Very long winded way to explain that better situated water parks with better parking made River Country obsolete. 911 brought all this to a head. With two other water parks, River Country simply was no longer needed. They should demolish it though.

I so wish I could take my kids here! I loved it!! The two new watermarks do not have the same feel. Sad.

If just like to say that I really enjoyed this article. Very in depth and it's a shame it's in the state it is.

i visited river country in the late 1970 s and stayed in Fort Wilderness was a great time. Now grown and living in Florida and Disney pass holder. Wish they would plan to bring back River Country Thank You Disney

This is so sad and surprises me that Disney would allow this to happen. As a frequent visitor to Fort Wilderness Campground we so hoped they would make this an exclusive swimming area for campground guests. Especially since more lately the two small pools available at the campground cannot accommodate the number of guests there daily. The last time we were there the main pool was well over capacity and it was not an enjoyable experience at all.

This was a fantastic, in-depth article. I only went to River Country once. It was when we stayed at Wildness Lodge in the early to mid-90s. I was probably 7 or 8. I personally didn't appreciate the river water feel and I was terrified of all the big rides, but I still love Disney and this was such a fun trip down memory lane.

My family loved Water Country. I agree that it should be revamped and re-opened. Make whatever improvements and/or corrections. It was a place that was not so action packed as Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. It was a place that families could just go and have a more sedate experience which sometimes is just what is needed as Disney World can be very hectic at times. We often stayed at Fort Wilderness when our girls were small, and they still talk about their vacations there to this day. It is so sad to see Water Country in its present state. We now have a grandson, and he has been to Disney World once. It was so unfortunate that we could not share Water Country with him on this visit.

Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane. As a native of Orlando, my family enjoyed many of the Disney ammenities in the 70s and 80s including fun times at Disney's first water park while we "camped" at Fort Wilderness (in mobile homes), before some of us actually became part of the cast that made the magic come to life.

Things deteriorate so rapidly in the swampy Florida climate, it would be impossible. It would have to be razed and built from scratch.I don't think they'll ever do that; I remember safety concerns being expressed in the 80's. It really wasn't for anyone but strong swimmers, a couple of kids drowned and that was that.

Can't we get a petition started to get WDW to bring the park back? I'm sure if we got enough signatures and did an online/social media campaign to bring it back something would happen.

They need to fix the place and reopen it. Do not just leave it as is. Do a survey to see how many people would go there.

Spooky stuff. I never got the chance to go to River Country but I can tell it meant a whole lot to a whole lot of people. I love Disney but I am kind of disappointed they would just let one of their prized creations turn to rot like that. Interesting article, though!

Hi, thanks for this fascinating article. We visited Florida/Disney in September rom of 97 and 98 from the UK and both times River Country was disappointingly closed so we never got to see it. I guess it was only open for 2 or 3 months of the year and September was deemed 'off season'? I find it so sad to see many of the other attractions away from the Disney empire have disappeared too, such a shame :(

I remember my first visit in the mid 80s as a child. The water was dirty and deep creating poor visibility and unsafe swimming conditions. I remember my uncle's foot was sliced open by broken glass found everywhere in the sand. Great article and trip down memory lane but as a former lifeguard I can testify that this place was a safety disaster.

I was a lifeguard at WDW's River Country the last Summer it was open (September 2001.) I was terrified be assigned to this water park at first, but soon fell in love with it. The entire park was one of the only places on property that every cast member knew each other it didn't matter if you were a lifeguard, custodian, food services, guest relations. I got a ton of experience in my College Program experience working there. It was a place designed for strong swimmers, but it wasn't hard to guard; you just had to be on top of your game. I had visited the park a couple of times during family vacations prior to working there, so I knew what we were going into. The entire cast member family was devastated when we were informed that River Country wasn't planning on reopening because we had all been talking about seeing each other next season. I ended up moving to a full time lifeguard position at Typhon Lagoon and eventually went back home due to cut in hours after 9/11.

I remember visiting river country when very young. We stayed at camp wilderness. This was back in Nov 1988. I wasnt a swimmer and couldnt do most areas there i wanted to. I so wanted to do the innertube. Had to wait till grow up. Sadly. Never made it back in time to try. The one year when i was finally able to go was when they closed it down. I was excited in telling people about the park. Now all I have left is the memories. The new waterparks are always in refurb now when we go and not worth the extra money as it got so expensive. I had kept the one River Country towel with mickey, goofy and donald going down the slide. This towel now got so old and worn out it started to tear. So sad and can't get a new one anymore...

I believe we are losing too much history to technology and we should try to revive as much as we can and this is a perfect example. For a place that brought so much happiness and smiles it is bringing so much sadness from sitting and wasting away. I think Disney should reflect on what Walt Disney wanted in the first place; to put happiness and smiles into the heart of each and every person who attended here. Not to worry about the financial gain. Go back to the roots Disney!

I'm currently a Slide Operator at Disney's Waterparks. I feel like the updates on safety standards may have had more to do with the parks' closing than the article proposes. Reading the description of the attractions and looking at the photos, they are nowhere equipped with the standard safety features in almost all water parks today. First of all, all the slides spitting out into one giant (murky) catch pool makes it incredibly difficult to guard. Doubled by the fact that the pool is so large, and lifeguard stands can only be placed on the edges, it seems unlikely that a guard would be able to reach a victim in 20 seconds, the current standard held by Disney guards. A quote in the article talks about how fun White Water Rapids was because everyone got all piled up and sometimes you even fell out. This is the stuff Slide Operators' nightmares are made up of today. We operate on a timed red/green light system. Multiple guests in a slide flume are never allowed and a guest falling out would not cause laughter, it would cause a loud alarm to sound, shutting down the ride. This ride couldn't function on today's safety standards.

Moreover it seems like most of these rides require you to be a string swimmer, a growing problem where a complaint we get is that there aren't enough attractions at Typhoon and Blizzard for people who can't swim well. Why you'd come to a water park and can't swim is beyond me, but people do, and also attempt to put children on large slides younger and younger. It seems like trying to operate this park on today's safety standards would be a mess

This article was amazing! For the past 20 years or so I could picture this water park we went to when I was 8 (1978)That was my fist trip to Disney World and it was amazing. We've been there to many time tocount since then. We don't do the water parks when we go,but I was pretty sure "Blizzard Beach" or "Typhoon Lagoon" were not the water park I visited when I was a kid. It was "River Country" Even the posters bring back some awesome memories. Living in Wisconsin there are some big water parks. But nothing compares to the fond memories of my first visit to this Water park. Thanks for confirming I haven't lost my mind. So much going on at Disney right now it would be nice if they could find a use for the forgot area. Again thanks for this fantastic story.

Great article- thanks so much. It's amusing looking at the size of it though. Whereas in it's hayday it sure was incredible, it just simply isn't anymore- even if refurbished to it's glory days. Typhoon and Blizzard dwarf RC in comparison.

Quite simply, the pool areas of Aulani or Stormalong Bay are almost as good or better (in Aulani's case) as RC being a "full fledge water park". So why not finish out the Long-rumored DVC and make this the incredible pool for it? That would be perfect.

Essentially, what I'm saying is- taking your nostalgia aside, RC is simply not a good water park by today's standards- at all. However- it would be an incredible resort pool- even by today's standards. So why not make it that?

incredible article!! Never been to Disney, and now I have a reason to go. I'm really into abandoned stuff most especially zoos and amusement/water parks. I really wish there was an article as informative and detailed as this one for each place. Well done and thanks for the read!

Great article!! I'm lucky I got to visit it in the summer of 2000 shortly before it closed.

The first year we took the kids to go there it was closed to do an amebia in the water. talk about being scared no River country for us.

I too spent many summers as we camped with our children at fort wilderness. I would love to see it opened to the campers only.. Since we rarely get the discounts the hotels get I think it would be wonderful to have it reopened... I might have to make it there a couple more times a year if it were... thanks for the article..

This was an excellent, informative article. Thanks for bringing back memories of the great times my family and I had at River Country in the 80s and early 90s.

I do have a question! Do the characters ever visit Disney's current water parks? I'm curious as to how they made it possible for Goofy to go down water slides that require you to be a strong swimmer. It seems like that would be dangerous to the cast member, and to the magic! There seems to be a lot of opportunities for costume malfunction there

I can't believe, and the avid Disney fan, that I haven't heard of this park before! Thank you so much for this detailed article! Of course I have no fond memories of the place, having never been there, but it was so interesting to hear the story! It does seem very wasteful and irresponsible to simply leave the park abandoned like that, doesn't it? Eventually, won't they need that space to expand? The longer they leave it there the harder it will be to both rebuild the park or demolish it! That being said, I'd love to see it rebuilt and reopened! They could easily market it as almost a "historical" thing, I'm sure many people would go just to see the place their grandparents have such great memories of.

Loved this article, had me running to my mom's to dig out old family vacation photos. Sure enough, there we were on the tire swing and on the Slippery Slides drop. Awesome! Gaby Triana - just ordered your book, can't wait to read it!

Hi. If you loved River Country, my romance novel, SUMMER OF YESTERDAY, takes place there, both modern-day abandoned setting and back in 1982. You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Yesterday-Gaby-Triana/dp/1481401300 ENJOY!

It should be noted that River Country is gone now. I'll have to find the information again from my research but they went in and bulldozed everything in the last year or so.

I see by the photo credits to Tri-CircleD of the Disboards that my old pal Andrew is still sneaking around behind the scenes of Disney! Good job and good article!

Hello, I work as a pool tech at one of the hotels on property. This is the complete reason why this property will never reopen and why it closed. Disney has strict water codes. In the mid 90s they started I think they called it Epcot water laws. Pretty much it meant all bodies of water across property had to be inspected at. Each body of water has to be a closed system. That maintained a balanced chlorine, ph, and a temperature of 85. Only one pool was a closed system and everything else was lake water. They would have to pretty much bulldoze the whole place and start from scratchbecause nothing couldve been updated.This came from a Reddy Creek Water District state inspector, when they were inspecting our property they told us this.

Disney has enough money to built new parks,so instead of doing that fix the ones everyone enjoyed. Check River Country out and see how much it would cost and had somet h ING to it but don't let it die. To much history in this area is being distorted for no real reason . Let's keep some history. Bring River Country back to left.Please.

Hi it's Alison from Walt Dated World here. Great article and I appreciate you mentioning my site. Your links go to my old web address that I'm in the process of getting rid of so I'd appreciate you changing the links in the story to: http://www.waltdatedworld.com/id220.htm
Thanks!

A friend, my wife, and myself went to River Country in 1977, I noticed a bunch of young boys with snorkels and masks on sitting underwater in the pool right across from the slides that you went down then basically fell feet first into the pool. I pointed them out to the other two and we all wondered what they were doing. After getting in line and going down the slide, my wife that was wearing a two piece tube top type bikini that was popular back then told us she knew exactly what they were doing because as soon as she hit the water her top went up to her neck exposing her you know whats for all those kids to see underwater!

My boyfriend and I would go to River Country and bring a group of friends many times. I remember staying late when the crowds thinned and running along the bouncy boardwalk, the anticipation of everyone gathering in the tubing lagoon, prior to going under the chilly waterfall, and starting down the ride. The slide into the swimming pool was heart stopping! Occasionally we would slide down the kiddie slide and even that was thrilling. The big people slide was so fast as it slung you up the sides and spilled you out with a powerful plunge. My boyfriend and I are now married for over 35 years. When we stay at the campground our necks always crane to see a peak of River Country as we travel by boat to the magic kingdom. I miss the fresh water smell, the soft feel of the lake water and sand underfoot. How sad it was left to decay. I had always hoped they would fix it up for the campground folks, but clearly it is beyond repair. Thanks for reminding me of a good time in my life.

Just add another virtual "high-five" to the author of this piece. As a kid who grew up in the area, I vividly remember the birth and heyday of this place. I begged my parents to take us here on several occasions, but alas we were never given the opportunity to visit. A visit to Disney (rare enough to count on half a hand) meant an hour or so drive, a packed day, and a long and sleepy drive home - no way we were staying and playing. This article was a fascinating and nostalgic trip down memory lane, well organized, and personal for me and I assume all those who knew this park. Thanks man.

i remember camping at Ft Wilderness in the 70s and I actually took my kids there. They loved it. Why did it close? They REALLY need to bring it back to life and let it be part of the campground. I also remember going to the Discovery a Island (a great bird sanctuary). I remember actually swimming in Bay Lake too. It needs to be reopened as well. Now days, everything has been looked at the high priced hotels. They really need to bring back a little of the great things. I miss it. Bring it back!

Thank you for the time spent creating this article! My first trip to WDW was in the early eighties and my strongest (and best!) memories are from River Country. I sure wish they would do something wonderful with that space... I am going to start saving today at even the speck of possibility of DVC building there : )

thanks for this article. We were there about the last year..and afterwards wondered why it closed. Staff said it was temporary...others said they were going to make a better swimming area for the campground...but it just sat...very strange. I can't believe nothing has changed. It was a fun place. Thanks again.

Great job, but I have to take issue with one section that had a repeated mistake in it. In the reasons why River Country closed, please correct all usages of 'bacteria' to 'amoeba'.

Without getting too technical, Naegleria fowleri is a eukaryote like us, meaning they have a membrane bound nucleus which bacteria do not (called prokaryotes). Just because the amoeba are single celled micro-organisms, that doesn't mean they're bacteria. Believe it or not, N. fowleri is actually more closely related to us than bacteria!

Signed,
A microbiologist who sees similar errors all too often.

They have different Countries at Epcot so why couldn't you build a park with other Countries like Australia, and others that Epcot doesn't have! Or create a New York City, New Orleans, Nashville, etc.

I really think they should clean up what was River Country and build more water rides! Add some other things too so that it isn't just a water park. I can picture a great park!

I got chills just looking at the pictures of the park, almost as if a ghost were haunting it and I could feel it watching me. Its very sad to see something like that just go to waste. The least Disney could do is invest a little money to turn it into a nature sanctuary or something. I'd like that better than them adding all of these new things. If we just kept improving and improving and never trying to save any of the old stuff, then there would be no history for anyone to look back on. It makes me wanna cry.

All my memories of Walt Disney World center around Fort Wilderness and River Country. My family and I stayed there every year from the late 70's in an air stream rented trailer till the early 90's in the beautiful log cabins. River country was my familys highlight of our vacation. Hoop and Hollar Hollow, The super deep pool, were you could dive off a three tier ledge and lunch at Pops Place followed by a walk on the nature trail, made going to the parks secondary. We all miss it and can't believe its closed. Memories are all we have left of the most fun place at Disney World.

Great and informative article. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, and all of the pictures. I didn't realize I had been there until I saw the slides with the 7 foot drop! I may have been 7 or 8 years old.

I do hope something will become of the property. It is truly unique.

This could so easily be done up and look amazing again. It could be part of the DVC membership - for DVC members only.

it was a place for a great time with family. Disney if you really wanted to could refurbish, rebuild, and make it a great water park just for Fort Wilderness campsites.they have already built to other water parks that cater to thrill seekers and more demanding public.Disney you can make the park safer,the water healthier, the slides more comfortable. you have no idea how much fun it was to go there. I brought my sons there in the seventies, I wish it was still there to bring my my grandchildren, sometimes it's not about the money it's about memories. think about it Disney, what do you have to lose make it a special park just for Fort Wilderness you won't regret it.