Rivere Country was a water park located at
Walt Disney World Resort in
Orlando, Florida. It opened on
June 20,
1976 and last operated in November 2001. On
January 20,
2005,
The Walt Disney Company announced that River Country would remain closed permanently. Positioned on the shore of Bay Lake near
Discovery Island, River Country was part of
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and matched this area in its rustic wilderness theming, replete with rocks and manmade boulders (created by the same man who created Big Thunder Mountain at the
Magic Kingdom). It was described as an "old-fashioned watering hole".
It was much smaller than Disney's other two water parks,
Typhoon Lagoon and
Blizzard Beach (the latter was roughly four times the size of River Country). Its entrance fee was correspondingly lower. (Before closing, the price was $15.95 (plus tax) for adults and $12.50 for children from aged 3 to 9, free for children up to age 3. Fort Wilderness Resort guests were given a discount.) It was also far less busy than the other two water parks. The following link is an aerial view of what the park looks like today.
[1]
Attractions that the park included:
- Whoop 'n' Holler Hollow, two water slides, 260 ft (79 m) and 160 ft (49 m) long that emptied into Bay Cove, a half-acre (2,000 m²) sand-bottom lake which itself featured a tire swing, a boom swing, a rope climb, and a T-bar drop.
- Slippery Slide Falls, two water slides that emptied into Upstream Plunge, a 330,000 US gallon (1,200 m²) clear-water pool.
- White Water Rapids, a 330 foot (100 m) long inner tube river.
- Cypress Point Nature Trail, a trail among trees beside Bay Lake.
Several possible reasons for the park's closing have been suggested by fans. One is that there wasn't a need for this park due to the other two larger water parks on Disney property (which had more slides) and increased competition from other water parks in the area. Another is that bacteria from Bay Lake was reportedly contaminating River Country's water. Yet another is that this water park's lake was unheated, and was very cold outside the summer months.
It was commented by a Disney employee that a contributing reason for the closing was new state rules concerning water parks. Pools and water activities must have their water originating from municipal water systems, not natural bodies of water. Water snakes were also said to have been a problem.[
citation needed]
