Criminals are hanging out in the middle of Ripley’s Attraction on International Drive in Orlando.
The Walkthrough Museum features exhibits collectively known as “True Crime: Blood, Lies, and Alibis.” The limited-time exhibition mixes cold, hard facts and trivia with comedy and lightheartedness. How else to explain a wall painted with O.J. Simpson, Judge Judy, and Scooby-Doo?
There’s also a starting point for serious issues, with physical exhibits at either end of the room displaying Charles Manson’s signed prison shirt and furniture used by Lee Harvey Oswald. Nearby is a pistol that belonged to outlaw Jesse James. (“He once shot off the tip of his own finger…on purpose!” reads Ripley.)
This is an area so rich in content, some of it delivered in the traditional light-hearted style of Ripley’s comics, that you might be left wondering, “Really?” On the wall is written: “The inventor of the polygraph machine married the first person he interrogated.” Really?
Oswald Corner uses modern animation as a backdrop and includes the idea that the items on display may have been used passively in the plot to shoot President John F. Kennedy. There is a bill of sale for furniture signed by the owner of Oswald’s boarding house in Dallas. On display is a section of the famous grassy knoll fence where the assassination took place, as well as the not-so-fun fact that Oswald’s killers, Kennedy, Oswald, and Jack Ruby, all died in the same hospital.
Other modern touches in the exhibit include a touchscreen game that challenges you to guess which choice is the actual law in each U.S. state, and a joke-telling animation in the form of a digital mug shot. Pablo Escobar, Al Capone, and Bonnie and Clyde are on display as talking portraits at Hogwarts Castle at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
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Perhaps to balance crime and punishment, the exhibit includes crime-fighting facts about the Secret Service, as well as the true-crime podcast “America’s Most Wanted” and a 1957 cold case revived by TikTok creators.
Still, “breaking news” is displayed that relives the “crime that swept the nation.” Think Michael Jackson, JonBenét Ramsey, the Menendez brothers, Jeffrey Epstein. Representing Florida here are Casey Anthony and Joe Exotic (aka “Tiger King”). The nearby serial killer section includes Ted Bundy and Aileen Wuornos, both of whom were sentenced to death by the state of Florida.
That’s…a lot. True crime has its believers, to be sure, and is worth exploring. But anything related to the electric chair, with the back panel of the electric chair on display, is the kind of thing that excites me. Luckily, Ripley’s traffic flow provides a quick escape to the rest of the attraction and its two-headed animals, Egyptian artifacts, space trivia, Florida-related follies, and more. In the lobby, I learned how much juice I would get if I were an orange. Please believe me.
P.S.: If you do a little research on the inventor of the polygraph, you’ll discover that William Moulton Marston was also a psychologist, author, and cartoonist. His wife Elizabeth may have been the inspiration for Wonder Woman. Merciful Minerva! (But it’s even more complicated than that, so kudos to Ripley’s skill at simmering.)
Cypress Garden looks back at Audubon
Last week I took my second trip to the Orange County Regional History Center.
First, there’s the pocket exhibit on the ground floor, “125 Years of Audubon in Florida.” There are about 20 blurbs and photos covering a wide range of topics, including conservation, the Everglades, roseate spoonbills, and bald eagles. True Crime Alert: There’s also information about two murders in 1905 and 1908 related to “wading bird poachers.”
A small display case displays items such as great egret feathers, tracking bands, and a feathered hat from the early 1900s.
The exhibition will be on display until February 8th.
The second round at the Downtown Orlando Museum was a lunch and learn session about Cypress Gardens, a Winter Haven attraction that operated from 1936 to 2009. This land has been home to Legoland Florida since 2011.
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Jeremy Heilman, assistant curator of collections, led the session and I learned a few things.
• In the beginning, Dick Pope Sr. was the public face of Cypress Gardens, but don’t underestimate his wife, Julie Pope. In addition to her knowledge of botany, she also helped launch famous ski shows (partly to entertain military personnel) and Southern belle-themed shows.
• In the past, you could take a bus tour from the San Juan Hotel in downtown Orlando to Bock Tower near Cypress Gardens and Lake Wales. Things were different then. Mr. Heilman’s advertisement for Cypress Gardens included the phrase, “A time you’ll never forget.”
• The movie “Easy to Love,” starring swimming sensation Esther Williams in the 1950s, made headlines when it was filmed here. That led to the creation of the 90-foot Florida-shaped pool that still stands on Legoland grounds today.
• Johnny Carson also made a splash when he aired a one-hour television special on NBC called “Johnny Carson Discovers Cypress Garden.” It drew 88 million viewers, although most of it has been lost to time.
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