Recently we broke the Chain of Lakes with the Living Water Boat Cruises. It was fun, interesting, and a great couple of hours out on the water. We travelled through a few of the lakes in the chain, saw alligators, turtles, eagles, herons, anhinga, Ibis, and even a few pelicans. We docked in the water near Lego Land and watched the waterski show from the boat. Our Captain was fun and very interesting. After the show he took us on a waterside tour of “Old Cypress Gardens”. When I was young my mom and dad took us to Cypress Gardens to enjoy the quiet beauty of the gardens, see the Southern Belles, and best of all enjoy an ice cream while sitting on the shores watching the water ski show. This tour brought back some sweet family memories. Living Water Boat Cruises took us past the historic Florida Shaped Swimming Pool where Esther Williams swam, and pointed out the film sets where TV Specials, Gilligan’s Island, Movie Stars, and movies were filmed back in the day. After taking this boat ride we watched Easy To Love, an Esther Williams Move from 1953. Lee and I Enjoyed the spectacular scenes filmed at Cypress Gardens with over 30 water skiers towed in an arrowhead formation. Amazing and Dangerous, but beautiful to watch. The lake was cool and calm with a light chop the day we were out, but after experiencing the lake, I am certain filming this scene could not have been an easy feat. Today this spot is Lego Land, and a popular destination with the kids. A great place to take the grandkids and enjoy a day of fun. If you take the boat tour, you may want to visit YouTube first to view some of the footage filmed at Cypress Gardens in its heyday, after all Cypress Gardens is Florida’s first tourist attraction.
