Whatever will become of River Country?

NormC

NormC

Well-Known Member
The lake portion swimming hole was filtered. It was pumped in through a filter and down the slide. It was not chlorinated though. It would overflow an adjustable barrier back into Bay Lake so they could not chemically treat it.
 
4

4disneylovers

Well-Known Member
I went to BB and TL for the first time about 3 weeks ago. I am 42 now. I just got back from my 21st trip to the World. When I was a kid we went to Disney about 13 years in a row. Each time we were there we visited RC. RC was totally different from BB and TL. It was not nearly as spread out and there wasn't as much to do. It had a kiddie area, a pool with what looked like a huge drop from 2 slides (which i looked at every year but never braved), an inner tube slide, a couple of other slides, a pulley, a log you held onto and swung out over the lake. That's about all. It was much smaller but back in those days, we were quite happy with it.

If wanted to swim at the campground you either swam for free in the lake or paid to go to RC. There was no pool back then. Like many people have said it was my understanding that you could no longer swim in the lake because of the bacteria. However, I also can see where people are coming from that the economy took a down turn and RC did not open back up. Seeing how it was a completely different water park than BB and TL if they were going to close one, it only makes sense that it would be the oldest, smallest and least convenient to get to (not to mention the one that could have snakes, alligators and bacteria).

Last night as I was looking around the internet on this subject someone made a comment that they were there once and 2 employees came out with gloves and a bag and told the guest to get onto the platform. They proceeded to remove a 6 foot snake that was wrapped around one of the poles. Makes me cringe when I think of being in that water now.

I also almost drowned there. I remember the experience like it was yesterday. I was a (much younger) strong swimmer and still not sure what happened. I was in one of the inner tubes. When i came off the end of the slide and hit the water I folded up like a clam and went through the center. I must have been disoriented because i remember sitting on the bottom looking around thinking something was wrong but not knowing what to do. When i didn't surface the lifeguard ended up jumping in after me but about then I figured out what to do and recovered. He wasn't happy that he ultimately jumped in for nothing...ah memories. :)

I don't see that it would ever reopen because of the length of time it has sat. It would not be a refurbishment but a rebuild and all of the same problems would exist. I know some of this is a summary of what has already been said, but just my input.
 
D

Donfan

Active Member
4disneylovers said:
I went to BB and TL for the first time about 3 weeks ago. I am 42 now. I just got back from my 21st trip to the World. When I was a kid we went to Disney about 13 years in a row. Each time we were there we visited RC. RC was totally different from BB and TL. It was not nearly as spread out and there wasn't as much to do. It had a kiddie area, a pool with what looked like a huge drop from 2 slides (which i looked at every year but never braved), an inner tube slide, a couple of other slides, a pulley, a log you held onto and swung out over the lake. That's about all. It was much smaller but back in those days, we were quite happy with it.
Click to expand...

Most of the rides at River Country were pretty unique and not just straight away body slides. The river rapids tube slide was different from most other slides I've been on and the curving body slides were some of the first that had a drop at the end into the lake. There is a similar slide now on Castaway Cay that you can ride when you go on a Disney Cruise. There was even a zipline kind of thing that I always had trouble holding onto and kept falling into the water just as I leapt off the tower.
 
C

campgroundlifer

New Member
4disneylovers said:
I went to BB and TL for the first time about 3 weeks ago. I am 42 now. I just got back from my 21st trip to the World. When I was a kid we went to Disney about 13 years in a row. Each time we were there we visited RC. RC was totally different from BB and TL. It was not nearly as spread out and there wasn't as much to do. It had a kiddie area, a pool with what looked like a huge drop from 2 slides (which i looked at every year but never braved), an inner tube slide, a couple of other slides, a pulley, a log you held onto and swung out over the lake. That's about all. It was much smaller but back in those days, we were quite happy with it.

If wanted to swim at the campground you either swam for free in the lake or paid to go to RC. There was no pool back then. Like many people have said it was my understanding that you could no longer swim in the lake because of the bacteria. However, I also can see where people are coming from that the economy took a down turn and RC did not open back up. Seeing how it was a completely different water park than BB and TL if they were going to close one, it only makes sense that it would be the oldest, smallest and least convenient to get to (not to mention the one that could have snakes, alligators and bacteria).

Last night as I was looking around the internet on this subject someone made a comment that they were there once and 2 employees came out with gloves and a bag and told the guest to get onto the platform. They proceeded to remove a 6 foot snake that was wrapped around one of the poles. Makes me cringe when I think of being in that water now.

I also almost drowned there. I remember the experience like it was yesterday. I was a (much younger) strong swimmer and still not sure what happened. I was in one of the inner tubes. When i came off the end of the slide and hit the water I folded up like a clam and went through the center. I must have been disoriented because i remember sitting on the bottom looking around thinking something was wrong but not knowing what to do. When i didn't surface the lifeguard ended up jumping in after me but about then I figured out what to do and recovered. He wasn't happy that he ultimately jumped in for nothing...ah memories. :)

I don't see that it would ever reopen because of the length of time it has sat. It would not be a refurbishment but a rebuild and all of the same problems would exist. I know some of this is a summary of what has already been said, but just my input.
Click to expand...
 
C

campgroundlifer

New Member
Good times at river country, layed back no stress, But there has always been a pool at the meadows, we have been camping at FW since the railroad was running and trams were used for transportation. the wilderness homes were in the shape of large logs.
 
LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
I have an idea. How about Frozen? It's looking for a home and given the petition circulating for Maelstrom, Disney might want a Plan B. Of course, I'm saying this having never seen River Country and not sure where on property it was located. Just think if there is a body of water to be frozen by Elsa.....
 
pumpkin7

pumpkin7

Well-Known Member
I can understand why people are curious about these places but is breaking in really worth being banned from ever going back to WDW?

OMG I just got to the part where they are walking down the slide. Seriously? Do these people have a death wish? What if the thing collapsed?
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
pumpkin7 said:
I can understand why people are curious about these places but is breaking in really worth being banned from ever going back to WDW?

OMG I just got to the part where they are walking down the slide. Seriously? Do these people have a death wish? What if the thing collapsed?
Click to expand...

Death is a preferable state to boredom.
 
LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Bairstow said:
'bout the same.

Click to expand...


I'm waiting for Jason to pop out of somewhere with his huge knife and do a Jason on these kids...

Are these kids from Florida? How long has this place been abandoned? From the looks of it, quite a while. Just waiting for the usual Florida wildlife, like snakes, to say, "hello, I'm going to bite you". Or them rained on by thousands of Florida cockroaches. That would be funny to watch.

And the commentator in the end summing up these idiots, "I know it isn't safe but someone needs to do it". Well, duh, but not.
 
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4

4disneylovers

Well-Known Member
campgroundlifer said:
Good times at river country, layed back no stress, But there has always been a pool at the meadows, we have been camping at FW since the railroad was running and trams were used for transportation. the wilderness homes were in the shape of large logs.
Click to expand...

OK. I wanted to make sure I was right and it took me a lot of research to do it, but this link shows a history of the campground and the first pool was added in 1985. I guess I am showing my age because I remember a time when there was no pool at the campground :).

http://www.fortfiends.net/_/history/history-of-fort-wilderness-r24
 

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