I was a cast member there for 5 years in the mid 90's and left before it closed. It was my understanding from a former co-worker who stayed after me that environmental consciousness was becoming popular and it was only a matter of time before the park ended up in the news for the effects of the bromine treated water which was allowed to flow back into the main lake. The park closed for 6-8 weeks each year for "Rehab" and slides where polished repaired etc etc BUT I don't recall the slides themselves being a big issue. If memory serves me right, the slides where "lined" by the late 80's. I was a lifeguard and the only real injuries, which always seemed minor, where when people flipped over backwards in the tubes on the river rapid ride. It was a great place to work AND swim in when I was a kid. We had a big family at RC and everyone loved working there. By the 90's the park hardly ever closed due to capacity. We typically reopened for the season by Feb. Also, the closing and anticipated reopening was to assess environmentally conscious options of treating the water but cost for this were too expensive....so I was told by my old friend and long time co-cast member friend of mine. Hope this helps. :)
@@izaihatoolyrical That was a rumor, it was not the reason the park closed as it was only one case MANY MANY YEARS before the park closed. But yes, that event DID happen, but it's not as significant to the park's closure as people on the internet make it out to be as it was a rare case and didn't happen for the rest of the time the park was open.
I went there a lot as a kid! When my Dad worked for the Monorails, he would be invited to a family fun day at River Country, so I went there with my family every year. The slides were a lot of fun and the food was always tasty. We were sad when it had to shut down.
I feel like a great horror story/movie could come from this park. A group of teens steal a boat out to the closed and forbidden river country only to discover the real reason the park was closed. Could be filmed on a found footage camera. The creatures could just be humans infected with the algae within the water.
pika23 there still sort of is I remember them doing it for new fantasy land as well as toy story land which my sister actually worked at opening day (she said that when they were prepping her for it they said that the amount of people coming could be a major hazard and that some might get violent if they don’t get what they want) also toy story land is so horribly designed there’s only one area with shade
some of my dads fondest memories as a child are at disney, when i asked him if he ever remembered visiting river country his face lit up! he told me about the rapids, the short rock slides that you fell into the water and a bar you’d swing on and then crash into the water below you. he loved it as a kid and was upset when he realized they closed it for good, and that i’d never get to experience it like he did.
It’d be so unlike Disney, but I really wish they’d add River County & Discovery Island to the “underground Disney” tour. I’ve been so interested in these parks for so long that I’d happily pay Disney to give me a tour of the grounds in their current state. (I’ll sign whatever I have to, I just wanna see the parks!)
@@doctoradventure413 I know Disney has always cared so much for their image, but if they cared even more, they would have cleaned that island a few months or years after it permanently closed...
My parents first went to River Country in the late 70s after they moved to Florida from England. They took me and my brother in the mid 90s when we were kids. I remember being super upset we weren't going to Blizzard Beach which was new at the time, but now I'm really glad they took us to River Country before it was gone forever. We had a blast!
Even though they used filters and machines, that water never looked clean to me. I've always wanted to go to either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, never knew which one to choose though.
Megan Cannavan Oh it is! I went back in 2016 and had like a Mickey bbq dinner thing and realized river country was right by it... the put a fence around it and I took pictures
Wish they turned it into Tortuga , the pirate town in Pirates of the Caribbean .A themed dining experience through the day and into the night . You get on a pirate ship from the Magic Kingdom to Tortuga .Enrol as a pirate and join in the festivities that go with piracy on the high seas .
I went there as a kid back in 1992. I LOVED it! Loved that you felt like you were in a swimming hole. I remember a peacock walking around while we were eating lunch lol
I love videos on river country the more I learn about this park the more intrigued I am. The fact they just left it there and let it sit abandoned inside the park is just crazy to me.
Incredible footage that correlated with the narrative. Such a compelling video with facts I’ve never heard before! Never knew the park had a nature trail. Thank you so much for putting this together!
Great video! I went to River Country once, in March 1978. I remember thinking it was kind of small. Almost went back in August 1994, but as we were walking there and asked a Cast Member for directions, he told us the park was closing in 1/2 hour and that we should go to Typhoon Lagoon because it was open later. I don't remember what time TL closed, but we saw the day turn to night and left TL after dark.
Also, I wonder since it was Disney's first water park if it had fatal design flaws. The roughness of the slides (which, by the way, first time I heard that; thanks for being informative) seems to point to this. Would be interesting to hear from a River Country cast member on that aspect.
@@Phantomwise2 I was a cast member for 5 years as a lifeguard, and injuries were surprisingly low. Most of our minor injuries came from people flipping out of their tubs on the tub/river ride. We used bromine in the lake treated water to provide guest with cleaner water. When I talked to one of the final cast member before it closed, I was told that it was due to the environmental impact of dumping bromine treated water back into the lake and for so many years...it was only going to be a matter of time before environmentalist had it on their radar and would make headlines.
Yeah, it does seem really boring. Lots of smaller swimming places have few slides and wild river.... so nobody is going to travel all the way to Florida for that.
well that would be your little secret. It was full everyday Even their resort channel advised guests to arrive early because River Country filled up early.
I've always liked the concept of River Country. A really nice little park. The FWRR closed due to the track's poor construction and the fact that the engines were incapable of pulling the heavy trains and holding enough oil and water to power them. Fact. (referenced from "Walt Disney's Railroad Story" by Michael Brogie.
I went to River Country in 1992 with my parents as part of a one week super pass that let us in to all the parks. Typhoon Lagoon is fantastic but we really enjoyed River Country because we liked to go camping it had a camper vibe to it. It was more laid back without people pressuring you to buy stuff or without huge crowds. It was a nice place to still enjoy Disney without the massive lines and people in your face at all times. We went back to DW in 1995 and did all three water parks and enjoyed them all. I was a teenager then and met a girl from Texas. Plenty of places in River Country we had fun away from the public together. Something about early 1990s Disney world as a whole just had a great vibe to it. It is far from the same now.
I'm happy to say that I got to experience River Country when I was little, during a week long camping vacation that my family began to take each year in different places around Florida and up into Georgia. Visiting Fort Wilderness was only the second time we camped, ever. And, during that trip we saw the Hoop Dee Doo Revue and visited River Country. One of our biggest memories was the drop-off slide that ended and left the rider to drop into the pool below. My mom somehow missed what the slide did and took the shock of her life when the slide left her to fall into the pool. It's still a trip none of us have forgotten. I was really sad when I heard the park had closed and saw the decaying remains of what I remembered from when I was a kid and shortly after I started to look for other places we visited to see if they were still around. We were very happy to see the Hoop Dee Doo Revue was still in operation and went back for a visit for father's day. It was amazing that not much has really changed in the show in what was about 20 years between visits! By the way, if you haven't experienced it. I highly recommend it, the food was great and the show is a lot of fun! While Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are bigger, there's still something to be said for a smaller more intimate park that lets you escape the hustle and bustle of larger crowds, that made River Country something particularly special in my opinion (and something Sea World has tapped into with Discovery Cove, yes, I've been there too).
It really is a great show, and the food doesn't disappoint! When we went the first time when I was little we were only able to get into a very late show, I think it started around 9 or 10, and my mom and dad were concerned I wouldn't stay awake for it. But, we had an amazing server and staying awake was definitely not a problem after all. My mom still remembers the strawberry shortcake. That night they brought one for my mom and dad to share, I can't remember the reason why, but then the server put a whole one in front of me, just for me. For an 8 year old it was huge!
I went to River Country in 1993 and it was great fun. I was only 7 and I don't have the most vivid memories but things that definitely stand out are the water slides where you plunge into the water below, the main watering hole, a waterfall and rubber rings. I remember having a great time and something is coming from the back of my head about the water being cold, like a paddling pool, until you acclimatise to it. Great memories of a lovely and wholesome water park.
ahhh finally !! when i saw this video i did a little happy dance!! i wish river country was still around for when i was younger but it wasn’t sadly. i ask my dad about it because when he was growing up he got to go to disney a lot, he went to river country so much and loved it there!!
Yes, you did River Country! I enjoy watching videos about this park, but I love your videos because you show more recordings of the parks from the past
Nice video, shame it closed. Our kids loved River County. We went to Florida twice (from the UK) and they always wanted to go there. Had a great "natural" feel to the place. Blizzard beach was our favourite water park, but an afternoon at River Country was always relaxing and great fun. Had a great character.
I knew a few people that worked there in the last years, and one thing you overlooked was wildlife. My friends said that some mornings (couple times a month) it would take them hours to contain alligators that had entered the area during evening, looking for scraps and trying to contain them was a real hassle, as NONE of the staff were professional animal handlers, mostly pushing them away with brooms. They had to daily sweep the area checking for unwanted wildlife. They also had MASSIVE efforts unknown to the outside for mosquitoes and bugs, as well as birds and even deer. Rumor was they were going to close the park and then sight line fence the entire area, and add a containment wall, that would keep wildlife out and allow the water to be converted to treated non-lake water like a big pool but after the project was looked at, it was NOT cost effective and RC remained untouched and closed.
According to Michael Broggie's "The Walt Disney Railroad Story", there were several reasons for closing the Ft. Wilderness Railroad. The first was water capacity. The little tank engines only carried enough water to make it a little more than one trip around the loop. Engines would often get stranded because they used rider operators who weren't experienced with steam travel. Another reason was constant derailments. The tracks were spiked into the soft Florida ground instead of how they were laid in the Magic Kingdom and would shift.
Made it a point to get there on each visit. Still can see my young daughters coming off that slide. They were young and even at 6 ft. It was deep for them so my wife or I would go first so we could wait for them at the botton. Loved River Country. I remember little minows in the beach area also. Thanks for the memories!
Absolutely loved this park. Stayed at the campground numerous times so it was within walking distance to my bus depot. Hahah. Loved everything about this park, was sad to see it closed. I do love the two water parks they have now, but would love one more ride down the slides into the lake at river country.
It's hard to watch some of these. Pushing 50 now I spent a good chunk of my youth in Florida at my grandmothers in Haines City. We used to hit up all the attractions every year and seeing this reminds me of how long it's been and how many people have passed on. :(
I remember seeing River Country in Mickey’s Fun Songs Campout at Walt Disney World, never went there when I visited as it was already closed when my family went to WDW years ago.
Three things killed River Country: It was small (it closed to non-Ft Wilderness guests when it hit 4000, capacity being 4500 total). It used 'natural' (unclorinated) water. And, unless you were staying at Ft Wilderness, awkward to get to - you had to park in the main Ft Wilderness lot, take a bus to the entrance, and if was closed due to capacity, (usually by noon/1pm) back to the main lot.
As a cast member there in the mid 90's we treated the water with Bromine, which is what I think caused its final demise. The environmentalist were starting to catch on to the fact Bromine was flowing back into the lake. In my 5 years there....the park only capacity closed about 5-10 days a year usually during spring breaks.
I went there a few times in the 80s. It was fun, but it was nothing compared to the newer water parks. Also the water was freezing cold. It was destined to close sooner or later.
The water there was the worst, I've never seen another water park with water even half as cold. I remember getting on the first slide I saw there and when I got to bottom....the horror, the shriveling, it was awful. I still wish one of the other two parks would recreate those cliff slides though. Typhoon Lagoon was already open by my first time there so after that one time I told my parents I wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon from now on. River Country only sounds fun to those who never got to experience it. Especially because they just left it abandoned and even left the lights and speakers on their timers it kind of became this mysterious, spooky old park over time. It really made no sense to keep it open, especially after Blizzard Beach opened. Most people would only visit once and then go to Typhoon Lagoon next time it was hot out.
ottav I went in the early 80s when there where no other options. But I was a kid so it was fun. But yes the water was like swimming in the arctic sea lol
Just stumbled across this video and so glad I did. I grew up outside of Chicago and our family vacation every year (no joke) was to Disney. We would always go to River Country (mid 70' to mid 80's) for at least a day. I have the most wonderful memories of RC and it breaks my heart to see its demise. I'm 40 something now with kids of my own. They will unfortunately never get to experience it other than through old family pictures and my reminiscing. I'm sure it would seem boring by comparison to the mega-waterparks these days but it holds a very special place in my heart. Thanks so much for creating this video.
I have the fondest memories of the ol swimming hole, it was one of our families full days when we traveled to Disney, and a main reason we always stayed at Fort Wilderness, the food was always tasty, and we never wanted the day to end, RIP RC😥😢😭
I remember going in 1985. I was sick that morning and threw up in line for one of the slides. My dad had to be "rescued" by a lifeguard on the zipline. He can't swim and panicked.
I was going to that mickey’s barbecue a couple years back and no lie I SAW part of river country through a hole in the fence. It was creepy. Edit: looking at the picture I took, the part I saw was the remains of Slippery Slide Falls.
I had the pleasure of going to river country the last year it was open.. I really did enjoy it because it WAS not as crowded as Blizzard Beach LOL Mom said "if I wanted to swim in green water, I would have stayed home and played in the creek!"
Don’t be so snarky ! I’ve said it’s an excellent, very interesting film . Accept praise when it’s given. You don’t know my accent so don’t make a comment about mine please.
I loved River Country and was fortunate enough to be a kid while it was open. Yes, it wasn’t as grandiose as Wet n Wild or the new water parks yet it was a great place to go and enjoy the Florida weather. It was a sad day when they closed this part of WDW but it just went the way of Discovery Island and is now forever gone. You can’t recapture those memories, instead bulldozers will come and raze the remnants to make way for another hotel...well thank goodness for pictures and our memories. Thanks, River Country, it was a blast!
I went to River country 1981 when they were first opening and they were still fairly sought after as a great water park. I went with my graduation classroom high School it was great I don't remember everything about it I remember the boom I love the Moon it swung out over the river and it would drop you off into the water I remember riding the rabbits and the long water slide I also remember they had two pools a small one and a large one they were heated I didn't go in them very much I stayed in the river I love the river and I thank you for showing this video it brings back a lot of fond memories
I remember going to Disney world alot because my dad worked for General Motors. The family would get discounts and other things. But one time we went to the water park at the camp site. A child had drowned that day and died. Ever since than Disney world had closed that water park. But we had a blast with everything else. We went every year.
I loved visiting as a kid and was lucky enough to go several times, best memories of the slides and meeting the characters. Thanks so much for this vid!
I went to river country as a kid in 1999. I remember liking the slides with the fall at the end. I spent most of my time in that pool because I wasn’t a fan of the brown water.
I’m from the UK and was lucky enough to visit River Country while it was still open in the 90’s. I loved the theme and how intimate it all was. I remember the bbq party that would be held in the evening and very sad it all had to be shut down. (If I remember they still hold the bbq events near by?)
I have been watching your videos for days now. Very well done! I don’t know why I just found you. A pleasure to watch. Great work, we’ll keep watching!
Thanks again Sam! Another favorite video. Please keep 'em coming! In the late 70s, early 80s, my Boy Scout troop (from the Seffner-Brandon area) used to make a trip to Ft Wilderness each year and we would spend a lot of time at River Country. I loved that place. Now when I visit WDW, I still stay at Ft Wilderness in an RV and take a stroll down by Mickey' BBQ to look at the green fence. As late at 2015, I think, I remember seeing the names of the RC rides on shutters of the old RC ticket booth, now used by Mickey's BBQ. On my last visit sometime after that, however, the names had been removed. Glad you talked about the bug in the lake. I never really believed that was why RC was shut down. We used to swim in rivers and lakes throughout the state. Lack of relative profit makes way more sense. You can also still see some foundations of the old Ft Wilderness Railroad if you walk around the campground. David Leaphart put out a great series of books that take a in depth look at that Railroad. He does challenge the 4/5th scale (from the 1977 FWRR manual) notion, though, using a Roger Broggie, jr. interview and a Baldwin Catalog.
I always love seeing a park in its heyday and then seeing it now when it's been overtaken by nature. It's not necessarily a good thing, but it's always interesting to see. For that matter, it's always interesting to see something man made that gets taken over by nature.
Wish I would have visited our first time to WDW in 2001, but we only did the main parks. Of course unknowingly that they were going to close by our visit the next year in '02. Great video! ~Dawn
Well, i've never been there nor do i know anyone(to my knowledge) who has but i feel fascinated by the history of this park and it seemed to have the right idea...at first. If it had been open when i was a small child i might have gone and begged my parents. I have heard though that there's a creepy stigma around it which is even more strange. Thanks for sharing this video! :)
I went to river country when I was a kid back in the 80-90s. It was one of my favorite places to visit. I remember sliding down and dropping off into the pool and swimming around in the 'lake' part of the park. I was so upset when I heard that they had closed it down. I found a video recently showing an urban explorer walking around the park. The lights and music were still on even though the park has been closed an abandoned for many years! very eerie..
When I was a kid my grandparents took me and my little brother to Disneyworld in my Grandpa's RV. We stayed in an RV park across the river from the Kingdom. I was only about 11 or 12 then so it would have been around 1971 or '72. I remember we took a boat that looked like a steam launch across the lake to get to the main entrance to the park. Not sure what the RV park was called but I don't remember a water park. One interesting thing though. While we were there we saw an RV from a post-apocalyptic TV series that had recently ended... I think it was called "Genesis 2"? It was a really cool looking RV, looked like a large jet aircraft with the wings removed. My Grandpa went and talked to the owners and they gave him a tour of it.
Seeing this neglected in the middle of the lake is almost haunting, I never knew anything was there until I saw some out of place things while renting a boat from the Polynesian Resort, never thought Disney was that much of a cheapskate until I looked into what this place was. It really opened my eyes to how corporate Disney was at a time I was able to comprehend more than just the parks themselves
I was far too young to experience River Country when it was open, (heck I first visited WDW in 2008 at the age of 7) but the park has always been very intriguing nonetheless, just because of the taboo concept of Disney abandoning a theme park and how fun and unique it would've been to visit during operation. The past few years my family and I have gone to Fort Wilderness to see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, (which is amazing, you should really do some sort of video about it) and every time I take a walk down the path to River Country. I've always wanted to at least take a peek through the green fences at get a nice look at what remains of the old swimming hole, but I always stop at the front gate/ticket booth and a rope blocking off the path to the gate area guests can still traverse for Mickey's Backyard BBQ. Something always stops me and I don't know why, (probably the fear of WDW Security tazing me at the mere questioning of crossing the rope). Still, excellent video as always, and greetings from Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa!!!
the Park could never re-open because Florida passed a law that you could no longer mix natural water sources like the lake water with their attractions, and thats how the park was set up
I remember River Country! Going to WDW in the late 70s/early 80s was such a different experience than it is today. Back then, Disney was considered more as part of a great vacation (along with Sea World, Circus World, and a bunch of smaller Orlando/Kissimmee attrations in the area) than the whole vacation itself.
After nearly two decades of abandonment, this place was finally demolished in 2018 to be replaced by Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge which is currently on hold.
I was born in 2002 so I was to hound to go before it closed but every time we pass it, my dad tells me all of they memories hw made there. It’s so crazy they the shell of it still exists in bay lake. It’s almost eerie going past it on the way to the magic kingdom
I have the best memories of river country in the 90s ! We loved it!!!! So relaxing there. The water was lovely, I learned to swim in the swimming pool, I played in the sand building sand castles with mr smee, me and my family sheltered from the rain in a cave eating curly fries also a few years later I was mayor for the day! ❤️ I had the best day ever!
I remember River Country in 1977. A swarm of humanity in bathing suits on line for you-name-it......! We stayed at the Contemporary Resort,and I rode the monorail with my room key card; I felt so cool!
I'm 31 now but went to River Country as a kid and I remember really liking the Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer feel of it all! I think I only went once but I went back to WDW a few years ago and wondered what had happened to that old "River Water Park" :)
Excellent video. I travelled from UK with my family several times in the 90's. Our absolute favourite place was River Country and Discovery Island. Such a shame that it has to go for 'profit' reasons.
Kelly Tovornik yes! It’s 2020 now and they plan to build a new hotel there that will have an open date in 2022. I believe they just started demolition a few weeks ago!
I actually went to River Country during the 80s when it was open and the one word I would use to describe it was 'quaint'. It was fun for sure, but definitely paled in comparison to anything else at Walt Disney World. My guess would be that the facilities just got old and Disney couldn't justify the cost of refurbishing it.
Went as a kid. 40 now but going on 12! I miss Orlando and all the theme parks..now I'm in the city of Sin. Adult Disneyworld, as people say- Las Vegas :(
Back in the day my dad and step mother worked for the magic Kingdom/Disney. Back in the late 70s and early 80s Disney would give its employees world passport passes at a cut rate according to how big your family was. Needless to say I spent a lot of time in the parks at the magic Kingdom Florida, and actually wound up working there as a young adult (construction on MGM studio ) have very fond memories of the parks way back in the early 80s and river country was a popular place for us young kids of Disney employees to go and hang out at untill my father would be done work for the day as an electrition in the parks and come pick us up. We also hung out in the magic Kingdom and epcot.i have very fond memories of being droped off at the contemporary hotel in the very early morning and going about our day as young kids through the parks
Those were good times. I don’t have any pics n the park but I have one in the parking lot. That day we went to the park and then stopped by West Shore Mall on our way home. I vividly remember seeing Star Wars model kits. Another one is there was a girl I liked at the time. We went with her to the park. The Thing was she was 23 and I was 12. Yeah that didn’t work out.
Check out the creeper in the black shorts @ 3:49 he watches those young girls getting out of the water, resets, and then checks out even younger girls!!! I'm telling you creepers are EVERYWHERE!
Great video. I never went to river country or discovery island but remember them being advertised. I know its not a theme park but id love to see a video on the old wdw stolport as well. Keep up the good work 😀✌️
Another fantastic video, really enjoy these!
Thanks guys really appreciate it. Love the vlogs and updates.
I was a cast member there for 5 years in the mid 90's and left before it closed. It was my understanding from a former co-worker who stayed after me that environmental consciousness was becoming popular and it was only a matter of time before the park ended up in the news for the effects of the bromine treated water which was allowed to flow back into the main lake. The park closed for 6-8 weeks each year for "Rehab" and slides where polished repaired etc etc BUT I don't recall the slides themselves being a big issue. If memory serves me right, the slides where "lined" by the late 80's. I was a lifeguard and the only real injuries, which always seemed minor, where when people flipped over backwards in the tubes on the river rapid ride. It was a great place to work AND swim in when I was a kid. We had a big family at RC and everyone loved working there. By the 90's the park hardly ever closed due to capacity. We typically reopened for the season by Feb. Also, the closing and anticipated reopening was to assess environmentally conscious options of treating the water but cost for this were too expensive....so I was told by my old friend and long time co-cast member friend of mine. Hope this helps. :)
Scott Vinas well sorry Scott a kid died there. Because of a bacteria in the water 🤣 it should’ve never been opened.
Scott Vinas well sorry Scott a kid died there. Because of a bacteria in the water 🤣 it should’ve never been opened.
@@izaihatoolyrical That was a rumor, it was not the reason the park closed as it was only one case MANY MANY YEARS before the park closed. But yes, that event DID happen, but it's not as significant to the park's closure as people on the internet make it out to be as it was a rare case and didn't happen for the rest of the time the park was open.
@@izaihatoolyrical If that is true, that kid probably shouldn't be in the water in the first place.
@@DeadGivaway Stupid.
I went there a lot as a kid! When my Dad worked for the Monorails, he would be invited to a family fun day at River Country, so I went there with my family every year. The slides were a lot of fun and the food was always tasty. We were sad when it had to shut down.
That sounds so fun!
Holy crap, Robyn's dad worked on the Monorails? I love the Monorails!
I remember my parents taking me there back in the 80's. Lots of memories. Have to admit tho Typhoon lagoon was quite an upgrade.
Anime America it’s so sad that it’s now closed
But we now have Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks, which are so much bigger and beautiful!
Also Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando.
I feel like a great horror story/movie could come from this park. A group of teens steal a boat out to the closed and forbidden river country only to discover the real reason the park was closed. Could be filmed on a found footage camera. The creatures could just be humans infected with the algae within the water.
I love how there used to be specials on TV for each new expansion back then
pika23 there still sort of is I remember them doing it for new fantasy land as well as toy story land which my sister actually worked at opening day (she said that when they were prepping her for it they said that the amount of people coming could be a major hazard and that some might get violent if they don’t get what they want) also toy story land is so horribly designed there’s only one area with shade
@@doctoradventure413
its amazingly themed but theres umbrellas everywhere now
Some Crazed Nerd they probably should’ve thought the design out more before making it and now being covered with tacky umbrellas
some of my dads fondest memories as a child are at disney, when i asked him if he ever remembered visiting river country his face lit up! he told me about the rapids, the short rock slides that you fell into the water and a bar you’d swing on and then crash into the water below you. he loved it as a kid and was upset when he realized they closed it for good, and that i’d never get to experience it like he did.
It’d be so unlike Disney, but I really wish they’d add River County & Discovery Island to the “underground Disney” tour. I’ve been so interested in these parks for so long that I’d happily pay Disney to give me a tour of the grounds in their current state. (I’ll sign whatever I have to, I just wanna see the parks!)
I agree. I would definately pay for that!
Just break in and enter, doubt anyone would care, it's abandoned.
With how much Disney cares for safety and it’s image I doubt it would ever happen and don’t break in if you’re caught you get a lifetime ban
@@Electronic424 they would totally care for your safety. It seems dangerous, plus that water looks nasty now...
@@doctoradventure413 I know Disney has always cared so much for their image, but if they cared even more, they would have cleaned that island a few months or years after it permanently closed...
My parents first went to River Country in the late 70s after they moved to Florida from England. They took me and my brother in the mid 90s when we were kids. I remember being super upset we weren't going to Blizzard Beach which was new at the time, but now I'm really glad they took us to River Country before it was gone forever. We had a blast!
Even though they used filters and machines, that water never looked clean to me. I've always wanted to go to either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, never knew which one to choose though.
Typhoon looks like they have the better attractions but I've always been a sucker for Blizzard Beach's theming.
The good news is that the water park tickets at disney are parkhoppers, so you can visit both. I love blizzard beach because the lazy river is longer.
Was there MANY times as a child, and last in 1999. The water was fine, no funny smell and very clean.
The bottoms of pools were painted to make it appear like a river but the water was clear
"Lake" water is often cleaner than pools. Despite chemicals, pool water holds more bacteria and "other things" because it is enclosed.
"You can blame Michael Eisner for this one"
Honestly I'm shocked
what ? how ?
Yes!!!! I am so excited. I am weirdly obsessed with River Country. I imagine it as an alligator playground 🐊
Megan Cannavan Oh it is! I went back in 2016 and had like a Mickey bbq dinner thing and realized river country was right by it... the put a fence around it and I took pictures
There's something so refreshing about how simple this park was.
Wish they turned it into Tortuga , the pirate town in Pirates of the Caribbean .A themed dining experience through the day and into the night . You get on a pirate ship from the Magic Kingdom to Tortuga .Enrol as a pirate and join in the festivities that go with piracy on the high seas .
u really think disney cares that much still
I went there as a kid back in 1992. I LOVED it! Loved that you felt like you were in a swimming hole. I remember a peacock walking around while we were eating lunch lol
I love videos on river country the more I learn about this park the more intrigued I am. The fact they just left it there and let it sit abandoned inside the park is just crazy to me.
Incredible footage that correlated with the narrative. Such a compelling video with facts I’ve never heard before! Never knew the park had a nature trail. Thank you so much for putting this together!
Thank you so much for watching.
Great video! I went to River Country once, in March 1978. I remember thinking it was kind of small. Almost went back in August 1994, but as we were walking there and asked a Cast Member for directions, he told us the park was closing in 1/2 hour and that we should go to Typhoon Lagoon because it was open later. I don't remember what time TL closed, but we saw the day turn to night and left TL after dark.
People always want dramatic reasons. The fact that the park just wasn't worth operating is too boring.
Also, I wonder since it was Disney's first water park if it had fatal design flaws. The roughness of the slides (which, by the way, first time I heard that; thanks for being informative) seems to point to this. Would be interesting to hear from a River Country cast member on that aspect.
@@Phantomwise2 I was a cast member for 5 years as a lifeguard, and injuries were surprisingly low. Most of our minor injuries came from people flipping out of their tubs on the tub/river ride. We used bromine in the lake treated water to provide guest with cleaner water. When I talked to one of the final cast member before it closed, I was told that it was due to the environmental impact of dumping bromine treated water back into the lake and for so many years...it was only going to be a matter of time before environmentalist had it on their radar and would make headlines.
@@Phantomwise2 it came down to state law about using reclaimed water from a natural source.
Yeah, it does seem really boring. Lots of smaller swimming places have few slides and wild river.... so nobody is going to travel all the way to Florida for that.
well that would be your little secret. It was full everyday Even their resort channel advised guests to arrive early because River Country filled up early.
I've always liked the concept of River Country. A really nice little park.
The FWRR closed due to the track's poor construction and the fact that the engines were incapable of pulling the heavy trains and holding enough oil and water to power them. Fact. (referenced from "Walt Disney's Railroad Story" by Michael Brogie.
I went to River Country in 1992 with my parents as part of a one week super pass that let us in to all the parks. Typhoon Lagoon is fantastic but we really enjoyed River Country because we liked to go camping it had a camper vibe to it. It was more laid back without people pressuring you to buy stuff or without huge crowds. It was a nice place to still enjoy Disney without the massive lines and people in your face at all times. We went back to DW in 1995 and did all three water parks and enjoyed them all. I was a teenager then and met a girl from Texas. Plenty of places in River Country we had fun away from the public together. Something about early 1990s Disney world as a whole just had a great vibe to it. It is far from the same now.
I'm happy to say that I got to experience River Country when I was little, during a week long camping vacation that my family began to take each year in different places around Florida and up into Georgia. Visiting Fort Wilderness was only the second time we camped, ever. And, during that trip we saw the Hoop Dee Doo Revue and visited River Country. One of our biggest memories was the drop-off slide that ended and left the rider to drop into the pool below. My mom somehow missed what the slide did and took the shock of her life when the slide left her to fall into the pool. It's still a trip none of us have forgotten. I was really sad when I heard the park had closed and saw the decaying remains of what I remembered from when I was a kid and shortly after I started to look for other places we visited to see if they were still around. We were very happy to see the Hoop Dee Doo Revue was still in operation and went back for a visit for father's day. It was amazing that not much has really changed in the show in what was about 20 years between visits! By the way, if you haven't experienced it. I highly recommend it, the food was great and the show is a lot of fun! While Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are bigger, there's still something to be said for a smaller more intimate park that lets you escape the hustle and bustle of larger crowds, that made River Country something particularly special in my opinion (and something Sea World has tapped into with Discovery Cove, yes, I've been there too).
I am a huge fan of the hoop de doo! I have been multiple times and it’s one of my fav things to do at wdw!
It really is a great show, and the food doesn't disappoint! When we went the first time when I was little we were only able to get into a very late show, I think it started around 9 or 10, and my mom and dad were concerned I wouldn't stay awake for it. But, we had an amazing server and staying awake was definitely not a problem after all. My mom still remembers the strawberry shortcake. That night they brought one for my mom and dad to share, I can't remember the reason why, but then the server put a whole one in front of me, just for me. For an 8 year old it was huge!
I went to River Country in 1993 and it was great fun. I was only 7 and I don't have the most vivid memories but things that definitely stand out are the water slides where you plunge into the water below, the main watering hole, a waterfall and rubber rings. I remember having a great time and something is coming from the back of my head about the water being cold, like a paddling pool, until you acclimatise to it. Great memories of a lovely and wholesome water park.
ahhh finally !! when i saw this video i did a little happy dance!! i wish river country was still around for when i was younger but it wasn’t sadly. i ask my dad about it because when he was growing up he got to go to disney a lot, he went to river country so much and loved it there!!
Yes, you did River Country! I enjoy watching videos about this park, but I love your videos because you show more recordings of the parks from the past
I did it! Ha thank you
Nice video, shame it closed. Our kids loved River County. We went to Florida twice (from the UK) and they always wanted to go there. Had a great "natural" feel to the place. Blizzard beach was our favourite water park, but an afternoon at River Country was always relaxing and great fun. Had a great character.
I knew a few people that worked there in the last years, and one thing you overlooked was wildlife. My friends said that some mornings (couple times a month) it would take them hours to contain alligators that had entered the area during evening, looking for scraps and trying to contain them was a real hassle, as NONE of the staff were professional animal handlers, mostly pushing them away with brooms. They had to daily sweep the area checking for unwanted wildlife. They also had MASSIVE efforts unknown to the outside for mosquitoes and bugs, as well as birds and even deer. Rumor was they were going to close the park and then sight line fence the entire area, and add a containment wall, that would keep wildlife out and allow the water to be converted to treated non-lake water like a big pool but after the project was looked at, it was NOT cost effective and RC remained untouched and closed.
According to Michael Broggie's "The Walt Disney Railroad Story", there were several reasons for closing the Ft. Wilderness Railroad. The first was water capacity. The little tank engines only carried enough water to make it a little more than one trip around the loop. Engines would often get stranded because they used rider operators who weren't experienced with steam travel. Another reason was constant derailments. The tracks were spiked into the soft Florida ground instead of how they were laid in the Magic Kingdom and would shift.
Made it a point to get there on each visit. Still can see my young daughters coming off that slide. They were young and even at 6 ft. It was deep for them so my wife or I would go first so we could wait for them at the botton. Loved River Country. I remember little minows in the beach area also. Thanks for the memories!
When this park was made alligators were endangered by 1999 they were not. It would not be hard for them to find there way in to river country
Was thinking Gators
The 5 years I was a lifeguard there on opening crew, I never saw one alligator in the park.
Of course after the crocodile hunter died it was free reign for them
I don't sweat gators....
Thanks for giving the history of this Disney icon.
Absolutely loved this park. Stayed at the campground numerous times so it was within walking distance to my bus depot. Hahah. Loved everything about this park, was sad to see it closed. I do love the two water parks they have now, but would love one more ride down the slides into the lake at river country.
It's hard to watch some of these. Pushing 50 now I spent a good chunk of my youth in Florida at my grandmothers in Haines City. We used to hit up all the attractions every year and seeing this reminds me of how long it's been and how many people have passed on. :(
I remember seeing River Country in Mickey’s Fun Songs Campout at Walt Disney World, never went there when I visited as it was already closed when my family went to WDW years ago.
wynonnamaree uy me too
Three things killed River Country: It was small (it closed to non-Ft Wilderness guests when it hit 4000, capacity being 4500 total). It used 'natural' (unclorinated) water. And, unless you were staying at Ft Wilderness, awkward to get to - you had to park in the main Ft Wilderness lot, take a bus to the entrance, and if was closed due to capacity, (usually by noon/1pm) back to the main lot.
That’s exactly what I said haha
As a cast member there in the mid 90's we treated the water with Bromine, which is what I think caused its final demise. The environmentalist were starting to catch on to the fact Bromine was flowing back into the lake. In my 5 years there....the park only capacity closed about 5-10 days a year usually during spring breaks.
This was my first visit to a water park of any kind as a kid. We stayed in Ft. Wilderness in '84 and again in '88. Many great memories.
I went there a few times in the 80s. It was fun, but it was nothing compared to the newer water parks. Also the water was freezing cold. It was destined to close sooner or later.
The water there was the worst, I've never seen another water park with water even half as cold. I remember getting on the first slide I saw there and when I got to bottom....the horror, the shriveling, it was awful. I still wish one of the other two parks would recreate those cliff slides though. Typhoon Lagoon was already open by my first time there so after that one time I told my parents I wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon from now on. River Country only sounds fun to those who never got to experience it. Especially because they just left it abandoned and even left the lights and speakers on their timers it kind of became this mysterious, spooky old park over time. It really made no sense to keep it open, especially after Blizzard Beach opened. Most people would only visit once and then go to Typhoon Lagoon next time it was hot out.
ottav I went in the early 80s when there where no other options. But I was a kid so it was fun. But yes the water was like swimming in the arctic sea lol
How old are you now???
Just stumbled across this video and so glad I did. I grew up outside of Chicago and our family vacation every year (no joke) was to Disney. We would always go to River Country (mid 70' to mid 80's) for at least a day. I have the most wonderful memories of RC and it breaks my heart to see its demise.
I'm 40 something now with kids of my own. They will unfortunately never get to experience it other than through old family pictures and my reminiscing. I'm sure it would seem boring by comparison to the mega-waterparks these days but it holds a very special place in my heart. Thanks so much for creating this video.
Thanks for sharing your story
Oh gorsh that 00’s era map they showed brings me back to my first Disney trip as a child.
I have the fondest memories of the ol swimming hole, it was one of our families full days when we traveled to Disney, and a main reason we always stayed at Fort Wilderness, the food was always tasty, and we never wanted the day to end, RIP RC😥😢😭
I remember going in 1985. I was sick that morning and threw up in line for one of the slides. My dad had to be "rescued" by a lifeguard on the zipline. He can't swim and panicked.
Oh no that doesn’t sound good!
As a lifeguard there....lots of people had to be "assisted" from the water off the ziplines :)
I was going to that mickey’s barbecue a couple years back and no lie I SAW part of river country through a hole in the fence. It was creepy.
Edit: looking at the picture I took, the part I saw was the remains of Slippery Slide Falls.
I lived in Tampa in the 80's and my youth group visited River Country all the time.
Our Youth Group in Tarpon Springs went there alot too (back in the 80s).
I had the pleasure of going to river country the last year it was open.. I really did enjoy it because it WAS not as crowded as Blizzard Beach LOL Mom said "if I wanted to swim in green water, I would have stayed home and played in the creek!"
0 dislikes. Nobody can dislike some good Disney history.
someone saw this and disliked :(
a dude what a try hard. lol
Great interesting film footage, but annoying commentator with poor pronunciation
Haha thank you! I wish I could get you to Come narrate Margaret with your perfect voice and accent.
Don’t be so snarky ! I’ve said it’s an excellent, very interesting film . Accept praise when it’s given. You don’t know my accent so don’t make a comment about mine please.
I loved River Country and was fortunate enough to be a kid while it was open. Yes, it wasn’t as grandiose as Wet n Wild or the new water parks yet it was a great place to go and enjoy the Florida weather. It was a sad day when they closed this part of WDW but it just went the way of Discovery Island and is now forever gone. You can’t recapture those memories, instead bulldozers will come and raze the remnants to make way for another hotel...well thank goodness for pictures and our memories. Thanks, River Country, it was a blast!
This is so sad especially the river thingy like they spent so much money and then they just abandoned it 🥺
I went to River country 1981 when they were first opening and they were still fairly sought after as a great water park. I went with my graduation classroom high School it was great I don't remember everything about it I remember the boom I love the Moon it swung out over the river and it would drop you off into the water I remember riding the rabbits and the long water slide I also remember they had two pools a small one and a large one they were heated I didn't go in them very much I stayed in the river I love the river and I thank you for showing this video it brings back a lot of fond memories
And, of course, I get a Disney ad before the video starts. Amazing.
I remember going to Disney world alot because my dad worked for General Motors. The family would get discounts and other things. But one time we went to the water park at the camp site. A child had drowned that day and died. Ever since than Disney world had closed that water park. But we had a blast with everything else. We went every year.
This is so interesting. I wish they wouldn’t had abandoned it.
I loved visiting as a kid and was lucky enough to go several times, best memories of the slides and meeting the characters. Thanks so much for this vid!
My pleasure thank you!
There seems to be a lot more information In this River Country video compared to the others
Nice Job
Thank you i tried to present more of what it was than what happened.
I went to river country as a kid in 1999. I remember liking the slides with the fall at the end. I spent most of my time in that pool because I wasn’t a fan of the brown water.
I went to River country and bird island as a teen. It was fun, yeah a little rough,but it was wilderness! We loved it.
I’m from the UK and was lucky enough to visit River Country while it was still open in the 90’s. I loved the theme and how intimate it all was. I remember the bbq party that would be held in the evening and very sad it all had to be shut down. (If I remember they still hold the bbq events near by?)
I have been watching your videos for days now. Very well done! I don’t know why I just found you. A pleasure to watch. Great work, we’ll keep watching!
My Friend went there a few months ago! And Yep it was so Abandoned!
Thanks again Sam! Another favorite video. Please keep 'em coming!
In the late 70s, early 80s, my Boy Scout troop (from the Seffner-Brandon area) used to make a trip to Ft Wilderness each year and we would spend a lot of time at River Country. I loved that place. Now when I visit WDW, I still stay at Ft Wilderness in an RV and take a stroll down by Mickey' BBQ to look at the green fence. As late at 2015, I think, I remember seeing the names of the RC rides on shutters of the old RC ticket booth, now used by Mickey's BBQ. On my last visit sometime after that, however, the names had been removed.
Glad you talked about the bug in the lake. I never really believed that was why RC was shut down. We used to swim in rivers and lakes throughout the state. Lack of relative profit makes way more sense.
You can also still see some foundations of the old Ft Wilderness Railroad if you walk around the campground. David Leaphart put out a great series of books that take a in depth look at that Railroad. He does challenge the 4/5th scale (from the 1977 FWRR manual) notion, though, using a Roger Broggie, jr. interview and a Baldwin Catalog.
Interesting I will definitely look into that series
My parents and grandparents ALWAYS talk about this place when we pass it on a ferry
I always love seeing a park in its heyday and then seeing it now when it's been overtaken by nature. It's not necessarily a good thing, but it's always interesting to see. For that matter, it's always interesting to see something man made that gets taken over by nature.
Love your take on river country. Always wondering how its been since my visit 😎
Wish I would have visited our first time to WDW in 2001, but we only did the main parks. Of course unknowingly that they were going to close by our visit the next year in '02. Great video! ~Dawn
I didnt get to visit wdw until 2002. I had no ideal about river country.
Well, i've never been there nor do i know anyone(to my knowledge) who has but i feel fascinated by the history of this park and it seemed to have the right idea...at first. If it had been open when i was a small child i might have gone and begged my parents. I have heard though that there's a creepy stigma around it which is even more strange. Thanks for sharing this video! :)
I dont know why but I LOVE these abandoned theme park videos!
I went to river country when I was a kid back in the 80-90s. It was one of my favorite places to visit. I remember sliding down and dropping off into the pool and swimming around in the 'lake' part of the park. I was so upset when I heard that they had closed it down. I found a video recently showing an urban explorer walking around the park. The lights and music were still on even though the park has been closed an abandoned for many years! very eerie..
Soon enough Disney world is gonna be all hotels
I used to camp at Ft. Wilderness back in the 90s but never got to go to River Country. We did go to Discovery Island once though.
When I was a kid my grandparents took me and my little brother to Disneyworld in my Grandpa's RV. We stayed in an RV park across the river from the Kingdom. I was only about 11 or 12 then so it would have been around 1971 or '72. I remember we took a boat that looked like a steam launch across the lake to get to the main entrance to the park. Not sure what the RV park was called but I don't remember a water park. One interesting thing though. While we were there we saw an RV from a post-apocalyptic TV series that had recently ended... I think it was called "Genesis 2"? It was a really cool looking RV, looked like a large jet aircraft with the wings removed. My Grandpa went and talked to the owners and they gave him a tour of it.
Seeing this neglected in the middle of the lake is almost haunting, I never knew anything was there until I saw some out of place things while renting a boat from the Polynesian Resort, never thought Disney was that much of a cheapskate until I looked into what this place was. It really opened my eyes to how corporate Disney was at a time I was able to comprehend more than just the parks themselves
I was far too young to experience River Country when it was open, (heck I first visited WDW in 2008 at the age of 7) but the park has always been very intriguing nonetheless, just because of the taboo concept of Disney abandoning a theme park and how fun and unique it would've been to visit during operation. The past few years my family and I have gone to Fort Wilderness to see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, (which is amazing, you should really do some sort of video about it) and every time I take a walk down the path to River Country. I've always wanted to at least take a peek through the green fences at get a nice look at what remains of the old swimming hole, but I always stop at the front gate/ticket booth and a rope blocking off the path to the gate area guests can still traverse for Mickey's Backyard BBQ. Something always stops me and I don't know why, (probably the fear of WDW Security tazing me at the mere questioning of crossing the rope). Still, excellent video as always, and greetings from Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa!!!
the Park could never re-open because Florida passed a law that you could no longer mix natural water sources like the lake water with their attractions, and thats how the park was set up
I love watching the Abandoned Videos of River Country!
I remember River Country! Going to WDW in the late 70s/early 80s was such a different experience than it is today. Back then, Disney was considered more as part of a great vacation (along with Sea World, Circus World, and a bunch of smaller Orlando/Kissimmee attrations in the area) than the whole vacation itself.
After nearly two decades of abandonment, this place was finally demolished in 2018 to be replaced by Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge which is currently on hold.
It’s weird to think that the little kids in these videos are now middle aged adults.
Always my thought anytime I watch any old video 😂😂
My mom went there as a kid with her little sister & they’re 31 & 42. I wish I could’ve got to experience it too tho
I have seen so much on this place. I wish I could have experienced it. I would also love to go exploring here before they destroy it completely.
River Country was so much fun. The rapid slide still tops my list of water slides. It was so simple and fun there.
I was born in 2002 so I was to hound to go before it closed but every time we pass it, my dad tells me all of they memories hw made there. It’s so crazy they the shell of it still exists in bay lake. It’s almost eerie going past it on the way to the magic kingdom
I have the best memories of river country in the 90s ! We loved it!!!! So relaxing there.
The water was lovely, I learned to swim in the swimming pool, I played in the sand building sand castles with mr smee, me and my family sheltered from the rain in a cave eating curly fries also a few years later I was mayor for the day! ❤️ I had the best day ever!
I remember River Country in 1977. A swarm of humanity in bathing suits on line for you-name-it......! We stayed at the Contemporary Resort,and I rode the monorail with my room key card; I felt so cool!
I went here a couple times as a kid. Good memories. Thank you 😊
it was recently knocked down and filled in and announced to now become Reflections a Disney Vacation Club only hotel!
That's crazy I've been to Disney so many times and I've never known about River country until I found it on RUclips
Went there in 1978 and again in 1986. Great memories!
I'm 31 now but went to River Country as a kid and I remember really liking the Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer feel of it all! I think I only went once but I went back to WDW a few years ago and wondered what had happened to that old "River Water Park" :)
Excellent video. I travelled from UK with my family several times in the 90's. Our absolute favourite place was River Country and Discovery Island. Such a shame that it has to go for 'profit' reasons.
This channel is better than TV
Too bad they are demolishing River Country next year
Kelly Tovornik yes! It’s 2020 now and they plan to build a new hotel there that will have an open date in 2022. I believe they just started demolition a few weeks ago!
RIP River Country! :(
Wait this isn't open anymore? Dang I love water parks and the theming was so cute. I'm sure the current ones are fun too.
Yeah a lot bigger
I actually went to River Country during the 80s when it was open and the one word I would use to describe it was 'quaint'. It was fun for sure, but definitely paled in comparison to anything else at Walt Disney World. My guess would be that the facilities just got old and Disney couldn't justify the cost of refurbishing it.
When I was 7 I almost drowned at River Country coming off the slide. The lifeguards were useless.
This place was great, back in 1997 I really thought I was swimming in bay lake. Wasn’t this near back yard bbq I think it was called?
Yep!
Thank you this is my favorite abandoned thing and I'm at Fort wilderness and my birthday
Have an amazing time!
Expedition Theme Park thanks
Well it been almost one year sense this came out
Went as a kid. 40 now but going on 12! I miss Orlando and all the theme parks..now I'm in the city of Sin. Adult Disneyworld, as people say- Las Vegas :(
Back in the day my dad and step mother worked for the magic Kingdom/Disney. Back in the late 70s and early 80s Disney would give its employees world passport passes at a cut rate according to how big your family was. Needless to say I spent a lot of time in the parks at the magic Kingdom Florida, and actually wound up working there as a young adult (construction on MGM studio ) have very fond memories of the parks way back in the early 80s and river country was a popular place for us young kids of Disney employees to go and hang out at untill my father would be done work for the day as an electrition in the parks and come pick us up. We also hung out in the magic Kingdom and epcot.i have very fond memories of being droped off at the contemporary hotel in the very early morning and going about our day as young kids through the parks
Those were good times. I don’t have any pics n the park but I have one in the parking lot. That day we went to the park and then stopped by West Shore Mall on our way home.
I vividly remember seeing Star Wars model kits.
Another one is there was a girl I liked at the time. We went with her to the park. The Thing was she was 23 and I was 12. Yeah that didn’t work out.
It could of worked ha
Check out the creeper in the black shorts @ 3:49 he watches those young girls getting out of the water, resets, and then checks out even younger girls!!! I'm telling you creepers are EVERYWHERE!
Great video. I never went to river country or discovery island but remember them being advertised. I know its not a theme park but id love to see a video on the old wdw stolport as well. Keep up the good work 😀✌️
I will do it on the weekly short video series :)
I was a lifeguard at blizzard beach in 2018 and I had multiple guest tell me how much they miss river country