ABANDONED DISNEY: River Country [Part 1]
Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 1:19PM Posted by Fritz 
A while back I spent some time* at Disney's first water park, River Country. Yep, it's still there where they left it yet it no longer functions as a park. More like a watery ghost town. There are few things in the world that compare to the feeling of walking through an abandoned attraction, let alone an entire abandoned park.
I do not suggest you go jumping over fences to climb around your favorite forgotten Disney destination. (Maybe you just peak through the cracks in the fences the next time you are at The Hoop-Dee-Doo Review at Fort Wilderness--- located just south of River Country).
With a view of the Contemporary, Space Mountain, and Discover Island in both photos.
A floating yellow inner tube still floats in the swampy water.
[Part 2], [Part 3], and [Part 4] now available.
For more River Country history go to http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id220.htm
'Then' photos from printed materials, mgmcinnis, auntierain, and others.
'Now' photos by Fritz and Bing Maps
*This did not include trespassing. It was by invitation. Please to do not tour River Country without permission.
Related posts:
ABANDONED DISNEY Series
ABANDONED DISNEY: MK Fantasyland Skyway Tower
ABANDONED DISNEY: Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts
ABANDONED DISNEY: Country Bear- Max
If This Doesn't Scare You.....
Reader Comments (23)
Ahhh River Country. That place was cool I do like Blizzard and Typhoon but I have fond memories of RC. I hope the Magic Kingdom never ends up like that. If so, I'm going in to do what you did. Great post!
Wow, it looks like everybody just up and left in an instant! It seems kind of eery yet kind of exciting that there's this entire park just sitting there abandoned with water still in the pools and tubes still laying around. Have you been there? It is really like the pictures?
unbelievable.
Great comparison photos, Fritz. Don't know if I've ever seen side-by-sides like this before for RC.
Such a saddening comparison to see what was so long ago. Brings back memories from what seems like another lifetime.
I have very fond memories of Discovery Island, which closed when they opened Animal Kingdom. On our very first visit to WDW in1998 we asked a cast member if there was somewhere we could go to chill on our second day, after hitting MK on day one.She suggested DI. It was wonderful, a slow boat trip from the M.K across to the island, gentle music playing, cool places to sit under shady trees, even a hammock on a beach to relax in.It was busy with visitors but very relaxed.
We have been back to WDW many times, we even bought a house at Orange Tree for wonderful vacations and even more wonderful memories,we like Animal Kingdom, but it doesn't compare to Discovery Island.
My children and grandchildren enjoyed going to River Country over the years. I'm sorry to see it in such disrepair. I always thought they should have opened it to the Camp Ground as there swimming area. I read that due to bacteria in the lake waters it was most likely the reason it was closed.
I was feeling to same way . What great memories I had at river country it would be truley awsome if they ropened the park especially if they made exculsive for lodge and campground guests. I would pay up to 40.00 bucks to go ot it just to bring back old memeroires. We all want to go back and I think disney nows that and they shjould capatilaize on our old hearts.I recently hoped the fences and it was pretty cool walking through the old site but it was bitter sweet. So heres to river country . I miss you.
bp -tampa-fl
There's a great discussion and look back at River Country on Lou MOngello's WDW Radio Disney podcast http://wdwradio.com/WDW-Radio-Show-Disney-Podcast/Show-55-Feb.-24-2008.html
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I loved that park when i was a child. My parents took me there our first trip to disney and a couple of years ago i took my wife and wanted to show her that park. I was disapointed to find out that it had been shut down.
Great pictures, though it's sad to see RC this way. And that pic with the yellow innertube still floating there gives me the creeps for some reason.
River country is to be ripped out and the barn next to it will be removed and then we get in their place Fort Wilderness Vacation Club.
hello there thanks for your grat post, as usual ((o:
i feel that disney should have (or should in the near future) take care of this place. I feel like though it was a great park, it's disgusting for disney to just let it sit there and decay away. I've seen more images similar to these on other websites, and it looks like disney just closed one night and never returned.
gutted to see this once cool water park in this state was there in the 90's and enjoyed it so much its terrible disney has left it 2 rot away. goin back 2 disney this year and was looking forward to going back and to discovery island but not to be
That's the essence of taking photos and keeping them, making sure they are taken cared of and preserved for years. It is so possible to post a 'Then' and 'Now' kind of thing. :-) It amazes me how things change in just a few years.
Cape Town
I can't get enough of the Then' and 'Now'. I have a strange obsession with parts of Disney that I don't get to see or have been left to rot. Great pictures.
it is with regret that i see the pictures above, i remember whiling my time in RC, lets not forget discovery Island which was also used as a bird sanctuary for all injured and flightless birds, i wonder if that program is still running in another part of the resort
After Pioneer Hall opened and we designed and built Fort Wilderness, River Country was next back at WED in 1975. Disney's first water park and first Themed water park was quite a challenge back then. Dick Nunis provided daily testing of the slides and reported results over the phone to WED California. Sorry to see it in this state today. PD
Hey Professional Dreamer,
Glad to hear there are still a few old-timers around. My Mom worked there from 2/69 to 2/74 two weeks from getting her Silver Pass, I don't think any of the Pre-opening employees ever got one of those passes. Mom was Charlie Wagners secretary at RCID then a contract administrator.
Mom and I have been going through all the papers she saved, I want her to document her memories of her time there especially the pre-opening days since there just doesn't seem to be much material out there. With all the articles for the 40th anniversary many have mentioned the pre-opening party for the employees and contractors and I realised that in all Mom's papers I didn't find any mention of the party except a brief article in the June '71 issue of "News from Walt Disney World" on the preparations for Opening Day which says "employees and contractors and their families will be among the first guests and ticket books will be compliments of the house!"
I remember going to the party and looking forward to it for some time but it looks like even as late as June there was no date set. We are missing the July, August and Septembers issues of News from Walt Disney World which became Eyes and Ears in October which we do have. What I am looking for is when and where the Party was first announced, the date or dates (there seems to be some question whether it was one date or several dates) and how the tickets were distributed. There are so many versions of the story out there that don't match that it has become a mission for me to try and find the official annoncement.
Dick Nunis was quoted saying the contractors refused to work on Labor Day so he personally authorised the Park opening on Labor Day with the Managers operating the Park to prove that they were willing to work even if the contractors were not. Mom says as far as she knows the contractors never refused to work and were just as committed to getting the job done as any Disney employee. Others have said the Park was open many days during September for employees, contractors, local business leaders and Politicians, that doesn't sound right either.
You haven't really said here when you worked there so I know this is a long shot but if you could shed any light on this I would appreciate it greatly. I would really like to find copies of the three issues we're missing of News from Walt Disney World but I have yet to see a single issue for sale or even a scanned copy of an issue on a web site, I guess not many people saved them. At some point when I get all Mom's stuff organised I would love to share it with the online community, Mom has some really unique pieces like No Tresspassing signs from some of the Real Estate companies that originally bought the land like Ayefore and Buena Vista Ranch etc.
Apologies for the lengthy post Thanks, Andy
Hi Andy, Your mother's story would be great to hear about the pre opening days and just after Walt Disney World opened. I would keep looking for those documents at D23 shows and if they have one in Walt Disney World. Maybe Archives has a copy for you.The new Aulani reminds me a lot of River Country when it opened. More natural with all the elements and the storyline, than Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. PD
Thanks PD, I will keep looking. As soon as I get it into some sort of order I will be more than happy to share. Andy