Disney History: Looking Back at River Country

In 1976, Walt Disney World guests would take to the water for the first time. For just $4 per person, River Country called to guests who were looking for respite from the heat and humidity and it offered a reason to extend their Walt Disney World stay. Although this year marks the 15th anniversary of River Country's closure, guests can still catch a glimpse of the defunct park from areas of Fort Wilderness, but it is officially off limits to guests. How did River Country come to be and what happened to it?

Do You Remember River Country?


River Country was created in response to the oil shortages of the early 1970's that hit the Florida tourist market hard. Domestic tourists in the 1970's arrived in central Florida almost exclusively by car. Unlike Disneyland, Walt Disney World was built to be a destination resort and there was not enough local tourism to sustain the resort in the long term. Disney's answer? "Plus" the experience, of course. River County's job was to draw in more locals and entice travelers to book a multi-day stay, even if that multi-day stay was a budget accommodation at nearby Fort Wilderness Campground instead of the luxury of the Contemporary or Polynesian Resorts.


Just A Good Ol' Swimmin' Hole


River Country was roughly 10% of the size of Typhoon Lagoon, but it made some important contributions to its sister park and other Walt Disney World locations that would ultimately contribute to River Country's demise. River Country was the first themed water park. Imagineers took Walt Disney's idea of turning the classic amusement park on its head and applied the theory to water parks, which in the mid-1970's were mostly just pools with slides, but the lessons learned from River Country paved the way for some current guest favorites. Both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach owe their theming and variety of attractions to the River Country's research and development. The sandy bottom pools would provide inspiration for Beach Club's Stormalong Bay and the buffer and filtration idea that allowed guests to swim safely in filtered Florida lake water survives as part of the pool assembly at Wilderness Lodge.


River Country had One Pool


Guests enjoyed 25 summers of fun at River Country and when the gates closed in September 2001, guests anticipated that they would reopen the following summer as usual. However, a combination of safety concerns, increased competition, lack of capacity, and changing standards for the quality of water at theme parks in Florida all contributed to the decision not to reopen River Country in 2002. The final decision to cancel the 2002 season is most likely a result of the September 11 attacks. The attacks left Disney scrambling for short-term cuts in the face of fear over travel and economic troubles domestically and River Country was one of the easiest places to trim the budget.


River Country Now Sits Overgrown and Derelict


River Country still stands at the edge of Fort Wilderness, but it has been left in ruins and so much of the park has been reclaimed by nature that it would be extremely dangerous to explore the park today. There has been speculation that someday this park could be revitalized as a pool area exclusive to Fort Wilderness or a DVC-only water park, but no actual plans have been released by Disney to support either of these theories. By now, the park is so far gone that it would require large amounts of demolition and excavation before the salvageable portions could be rehabilitated. So for the being, it will continue to decay and we will continue to speculate about what it may become in the future.

Do you remember days swimming and splashing in the sun at Disney's first Water Park? Leave a comment and share your story.

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A big thanks goes out regular WDWFG Guest Author Holly L. for sharing a little bit of her knowledge of Disney with us. If you'd like to read more about Holly's Disney Adventures, you can find her sharing on our member forum.
More thanks goes to Steven & Courtney Johnson for their River Country photos via Flickr.