The Aquatics of the Aquabelles

Today, visitors come to Lakeview Park to fish, paddle, picnic and enjoy a quiet afternoon by the water. Few realize that nearly 70 years ago, this peaceful county park echoed with the roar of boat engines, cheering crowds and soaring fountains. Thousands gathered here to watch dazzling water-ski performances of the Aquabelles glide across the lake and even witness an elephant named Sunny skimming across the water on skis.

Welcome to Sunshine Springs & Gardens.

When Sunshine Springs & Gardens opened in the winter of 1955, it represented the bold optimism of Florida's booming tourist era. The attraction was the vision of 29-year-old developer Leonard Tanner, who transformed the property in just 264 working days. According to a promotional brochure, Tanner moved an astonishing 2 million cubic yards of earth to create what was then promoted as Florida's largest man-made lake. Along one side of the water, he built a 1,300-foot elevated dune, allowing spectators an unobstructed view of the performances below.

The result was unlike anything Sarasota County had seen.

A Sarasota Herald article published Nov. 9, 1956, described a beautiful 20-acre tract of semi-tropical plants and flowers, where visitors could wander winding paths or board elegant electric swan boats for a leisurely cruise through the meandering garden canals. Plants had been imported from around the world, creating a lush tropical landscape that felt worlds away from everyday Florida.

The attraction was much more than a water-ski show. Guests could stroll through the Plaza of the United States, where the flags of all 48 states flew alongside Old Glory. A modern restaurant with outdoor seating overlooked the lake, while fashionable bathing suits—sold exclusively through Miami shops—were available for purchase in the plaza.

Then it was time for the show.

A Sunshine Springs brochure proudly proclaimed it featured "one of the best water skiing shows in the nation."

The performances unfolded inside what promoters called an "emerald bowl amphitheater," where as many as 10,000 spectators gathered to watch the action. Separating the audience from the tranquil garden tours was an extraordinary 400-foot water curtain, powered by 1,680 gallons of water rushing through specially designed nozzles. The shimmering arches rose nearly five stories into the air, creating a dramatic backdrop for the spectacle that followed.

When the engines roared to life, the lake exploded with action.

The Aquabelles thrilled audiences with synchronized formations, graceful ballet routines, daring jumps and towering human pyramids. Joining them were the Aquabeaux, whose fearless stunts pushed the limits of the rapidly growing sport of water skiing.

Among the most famous Aquabeaux was Joe Cash, whose barefoot skiing act was so extraordinary that the brochure declared it must be seen to be believed. Long before barefoot skiing became widely recognized as its own discipline, Cash amazed crowds by skimming across the water with nothing between his feet and the lake.

And then there was Sunny.

One of Sunshine Springs' most unforgettable performers was Sunny, a Ringling elephant who water skied across the lake before astonished audiences. It sounds almost impossible today, yet photographs from the era prove it really happened. Sunny quickly became one of the attraction's biggest stars and remains one of the most unusual performers in Sarasota County history.

Despite its popularity, Sunshine Springs & Gardens enjoyed only a brief run. By 1959, the attraction had closed, bringing an end to one of Sarasota County's most ambitious tourist destinations.

Fortunately, the story of the property didn't end there.

Businessman and philanthropist J. Ralph Hamilton later acquired the land and donated it to the YMCA, where it became Camp Hamilton. The Kiwanis Club of Sarasota helped rehabilitate the former attraction, transforming it into a place where generations of local children could learn, explore and make lifelong memories. Over time, the property evolved once again into what we know today as Sarasota County's Lakeview Park.

The fountains have long since fallen silent. The swan boats no longer glide through the canals, and the Aquabelles have taken their final bow. Yet if you stand along the shoreline today and let your imagination wander, it's not difficult to picture colorful costumes flashing across the water, crowds applauding from the hillside and Sunny stealing the show one more time.

Sunshine Springs & Gardens may have disappeared, but it was only one chapter in Florida's long love affair with water skiing. In the coming weeks, we'll explore how Sarasota's own Ski-A-Rees carried that tradition forward, and how attractions like Cypress Gardens helped make Florida the water-ski capital of the world.

Special thanks to the Sarasota County History Center, whose dedicated staff helped uncover the photographs, brochures and archival materials that brought this forgotten chapter of Sarasota County's history back to life.