida only had 2 theme parks, Universal and Disney World. Turns out there are more, and sadly many of those have closed down. Below you will find out why 5 theme parks closed down in Florida.

Disney World Vs. Universal Orlando

(Photo by Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images)

Disney World Vs. Universal Orlando are still open but which do you like better? This has always been a debate and I love them both. I cant choose because there are things that I like about both parks. Disney gives me that feel of nostalgia because i grew up watching all of those movies. I also love Epcot and drinking around the world. Lastly I have fell in love with the soulful celebration that they have going on at Disney every February.

Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

With that being said, I also love Universal Orlando. That park has a lot of thrills and I love Harry Potter World. I love that Universal Orlando has the Macy’s day Christmas parade and yes they have the same floats as the one in New York. The last time I was there, I got to experience it and it was awesome. I have yet to go to Volcano Bay but I heard it is one of the best water parks.

Why Did These 5 Theme Parks Close Down In Florida?

There are many theme parks that have closed down in Florida. They were not as big as Disney World and Universal but people still loved them. What happened? Below you will find out why these 5 theme parks closed down in Florida.

Feel free to email me Babs@wild941.cocm

• Boardwalk and Baseball

  Boardwalk and Baseball was opened in 1987 in Haines City. This theme park was supposed to compete with Disney’s Epcot, but it could not meet the same standards. The park that consisted of 32 rides was completely abandoned and then demolished a decade later in 2003.

• Water Mania

  Water Mania was located off highway 192 in Kissimmee. It was opened in 1987 and featured wave pools and water slides. Water Mania closed in 2005 and the owners say it was not due to financial problems, they were just ready to sell.  They did send an email to their annual passholders telling them their membership would be valid at Wet ‘n Wild, which was one of their competitors. The owners also found employees other job opportunities.

• Circus World

  Circus world opened in 1973 and was located in Haines City. It was a circus theme park which had  “live shows and amusement park rides! It became very hard to keep circus world open and it was sold several times. It eventually became Boardwalk and Baseball but as you read above that closed too. 

• Splendid China

  Splendid China opened in 1993! The park was created to spotlight the incredible Chinese architecture and culture with the hopes of attracting tourists to visit internationally. Sadly they could not keep up with Disney either and had to close their doors in 2003. 

• Jungleland Zoo

  Jungleland Zoo opened in 1995 and was located in Kissimmee. The park did really well but it started going downhill due to significant drainage issues and wood rot. Also a female lioness escaped her cage and was missing for two days. Jungleland zoo closed down in 2002.

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