Did you know that Tampa was once home to a pirate theme park, or that the city also had a gas station with carnival rides and a caged bear? It's true.
Sure, we all know about Busch Gardens and Adventure Island, but since the early 1900s the Tampa Bay area has been home to quite a few notable attractions and parks.
In fact, some of these tourist traps existed long before Walt Disney World, which would ultimately contribute to their decline. In later years, some attractions closed due to controversy, financial hardships, gas shortages, the pandemic, greedy developers, and a variety of other reasons.
But without a doubt, they all left their mark on their region.
So, let's take a look back at a few of the more memorable amusement parks and attractions that no longer exist in Tampa Bay.
Remembering Tampa Bay's best amusement parks and attractions that no longer exist
By Colin Wolf on Thu, Jan 11, 2024 at 3:33 pm
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Photo via Florida Memory
Fairyland
Once upon a time, not that long ago, Tampa had Fairyland. Located at Lowry Park, Fairyland opened in 1957 and featured large statues of fairytale book characters, zoo animals, a miniature railway, mini-golf, a rainbow bridge, rides and more. The park is long gone, but a few of the statues were saved and restored, and are currently at Ulele in Tampa Heights.
Super-Test Amusement Park
As the name suggests, Tampa's former Super-Test Amusement Park (located at 2924 N Dale Mabry Hwy., just south of what's now Raymond James Stadium) was an amusement park and a gas station rolled into one. Every gallon of gas purchased was good for a free ticket to ride on one of the many attractions. At its peak in the 1950s, Super-Test had a ferris wheel, a merry-go-round, bumper cars, and even a caged bear.
Photo via Florida Memory
Tiki Gardens
In 1964, Tiki Gardens made its debut in Indian Shores. The Polynesian-themed attraction was a popular stop for pre-Disney era tourists, and reportedly attracted more than 500,000 visitors annually. The park featured large stucco Tiki sculptures and a “Polynesian Adventure Trail." The park closed in the '80s and is now the Tiki Gardens/Indian Shores beach public access park.
Photo via Pinellas Memory
Aquatarium
Also known as Shark World, Aquatarium opened in 1964 in St. Pete Beach and centered around live shows with dolphins, sea lions, and pilot whales. The star of the park was a dolphin named "Floppy," who performed within the 160-foot, golden geodesic dome. The park closed in 1977 due to The Mouse in Orlando, as well as the impact on tourism from the nationwide gas shortages of the mid-to-late-'70s.
Photo via Florida Memory
Safety Village
For decades, just about every Tampa kid visited Safety Village, a 1.6-acre miniature city in Lowry Park. At the time, Mayor Nick Nuccio's idea was to allow kids to drive electric go-carts around this tiny town and learn all about pedestrian and traffic safety. The park existed from 1965 all the way until 2010, and today a few of the miniature buildings are located inside the Glazer's Children's Museum in downtown Tampa.
Photo via Pinellas Memory
Tussaud's London Wax Museum
From 1960-1989, St. Pete Beach was home to Tussaud's London Wax Museum, which featured over 120 life-like wax figurines spanning everything from Adolf Hitler to Jose Gaspar and Freddy Kruger. The attraction even had a "chamber of horrors."
Photo via Florida Memory
George K. End's Rattlesnake Farm
It's called Rattlesnake Point now, but back in the '30s, the neighborhood on the eastern side of the Gandy Bridge was originally just called Rattlesnake, Fl, because, well, the area had an abundance of the highly-venomous snakes. George K. End's Rattlesnake Farm and general store at the corner of Bridge Street and Gandy Boulevard (now basically housing) was the big attraction, where guests could visit the snake pit or purchase a can of the world famous "Rattlesnake in Supreme Sauce."
Photo via St. Petersburg Museum of History
HMS Bounty
Though it looked like a 1787 Royal Navy tall ship, the HMS Bounty was actually built in 1960 for the 1962 film “Mutiny on the Bounty," starring Marlon Brando. After MGM was finished with it, the ship found its home at the pier in St. Petersburg and lived out its days as a popular tourist attraction, that is until it tragically sunk off the coast of North Carolina in 2012.
Photo via Pinelles Memory
The St. Petersburg Alligator Farm
Opening in 1918, the St. Petersburg Alligator Farm and Zoo was arguably the original St. Pete tourist trap. Located on an acre of land along 6th Street South, near what is now called Lake Maggiore, the attraction featured over 1,500 gators, including a 15-foot chungus called "Old Moses," which guests could view for about 22 cents.
Photo via Florida Memory
Treasureland
Busch Gardens once had some competition across the street, in the form of a 10-acre Pirate-themed park called Treasureland. Opening in 1968, the park was essentially a massive Spanish galleon-style building that featured a dark ride centered around pirate mannequins. The park also had a pirate museum and a gift shop, as well as a Jose Gaspar actor that roamed the grounds. Lawsuits and financial trouble ultimately doomed the local pirate park, and it closed in the early-'70s.
Photo via Florida Memory
Floridaland
Debuting in 1964, Osprey's Floridaland claimed to have "Everything Under The Sun!" and "10 Big Attractions for One Low Price." For the most part, that wasn't an exaggeration. The pre-Disney-era park included a petting zoo, a dolphin show, and a replica cowboy town with a saloon, can can dancers and daily gun fights. The park closed in 1971, following the arrival of The Mouse and a string of bad press after a few dolphins died.
Photo via Florida Memory
Webb's City
Billed as the "World's Most Unusual Drug Store," Webb's City opened to the public in 1925 by James Earl "Doc" Webb as a small and modest storefront at the corner of 9th Street and 2nd Avenue South in St. Petersburg, Florida (basically justy parking lots near the Trop now). Long before stores like Walmart and Costco came along, Webb's motto was "Stack it high and sell it cheap," and it worked. A true master at getting thousands through the doors, over the following years Webb would expand his store to include insane attractions like dancing chickens, chimp acts, baseball playing ducks, a "live" mermaid show, three-cent breakfasts and more. He even sold $1 bills to customers for 95 cents.
Photo via Richard Elzey/Flickr
Dinosaur Wildlife
All that's left of Dinosaur Wildlife is a big Pepto Bismol pink dino off U.S. Route 19 in Spring Hill. But from 1962-1998, the once popular roadside attraction was a haven for exotic taxidermy, including a two-headed calf, a four-legged chick, and a number of albino animals. In 1988, founder Jacob Foxbower died, and the business was kept alive for another decade by his son and wife.
Advertisement in the St. Petersburg Times, Dec. 31, 1940
Seville Peacock Farm
The Seville Peacock Farm was one of Pinellas County's original attractions, as well the presumed source for quite a few of its current "wild" peacock populations. Located at the intersection of Haines Road (U.S. Hwy-19) & Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, the farm included "more than 500 peafowl, including every specie and color," and even had a few deer. The original Clearwater Mall was built on the site, and even used a peacock for the logo.
Photo via Florida State Archives
Kapok Tree Inn
Clearwater’s Kapok Tree Inn was widely known as one of Florida’s most extravagant restaurants as a result of its Renaissance-inspired architecture, garden, waterfalls, chandeliers and themed dining rooms. Despite generating $10 million in sales in 1988, the inn closed in 1991, but the property still remains as an event venue and includes a Sam Ash Music Store.
Photo via Florida Memory
Florida Wild Animal and Reptile Ranch
In its heyday, the Florida Wild Animal and Reptile Ranch was one of the largest collection of zoo animals in the state. From 1938-1959, the seven acre St. Petersburg zoo was home to Indian elephants, a Russian brown bear, kangaroos, giraffes, chimpanzees, zebras, gators and more.
Photo via Florida Memory
Dupree Gardens
Dupree Gardens in Land O' Lakes was one of the first roadside attractions in Florida. The botanical garden opened to the public in 1940, and according to a AAA brochure from 1948, the 24-acre park featured "winding paths, meandering streams and sparkling waterfalls." There was also a lodge, a tea room, a gift shop and boat rides. However, due to WWII gas and tire rationing, the park closed and today all that remains is a historical marker at the former entrance near U.S. 41 and Ehren Cutoff.
Photo by Justin Garcia
Fun-Lan Drive-in Theater
Drive-in movie theaters are already rare in Tampa Bay, so when Fun-Lan’s 650-car theater closed down during the pandemic after over 70 years of service, the city took a major loss. The property has been purchased and the owners who say they plan to construct an affordable housing complex. However the former Fun Lan location has been a vacant lot since 2021.
Photo via Grand Prix
Grand Prix Tampa
Sending shockwaves throughout the community, Tampa’s old-school all-in-one mini golf, go-karting and tomfoolery spot, Grand Prix, announced its permanent back in August of 2022. Opening in 1978, Grand Prix Tampa was a relic of its time and maintained its classic charm until the very end.
Photo via QZarTampa/Facebook
Q-Zar
In the summer of 2020, iconic Tampa laser tag hot spot Q-Zar closed for good after 25 years in business at 7807 N Dale Mabry Hwy. Founded in 1995, QZar was a regular weekend stop for Tampa birthday parties. All the lazer guns were for sale, and if you bought them, we want to come over.
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