Lost but not Forgotten: Before Disney World, Sarasota County had its own theme park

Before Disney World and other giant theme parks became the center of Florida tourism, Sarasota County had its own answer to family entertainment.

It was called Floridaland, and it promised visitors "Everything Under the Sun."

Today, it would be difficult to imagine a place where porpoises performed tricks, can-can dancers entertained crowds, children fed deer by hand and a Wild West shootout unfolded every day. Yet for seven years, all of those attractions, and many more, could be found on 50 acres between U.S. 41 and Sarasota Bay in Osprey.

The idea was ambitious from the start. In April 1964, Floridaland West, Inc. announced plans for a family-oriented tourist attraction just south of Blackburn Point Road. Developers projected more than 200,000 visitors annually and planned to invest more than $1 million into the project, according an article on Sarasota History Alive writen  by former Sarasota County Archivist Mark Smith.

The park opened on Christmas Day 1964 and attracted more than 5,000 visitors on its first day, according to Smith.

What made Floridaland unique was that it wasn't a single attraction. It was more like several  theme parks rolled into one.

For one admission price, $2.50 for adults and $1.25 for children, families entered through gates watched over by talking macaws before setting off to explore a western ghost town, an American Indian village, tropical gardens, a deer park, Billy Goat Mountain, covered wagon rides, a stern-wheeled riverboat and the Floridaland tour train, according to Florida Memory.

The western ghost town quickly became one of Floridaland's signature attractions. A saloon, bank, general store and undertaker's shop set the stage for daily performances  that featured sheriffs, outlaws and staged gunfights. Inside the Golden Nugget Saloon, audiences enjoyed musical performances and can-can dancers while waiting for the next showdown in the street, according to Smith..

If the ghost town was Floridaland's heart, the porpoises were its superstars.

Located near the Intracoastal Waterway, the Porpoise Pool hosted shows throughout the day featuring trained porpoises and sea lions. Visitors watched as the animals leapt through hoops, performed tricks and delighted audiences with routines that would seem almost unbelievable today, according to Florida Memory.

One event became particularly famous. In May 1965, Floridaland arranged what was believed to be the world's first porpoise-to-porpoise long-distance telephone call. A performing porpoise named Moby Dick "spoke" with another porpoise named Keiki at Sea Life Park in Hawaii using a specially designed phone, according to Smith.

The attraction's animal experiences extended far beyond the porpoise pool. Children could bottle-feed baby animals in the nursery, hand-feed tame deer in Deer Park and watch goats and sheep roam elevated bridges at Billy Goat Mountain. Other animals provided entertainment of their own. Visitors could watch ducks play drums, chickens play baseball and even a rabbit perform with its companion, according to Smith.

The Floridaland Tour Train carried guests through 40 acres of tropical landscaping, offering a leisurely way to experience the park's many attractions, according to Florida Memory.

For a few years, Floridaland appeared to be a success story. In 1967, a Holiday Inn opened a 100-room hotel adjacent to the attraction, signaling confidence in the area's tourism potential, according to Smith.

But Florida tourism was changing.

By the late 1960s, attendance had begun to decline. The park's owners invested in new rides, longer shows and additional attractions in hopes of attracting more visitors. Yet the economics of operating such a large and diverse attraction became increasingly difficult. At the same time, larger destination attractions were beginning to reshape the state's tourism industry, according to Smith and Florida Memory.

Floridaland closed on July 2, 1971.

Its run lasted less than a decade, but the memories it created have endured for generations.

Former visitors still recall being pulled around the porpoise pool in small boats, watching gunfights in the ghost town and spending entire afternoons exploring the park. Others remember family members who worked there, including musicians, performers and animal trainers. One former employee even shared memories of playing both outlaw and sheriff during the daily shootouts, while another visitor recalled discovering the abandoned attraction years after it closed, according to recollections shared through Florida Back Roads Travel website.

Today, there is little to suggest that one of Sarasota County's most unusual attractions once stood here. The ghost town has given way to homes, the porpoise pool to a marina and the train rides to quiet neighborhood streets. Yet for the thousands of families who spent a day at Floridaland, the memories remain.

They remember feeding the deer, cheering during the shootouts, riding behind dolphins and watching can-can dancers in the Golden Nugget Saloon. For a place that promised "Everything Under the Sun," perhaps that is the most fitting legacy of all.

The attraction may be gone, but it is certainly not forgotten.

Photo credit: State Archives of Florida.