American Water Ski Educational Foundation

The American Water Ski Educational Foundation is home to the Water Ski Experience Hall of Fame and Museum.

When guests enter the big blue building off Interstate 4, they sign into an interactive guest book under a giant ski handle.

From there, they are introduced to a timeline starting with the creation of water skiing in 1922 and continuing through to the modern era with the latest in ski technology.

The museum also gives a large nod to Cypress Gardens founder Dick Pope Sr., who helped turn Polk County into a waterskiing mecca beginning in the 1940s when his water-skiing shows were attended by enthusiasts from all over the country.

For kicks, guests can buckle into a virtual water ski machine to get a hint of the exhilaration felt speeding across a lake.

Exhibits rotate and change annually, keeping a balance of 10 percent of history and 90 percent of current developments to keep the thrill of the sport relevant.

The American Water Ski Educational Foundation and Hall of Fame is located at 1251 Holy Cow Road in Polk City.

It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend tours are available by appointment. Group tours are also by appointment all week.

Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children younger than 12. Children age 5 and younger are admitted free.

For more information, call 863-324-2472 or log on to the website at www.waterskihalloffame.com.