Disney's River Country facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Disney's River Country |
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| Location | Walt Disney World Resort, Bay Lake, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 28°24′41″N 81°33′53″W / 28.411325°N 81.5646805556°W |
| Theme | Old-fashioned swimming hole |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Operated by | Walt Disney Parks and Resorts |
| Opened | June 20, 1976 |
| Closed | November 2, 2001 |
| Status | {{{status}}} |
| Pools | 2 pools |
| Water slides | 5 water slides |
| Children's areas | 2 children's areas |
Disney's River Country was the very first water park at Walt Disney World. It was built next to Bay Lake and close to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The park looked like a rustic, old-fashioned swimming spot.
It first opened its doors on June 20, 1976. The park closed for good on November 2, 2001. The Walt Disney Company later said on January 20, 2005, that it would stay closed forever. This made it only the second Disney park ever to close permanently. The other was Discovery Island, which closed in 1999. A new hotel, Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, was planned for the old site. Construction started in 2019.
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History of Disney's River Country
Disney's River Country was right on the edge of Bay Lake. It was also near Discovery Island. The park had a wild, natural look. It featured many rocks and man-made boulders. People described it as an "old-fashioned swimming hole". It also had a fun "Huckleberry Finn" feel. Its first working name was "Pop's Willow Grove".
The park was even shown on TV. It appeared in a musical part of "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World". This was an episode of the 1977 Wonderful World of Disney. The Mouseketeers from The Mickey Mouse Club sang about "River Country". They showed off the park's fun attractions.
The park had a sandy bottom, just like a real lake. It also had a special water cleaning system. This system used water from Bay Lake. The park's water was kept higher than the lake's. This stopped lake water from flowing into the park.
Why River Country Closed
In 1989, Disney opened a second water park. It was called Typhoon Lagoon. This new park had more parking and many more slides. It also had newer facilities and was much bigger.
Six years later, in 1995, Disney opened a third water park. This one was named Blizzard Beach. Blizzard Beach was also much larger than River Country.
River Country closed on November 2, 2001. People thought it would open again in spring 2002. But on April 11, 2002, a newspaper reported it might not reopen. A Disney spokesperson said it could reopen if enough guests wanted it.
In 2005, Disney officially announced that River Country would stay closed forever. The park then sat empty for 17 years. It slowly decayed and nature started to take it over. Fences were put up around the park. Signs on the fences said, "Sorry, River Country is closed."
On August 25, 2016, Disney shared a plan. They would drain and fill in Upstream Plunge. This was a large pool holding 330,000 gallons of water. At that time, there were no plans to tear down other parts of the park.
New Hotel Plans
On March 5, 2018, Disney filed papers for a new project. It was called "Project 89." This project would be built along Bay Lake. It would be on the land where River Country used to be. Soon after, rumors spread that "Project 89" would be a new hotel. It might also be a Disney Vacation Club property.
The new hotel was confirmed on May 31, 2018. Most of the old park structures were taken down. This included the remains of the Upstream Plunge pool. Demolition happened on April 20, 2019. This cleared the way for the new hotel.
Disney later announced the new hotel's name. It would be a nature-themed deluxe resort called "Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge." The new resort was planned to have 900 hotel rooms. It was set to open in 2022. The rooms would feature Disney characters like Bambi, Brother Bear, The Fox and the Hound, and Pocahontas. A restaurant with characters from The Princess and the Frog was also planned. It would open with the new resort in 2022.
However, a worldwide health situation caused delays. The Walt Disney Parks division stopped major construction. This included work on Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. The 2022 opening date was delayed. Its future opening depends on Disney's financial situation.
Attractions at River Country
Here are some of the fun attractions that were at Disney's River Country:
- Upstream Plunge: A clean, lung-shaped swimming pool.
- Slippery Slide Falls: Two water slides that ended in the Upstream Plunge pool.
- Kiddie Cove: A special area for kids. It had two big water slides and a small cove. This part was best for pre-teens.
- Barrel Bridge: A wobbly bridge with barrels underneath it. It was like the one at Tom Sawyer Island.
- White Water Rapids: A long river ride, 330 feet (100 m) long. Guests rode in inner tubes.
- Bay Cove: A half-acre (2,000 m²) lake with a sandy bottom. It had a tire swing, boom swing, rope climb, and T-bar drop.
- Bomb Swing
- Cable Ride
- Tire Swing
- Whoop 'n' Holler Hollow: Two water slides, 260 feet (79 m) and 160 feet (49 m) long. They both emptied into Bay Cove.
- Bay Bridge
- Indian Springs: A very small splash area. It had fountains spraying water for kids. This area was mostly for guests under 8 years old.
- Cypress Point Nature Trail: A walking path among trees next to Bay Lake.
- Pony Rides
- Mercury WaterMouse Rental
See also
In Spanish: Disney's Riverside Country para niños
