Circus World
Encyclopedia
Circus World was a theme park built north of Haines City, Florida
in Polk County
, on the east corner of the intersection of US 27 and Interstate 4
. It was originally a property of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
, and was intended additionally to be the circus's winter headquarters.
The preview center for Circus World Showcase, as it was originally called, a 27,000-ft² building designed to look like a circus tent, was erected and opened in 1974. The building featured, among other things, an IMAX
movie theater. Exhibits were built around it throughout the next two years, including a carousel
, a Ferris wheel
, a classic wooden roller coaster
, several shows, and an interactive experience where visitors could actually attempt certain daredevil stunts such as tightrope walking and the trapeze
(with copious safety equipment and expert help, of course). An 1000+ seat arena was also built featuring daily circus performances that included live tiger, elephant, equestrian, trapeze and acrobatic acts, as well as clowns and a live band. The Showcase part was eventually dropped, making the park "Circus World". Other live shows were added including a wild West rodeo that performed daily in a customized outdoor rodeo arena.
Mattel sold the circus back to its original owner, Kenneth Feld
, in 1982, but kept the park, further expanding it with shows, rides, a new roller coaster, and animal exhibits including a petting zoo
, but it never became profitable. They sold the park to Jim Monaghan in 1984 for USD 10 million. He added landscaping and several more rides, but ultimately sold the park to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
(Now Harcourt, a division of Reed Elsevier
) in April 1986. HBJ, which had just bought several parks including the SeaWorld
parks and Cypress Gardens
, had a new idea for the area, and immediately closed the park, rebuilding it into Boardwalk and Baseball
, which opened on February 14, 1987. Boardwalk and Baseball eventually closed on January 17, 1990. The property has since been sold and is presently being developed into a residential and retail development called Posner Park
.
Haines City, Florida
Haines City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,174 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population estimated by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida is 18,762. Haines City is the third most populous city in Polk County, Florida...
in Polk County
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...
, on the east corner of the intersection of US 27 and Interstate 4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
. It was originally a property of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
, and was intended additionally to be the circus's winter headquarters.
The preview center for Circus World Showcase, as it was originally called, a 27,000-ft² building designed to look like a circus tent, was erected and opened in 1974. The building featured, among other things, an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
movie theater. Exhibits were built around it throughout the next two years, including a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
, a Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, a classic wooden roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, several shows, and an interactive experience where visitors could actually attempt certain daredevil stunts such as tightrope walking and the trapeze
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
(with copious safety equipment and expert help, of course). An 1000+ seat arena was also built featuring daily circus performances that included live tiger, elephant, equestrian, trapeze and acrobatic acts, as well as clowns and a live band. The Showcase part was eventually dropped, making the park "Circus World". Other live shows were added including a wild West rodeo that performed daily in a customized outdoor rodeo arena.
Mattel sold the circus back to its original owner, Kenneth Feld
Kenneth Feld
Kenneth Jeffrey Feld is the CEO of , which owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice!, and He is also the producer of several Broadway plays. The business was started by his father Irvin Feld and Ken became CEO upon his father's death in 1984. He has three daughters, two...
, in 1982, but kept the park, further expanding it with shows, rides, a new roller coaster, and animal exhibits including a petting zoo
Petting zoo
A petting zoo features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo...
, but it never became profitable. They sold the park to Jim Monaghan in 1984 for USD 10 million. He added landscaping and several more rides, but ultimately sold the park to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Harcourt Trade Publishers
Harcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
(Now Harcourt, a division of Reed Elsevier
Reed Elsevier
Reed Elsevier is a publisher and information provider operating in the science, medical, legal, risk and business sectors. It is listed on several of the world's major stock exchanges. It is a FTSE 100 and FT500 Global company...
) in April 1986. HBJ, which had just bought several parks including the SeaWorld
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
parks and Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens was an American theme park near Winter Haven, Florida, that operated from 1936 to 2009.-History:Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie...
, had a new idea for the area, and immediately closed the park, rebuilding it into Boardwalk and Baseball
Boardwalk and Baseball
Boardwalk and Baseball was a theme park built near Haines City, Florida, United States, on the east corner of the intersection of US 27 and Interstate 4. It replaced Circus World at the same location, and was owned by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich...
, which opened on February 14, 1987. Boardwalk and Baseball eventually closed on January 17, 1990. The property has since been sold and is presently being developed into a residential and retail development called Posner Park
Posner Park
Posner Park is a $500 million dollar mixed-use development in Polk County, Florida. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 4 and US Highway 27, about 6 miles north of Haines City...
.
External links
- Circus World at Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions (source of information for this article)
- History of Amusement Parks: Circus World