Vanished World of Disney 6 - River Country

[TheRandomkid321]

I know of that killer water. But how many people died?

[mickeymouse12678]

When River Country was closed down, it was never demolished. It still remains where it was, although the vegetation seems to have taken over.

If anyone's interested. I found some neat photos taken of River Country just a few years ago here: disboards (dot) com (forward slash) show thread (dot) php? t (equals) 2344523

[mickeymouse12678]

@mickeymouse12678 Here's a shortened link: goo(dot)gl/Twfx1

[djallen16]

loved that place.i was there in "77" and in "83".

[SilverGummiShark]

This closed?!?!?! NOOOO Dx I only went there once and it was a thunderstorm and we had to leave. *weeps*

[GBev2K]

They must not have been able to find a way to theme it for the Princesses so they had to dump it.

[Sillyzombie666]

i remeber this place my brother sliced his back open on one of the slides back in the day

[Chevron704]

how old is this video? (just curious)

reminds me of a park I used to go to when I was little called "Heritage USA", which also closed down. I remember my mom saying she thought it'd stay open for years to come; [I was 3 at the time] and told her it was going to close down soon. She didn't believe me...until it happened.

[ramkidd123]

yeah we used to go back in the 70s early 80s and stayed at the rv park and went here to cool off. i had a blast here sad that it is gone now :>(

[AshKerr1]

this looks so cool!

[MrOnixroldan]

Its really sad that i never had the oportunitty to be there

[spacemaster911]

@MrOnixroldan I really wish I could have been on some of these old attractions that are now gone.

[rlaump3]

River Country was the best WDW water park. Now I hear it may come back as Disney Vacation Club.

[CustardYum]

went here hunderds!

[lotsabears]

I so miss River Country. Disney's first water park - it was the BEST place to have fun. Even when Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach came along, this place still was a TON of fun. You didn't have to worry about a gazillion people because the place wasn't as big as the other water parks. And if you stayed at Fort Wildnerness, all you did was hop on the campground transportation and you were there. So many memories. I miss it every time I visit Disney and see it there going to waste. Sad.

[runswithscissors86]

This place was awesome. I miss it all the time. And the river water was actually really clear, there was white sand on the bottom and it was very clean. I miss the inner tube slide. I've never understood why they couldn't just close the place in and put pool water in instead. It's very sad to see this abandoned.

[MrDAVIDEO84]

I WENT TO " RIVER COUNTRY " IN DECEMBER

OF ( 1980 ) !!! I WAS A KID, 14 YEARS OLD ; IN 9th

GRADE. " HAVIN' THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE AT

( RIVER COUNTRY ) !!! "

[TakeThatForever83]

i didn't know this that is shit that it shut i loved that park so down to earth and homely what a shame x

[hmmcfan01]

wow seeing how happy the ppl were here and the way the park seems so alive nd up and running and u know everything looks so new and the water looks so fresh to c that now its rotting and decaying i mean i've never been there but the way it is now it just seems so said

[gqblues]

That water was COLD!  Believe me. All except for the "waterfall slide" that landed into a heated pool. All other slides used lagoon water. COLD, COLD lagoon water. In my opinion, that was a major factor in its closing. BTW, you can still see River Country from the lagoon.

[goran2009]

America is becoming a sad place to live....

[brian1010101]

Doesn't look too abandoned?

[forevershire]

@brian1010101 thats before it got abandoned

[functionalchum2]

I'm booking a surprise for my family I did my research at bestvaluethemeparks (.) com

[mike2325el]

wait when did this waterpark open?? when did it close??

[mike2325el]

that would of been so fun to go to when it was open.......

[ClubpenguinCutie7]

I heard by my own family and saw it for my self that there are aligators in the park today.

[jtkirkfan2002]

The legislation requiring municipal water in all water parks was passed after 2001 and was the reason RC never reopened. Disney actually closed it in the fall of 2001 as part of their routine waterpark closings during the off season but didn't reopen it right away because of the travel fall off after 9/11. It was used for private outings a few times, but the Florida legislature passed the waterpark law sounding its death knell.

[MissDisneyUSA]

Omg I am so sad this park had to close down...me and my whole family loved going there it was unique and felt like you really was in tropical paradise! and i loved the fact you could see the disney castle across the lake ;-)

[TTG669]

Oh my God, this video rocks!

[PavStudios]

In 2012

[PavStudios]

Their thinking of bringing it back I.

[mike2325el]

@PavStudios your kidding??!!!!! that would be great!

[rangerssuck94]

cool,thanks for this, I never even knew about this before

[MrLamontSanford]

ANOTHER great thing in WDW taken from us!!

[noeynoah45]

ogod i rememeber i fell off the slife when i was like 7 and SOOO terrifieed to go on it anymore.

[venominsane]

1:25 => Ai, tá fria!!! (It's cold ins spanish/portuguese)

[MrMatt5885]

i was there once. i liked typhoon lagoon and blizzard beach better but thats just me. hey do you have a video of cranium command?

[funspot202cartoonsTV]

i just read the description, so they just couldn't swim in the natural waters of florida? :O

[pipersmitty]

yea, god forbid people swim in a "natural"body of water. Legislation is going to kill us all one day.

[rugdg13]

@pipersmitty New Law: No breathing the Natural Air! XD

[Hieagandaus]

back in the day you sawm in lakes with amebo's and stuff and now everything is all soft and ''peacful'' and enviromentally friendly''

[bwoodward93]

Another major reason the park was closed down was because of the discovery of Naegleria Fowleri in the lake, a bacteria that infects the nervous system and almost always results in death.

[WombatBitch]

@bwoodward93 Yeah ok idiot. stop making up BS. Too bad you didnt get Naegleria Fowleri.

[flippyrocks892]

Not sure why they wouldnt just drain the water and replace it with a pool. It's a small park, but it probably wouldn't cost all that much to rebuild it. :T

[Beeblez55]

So it's a waterpark full of dirty lake water? XD

[CaptainViral84]

Man what happen to all these classice area of Walt Disney World that we all grow up with.

[prophetoftru7h]

Cooperation would be greatly appreciated, thank you

[Trulula2]

howd u get there?

[cristelvideo]

It's part of the Fort Wilderness area but its all fenced off. I guess you could hire a boat and approach from the lake but I think that is also fenced off.

[kibaspikelover23]

@cristelvideo me and my sister tried to get in, but like after 2 min of arriving, we bolted. it was f-ing scary... that and a gaurd came after us

[monkeyducks123]

@Trulula2 it is not fenced off

[KateSkywalkerDA]

@monkeyducks123 actually it is fenced off and has actually been left dead since the day the closed it. It is almost completely covered by natural regrowth and the slides are covered in vines/leaves. Its been totally abandoned even the chairs are still where the left them, trash, cups, murky gator water in what used to be the pools and slide area. its really sad that they would just leave it and not tear it down.

[Parabellum13X]

I'm pretty sure it's still there, it's just completely overgrown.

I want to get in there and Splendid China next time I go down there.

[Trulula2]

It was closed, guys, because they used the lagoon water not chemical treated

[Trulula2]

Can't you dock there if you rent a pontoon boat? and look at the old place?

[mramalways]

i dont think so

[attackeagle]

@Trulula2 no.

tehy just tore down some of the buildings, the boardwalk and the dock. rumour has it because they were being used by vagrants

[UserRED13]

What a shame. I would think a water park running on and partially/mostly in a natural body of water would be wonderful.

[jster298]

@UserRED13 it is until florida makes it illegal and you find dangerous bacteria in the water like happened here

[UserRED13]

D: Build it in clean water?

[jster298]

that would be nice but disney's about making money and the other two water parks are bigger and make more money so in disney mind frame why waste money on an old water park that doesnt make money

[UserRED13]

Yes, they need (and probably enjoy) revenue, but Disney is also all about having a top-notch customer experience. So, I wouldn't blame it all on greed.

[ChristophProbst]

Having been to typhoon lagoon and river country, I'd pick RC. It was much less crowded, and was a stress free day. I really enjoyed going on the slides and swimming to the lines.

[chartle1]

The reason it was less crowded was because it was less popular. It was less popular because it was small and was hard to get to. Less popular means less money. Remember Disney exists to make money.

[mramalways]

Disney doesnt exist to make money. Disney is a family vacation place to make dreams come true and for people to be happy

[SailorSexyDork]

and what level of la-la land are you in?

[mramalways]

none? just telling the truth

[SailorSexyDork]

you say they dont exist to make money, I beg to differ, I know someone who used to work for them

[mramalways]

oh woww...so what, I know people that work for them too. And i plan to work for them as well

[GardeBlaze]

Shame, natural water is better than pool water. Sad that it closed due to a new law.

[chartle1]

There were a lot more reasons besides the water issue. Mainly attendance, transportation and the general design of the park.

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard beach had tons more rides and attractions and there were parking lots right outside the gate.

The slide design required you to be a good swimmer because it dumped you into 8 feet of murky water.

It must have been scary being a life guard and not being able to see more 2 feet into the water.

[GardeBlaze]

Oh, yeah, that is understandable then.

[speedstacking55]

Disney sucks for closing River Country.

[xxmaterialxgirlxx]

i cant believe it closed :(

[Sketch105]

ZIP LINES. That was the reason to go to River Country.

[Karlazune]

There were lots of reasons it was closed, the inability to control the water content was one of them. These laws are like to get tighter and tighter as we move forward and this would become more and more expensive. This brings us to the other reason, financially it was not viable to have this water park going when there was a significant investment programme in Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach so it was closed down. It is a shame but difficult decisions are made every day in theme parks

[fromwkfsmouth]

I had not been to River Country - I only saw it in the vacation videos of WDW and that Mickey's Fun Songs video.

[djfervibe]

The place was lame. I went to Typoon lagoon 17 years ago and then to blizzard beach just after it opened. The reason because they were bigger and better. Even the guys at the hotel told us not to bother going to RC.

[WickedFan264]

that looked so fun

disney open it up again

[Disneyparksfreak09]

they should open the park again. All they need to do is replace the old lake water with chlorine water and a tiny wall at the border of the park and lake.

[MLeyden91]

I have a question about why this park was closed: If waterparks are no longer alowed to use naturat bodies of water, then why is Lake Lanier water park in Atlanta still open? All the pools and slides are fed by the lake water! Not that it's a bad thing, I love Lake Lanier.

[parisyourhot]

It was a Florida Law that closed the park, Georgia might have different laws.

[MLeyden91]

Oh ok, sorry. That explains it. I'm British and I always forget that the laws vary from state to state.

[glastonbury12]

Closed because they oped Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach ---- also it was located at Bay Lake and there are real critters in that water!

[txtmsgcodes]

fort wildereness built on some of the old park lol...

[xoroxyox12]

Wht did they close it down? =(

[xoxxemileeexoxx]

haaha i miss this place.... i fell out the tube and i felt like i was dyingg

[eagles36rules]

i miss river country had some memories there not good ones tho lol wen i went in 2000 i almost drowned they made me take my water wings off wen i went on the slide so wen i went down i couldnt get above water then wen my dad got off he steppd on me nd thats how he found me so if he didnt step on me i wouldnt be typing this write now nd by the way wen it happend i was only 3 nd 1/2 thats why i had water wings on

[fastfirenick]

that woman says

"i gots dat sames cameras"

[Whitelightng]

It was agreat water park...Made you actually think. A true ole swimmin hole for sure.

[tammyjzz409]

this is why we use to have kids that were in shape.... it looks like they are trainin for american gladiators or something.... now kids would be like what... i actually have to do something

[N365PA]

Ah I miss River Country!

[bucjason]

river country was bad ass !

[WolYou]

You and your fake-world-installations. You asked for it, you deserve the consequences.

[twilightshugestfan]

=[ i miss that place hey has anyone here been mayor of the day here?!?!?! i was on July 4th and there was a parade and me the kjing and the queen of the day were at the front of this huge procession and entering the park early with goofy watching them set up oh god that day was awsome!!

[cousinedd]

wonder if any gators got in there? cause there in every water body in disney world

[edcharbonnet]

was there in '07. took a few photos of the area while at the backyard bbq. sad to see it that way. my mom recently found photos of out trip there in 1980. several were taken at river counrty. miss it lots. its a shame florida couldn't give disney an exemption on it.

[jp9219]

This closed in 2005 I think because of a change in the FL law about water parks and clorination requirements. Obviously, it was in a lake and couldn't stay up to code...was sad, we used to love this place growing up...I remember competitions with my brothers to get across the rope walk and my Dad yelling at us.  We are going back this year as a family (15 years later) so it should be fun!

[nickjonaslover358]

was this more like a waterpark not like a ride???????????????

[bikerguy737]

YAAAAA, wazzup with dat? where is this shit.

[LMann32869]

It's still there next to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground- sadly rotting away. I have posted some vids of how it looks today.

[redskinsfaniam2]

I remember holding my parents under the water falls for minutes at a time every year since I was about 6. Of course I have grown a lot older, and my choice of water parks to do this at has changed, but the little mischievous 6 year old inside of me has to make sure that my parents don't stay too dry at a water park!

[schnsaint1]

wat happ here

[ABOSS302]

I remeber when we were designing River Country about 1975/76. It had the first flume slide and ride, before any of the other parks that followed.

[SolarPrincezz]

why did they close this?

[Kylec3]

Says in the description

[cisan]

has anyone see any video clips of America the Beuatiful, the circle theater once sponsored by Monsato?

[iambluebird]

Blizzard Beach has always been my favorite Disney water park, but then again, I never got to experience River Country, which now seems like a total shame! This place looked awesome-- the whole laid back "watering hole" theme is really cool. I've heard you can catch glimpses of this place from certain points within the World, anyone know the best way to get a look at this abandoned park?

[grifain]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I didn't realize that it closed. It was charmingly old-fashioned with a Frontierland-Tom Sayerish feel to it. I don't mind when Disney adds new rides but I hope that over the years the older ones are preserved and retained.

[Brermouse]

I was so annoyed I was really looking forward to river country,but when I went in 2002 it was shut.I went last year to wdw and the signs to river country were still up,you would of thought after 7 years they had took down all their signs of it.

[BenderJ24]

Wow, does this bring back memories. I used to love going to River Country on my trips to Disney World. (My family has gone to Disney almost every year since I was 4) The fact that it used lake water made it all the more awesome. But, on a side note, does anyone remember Discovery Island? It's been closed for years, but it used to hold bird shows, animals, etc. In my opinion, they should turn the old island into a LOST themed island, complete with the hatch, the others' village, etc.

[kitkel4]

I loved this place! I went there many times as a kid and I loved the look of real water, not that fake blue stuff.

[bigart0944]

anyone want to see how it looks now?? Was just there and it looks sad. Unfortunately unless a private investor pays for the refurb it will never reopen. The lake water has to be walled off and treated. Too much money for very little return...thats the breaks RC RIP

[LMann32869]

Please join me in writing to the executives at Walt Disney World to bring River Country back to life. When they see how many people want it back they would have to, at least, consider fixing the problems and re-opening the park. P.O. Box 10,000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000. Remember, this is the company that can turn nothing into something - and something is already there!! I attached 3 videos that I just made to my youtube acct., please note that this water park maybe closed but it's there.

[Trulula2]

Just to let you guys no. Since this was the first waterpark EVER they pumped the lake water in there. Health officials ordered that is be close ASAP.

[Yensid40]

Mmm close... There was a rubber bladder that separated the non treated lake water with the treated park water. It eventually got beyond repair and the decision was made to scrap the park because running costs were up and attendance was down.

[Trulula2]

well we asked someone that looked in his 80s. he said hes been working there for 60sumthing years so i think he nos more

[watermelli1980]

we went during december of '93...it was way too cold to go, so i was really disapointed :(

[KraZvEgGyBuRgEr]

I remember that I wanted to go there more than the other 2 water parks cause it looked unique compared to the other 2. Unfortunately, we decided to go to a water park the last day we were there & we ended up going to blizzard beach. I never got to go to this one :( & I just found out that it got closed 2 months after I was there!

[hahalolyep]

It's kind of sad that nothing like that will ever happen again. I can see lawsuit written all over the video. Looks like so much fun, to bad everyone here in America is just looking for a reason to sue someone.

[kevkev44]

Haha, you all would be amazed at what the condition this place is in right now. Go to the Mickey's BBQ and you can see some of what's left if the boards are still up.

[buddugan]

Thanks so much for this. I went there in 1998. It's ashame the water park closed down.

[pknight14]

was this the third waterpark disney owned?

[cristelvideo]

Actually it was the first. Typhoon Lagoon came second and then Blizzard Beach

[007SBond]

I stay at fort wilderness every time we go to disney and it use to be nice to have river country right there but now you aren't even allowed in the lake so maybe someday they can change it so that it isn't lake water and re-open it!!!

[cesar12407]

i heard that river country was taken out since 2001

[heyhey1041]

the island this was on is just infested w/ huge birds now!!

[kimberlyann5]

i went there in the 1970's great place. kinda scared me though, when you got off the big slide in that lagoon, nobody told me to swim to the right and go to the stairs. i swam across the whole lake and ended up coming out on the beach. i thought i was going to drown. the water parks of the 1970's dropped yopu off in 4 feet of water then you walked out, but rivercountry dropped you off in 9 feet of water. good luck swimming. it terrified me as a kid. lol

[sugarhillboy42]

i think this was the first major breakthrough to waterpark industry. if not, travel channel lied!

[echoscot]

You are correct sir. This opened the doorway to water parkdom.....Followed by Wet'N'Wild then a whole slew across the country. RIP River Country, Father of Water Parks around the world.

[echoscot]

Thanks for this post. I loved River Country, unfortunately lawsuits (Not Disney ones, but in general) about amoebas and bacteria in "natural" water areas created a huge problem for Florida.

[americanjrsfan]

Wow! I've been to Disney World 8 times and never been there I wish it was still open! it looked like fun I've been to the other 2 water parks though.

[illannoise]

I had never gotten to visit this waterpark

but the reason it was closed was because of the water in the lake

[sharpayrulez]

i have never been there but my brother and sister went they cried when they saw this video with me they almost forgot about that place they but i really wanted to go! It was their school trip! it was a middle school trip to disney world in 2000 i think.

[therinian]

I visited just once in 2000 and loved it so. I wish they'd bring it back... The new water parks are great, but there's something about the ol' watering hole's laid back atmosphere that tickles everyone's fancy and tugs at heartstrings. Thanks for the video!

[bayster912]

We were there in 2000 and that must have been about the last time it was open...had a great time! Liked it better than the other two water parks.

[puppyluvx3]

OMG...I loved this place!! Thanks for sharing!!

[ChuckD59]

Wa-a-ay back in the early 80's I was a lifeguard at River Country.

Responding to one comment about the water conditions then, it was pretty clean, actually. Water from the three slides (two flumes and the tube ride) pumped a lot or fresh water from the lake into the lagoon which then flowed out over and inflatable dam separating it from the lake.

Any other RC vets out there? How about the Contemporary Resort, or the Polynesian?

CDM

[jjjkoller8]

this place has alot of great memories for me as a kid. probably learned how to swim here. also we used to try and jam up the tube ride. used to prtend we got stuck at the bottom of the first drop. it would get things all baced up. was so awesome. cool part about it was it was my whole family 6 of us. great place!!!

[bobabub]

Oh i remember going to all three when i was younger.. This one was by far my favorite... i went back to disney this year, I kinda missed this park..

[Harikou]

I remember going here...

But yeah, they did have a pretty good reason to close it. Now that I think about it, that water must've been pretty gross. Especially with all the boats going around on the lake.

[sbclowe]

omg thx for posting this. i am going back to disney after some odd years and almost forgot all about this place.

[WannaBeSedated348]

Well, if it used lake water that's a good reason to close it. Remember that one year when kids were dying because they were getting some bacteria from swimming in lakes?? nasty stuff.

[FigmentsFan]

Yes, I remember now. Part of the flume rides can be seen from when you use a speedboat rental.

[ndjrocks]

If you rent a boat from any of the Magic Kingdom resorts you can ride over to the old River Country site. Much of the original boat dock along with the rope bridges and connecting docks in the beginning of this video are still there. The area is all abandoned and in disrepair. The only inhabitants now are wild birds and their "leavings". Great video. Great memories. Thanks.

[CFDChris237]

Is this place still there? just sitting abandoned?

[fftoolbox]

It's there - We went to Mickey's Backyard BBQ this fall and it uses some of River Country's land. There is an abandoned snack bar and one will notice that the BBQ's restrooms are more like locker rooms.

[tikibirds]

also, since it was the original water park, the water wasnt heated as typhoon lagoon and blizzard beach water is

[fgyu4]

If you look at satellite images of river country everything is still there, you can also see the green muck and grime in the watering hole.

[rollercoastersrock]

do you know if some things are still there, or did they take everything out and scrap it?

[cristelvideo]

Most of it is still there but closed off to the public

[ajg2425]

why did they close this?

[cristelvideo]

Partly to save money, they then had the two other water parks; but also because of new legislation which disallowed the use of natural lake water for bathing (in chargeable circumstances)

[KNSGluvr6]

this is typhoon lagoon now

[cristelvideo]

No, Typhoon Lagoon and then Blizzard Beach were built after River Country and for a few years all three were open. River Country is over by Fort Wilderness and can still be seen as you pass it on the boat but the entrance has been blocked off.