Silver Springs Nature Theme Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver Springs Nature Theme Park is a theme park located in Silver Springs, Florida, USA, east of Ocala. The park is on land owned by the state of Florida as part of the Silver River State Park.
The property for the park was bought by the state of Florida as part of Silver River State Park and management of the parks is then leased to a management company which is currently Palace Entertainment.
[edit] History
Tourists began visiting Silver Springs several years after the American Civil War. In the 1870s, the invention at Silver Springs of the "glass bottom boat" gave visitors a spectacular and unique view of the springs. Silver Springs gained national attention through journals and guidebooks, and became a mandatory stop on the "grand tour" of Florida. Former President Ulysses S. Grant visited the area in 1880. Other Presidents to visit the Springs included Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s. Colonel Tooey, a concessionaire who operated the Jungle Cruise boat ride, established the first troop of wild rhesus monkeys in the 1930s on an island in the Silver River. Tooey established the colony to attract visitors to his ride. He did not realize the rhesus monkeys were excellent swimmers. They quickly escaped, forming wild troops along the river.
Ocalans W. C. Ray and W. M. "Shorty" Davidson, owners of the land around the headwaters from the 1920s to 1962 were responsible for much of the development at Silver Springs. In the 1930s, Ross Allen's Florida Reptile Institute brought more notoriety to Silver Springs. Several movies and television shows were filmed at Silver Springs including Tarzan in the 1930s. The clarity of the water of the Silver River made it useful for filming underwater scenes for James Bond movies, and episodes of the Six Million Dollar Man.
The ownership of the theme park went through several private owners. During the 1980s, the distance of the theme park from interstates made it increasingly unprofitable. Faced with the possibility that the land would be developed as private real estate in the then booming Florida real estate market, the entire area around the Silver River was acquired by the state of Florida to become a state park. The state then leased the Silver Springs theme park back to a private manager, currently Palace Entertainment.
[edit] Attractions
"Glass Bottom Boats" take guests on tours of the Silver River, which has its head waters within the park. From the glass bottom boats guests can observe many of the rivers springs and wildlife. The "Fort King River Cruise" takes guests on a trip up the Fort King Waterway. On that voyage, guests are treated to many historical scenes and exhibits from Silver Spring's past. On the "Lost River Voyage" guests are taken even further down the Silver River. During the "Wilderness Trail Ride" guests are taken via JEEP through a section of forest surrounding the park to see many of the native species of animals. After exiting the Trail Ride, guests can enter the "World of Bears" exhibit, where one of the worlds largest collection of bears are housed.
