What's River country?

X12345

X12345

Member
It says on the introduction slip I got in my packet that River Country will not be operating during my stay (dec 29-jan4). What is that?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Mecha Figment

Mecha Figment

New Member
it is the original and antiquated water attraction in the lake near Wilderness lodge. It was designed to look like country watering holes of the past. It has been abandoned and in ruins for almost 2 years.
 
Upvote 0
Mystic

Mystic

Well-Known Member
Mecha Figment said:
it is the original and antiquated water attraction in the lake near Wilderness lodge. It was designed to look like country watering holes of the past. It has been abandoned and in ruins for almost 2 years.
Click to expand...

Actually it's on the edge of Fort Wilderness, not the Lodge. You pass it on the right as the launch takes you from the Lodge to the campgrounds.

It was the original Disney waterpark. It's been closed for years now though.
 
Upvote 0
MickeyTigg

MickeyTigg

New Member
jpstajdl said:
It says on the introduction slip I got in my packet that River Country will not be operating during my stay (dec 29-jan4). What is that?
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt this. The park used water from Bay Lake which is not safe to be swimming in. The park has been closed for years....I doubt that they'd be going through all the trouble to re-open it just for a few days.
 
Upvote 0
S

slipknottin

New Member
That was the official disney story, but the water in bay lake is pretty clean. If its clean enough for fish to survive, its clean enough for people to swim in.

I dont see river country opening back up ever. Sadly. I liked it alot more than I like blizzard beach.
 
Upvote 0
X12345

X12345

Member
Original Poster
TiggerRPh said:
I seriously doubt this. The park used water from Bay Lake which is not safe to be swimming in. The park has been closed for years....I doubt that they'd be going through all the trouble to re-open it just for a few days.
Click to expand...

I think you misread my question. I said it will NOT be open. I was just curious what it was since they were telling me it wouldn't be open.

I wonder why they even mention this if it has been closed for years.

odd.

thanks for the insight! :rolleyes:
John
 
Upvote 0
tigsmom

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
slipknottin said:
That was the official disney story, but the water in bay lake is pretty clean. If its clean enough for fish to survive, its clean enough for people to swim in.

I dont see river country opening back up ever. Sadly. I liked it alot more than I like blizzard beach.
Click to expand...

You cannot swim in fresh water in Florida due to a proliferation of a certain type of bacteria (whose name slips my mind at this time). Prolonged exposure to this bacteria can cause serious illness & even death (2 young boys died from it a few years back). It does not effect the fish and waterplants or wildlife that inhabits the lakes.

There have been other threads about this problem and a quick search should bring them up. :wave:
 
Upvote 0
tikiman

tikiman

Well-Known Member
So if the bacteria story was correct how did they have River Country open so long? The only separation between the cove River Country was located in and the lake was a bridge with rope netting below it that let the water in from the lake.

aerial.jpg


Also they let people jet ski, water ski and wake board in the water.
 
Upvote 0
tigsmom

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
tikiman said:
So if the bacteria story was correct how did they have River Country open so long? The only separation between the cove River Country was located in and the lake was a bridge with rope netting below it that let the water in from the lake.

http://www.geocities.com/skattrak_2000/aerial.jpg

Also they let people jet ski, water ski and wake board in the water.
Click to expand...

It is only because of increased pollution and the effects of acid rain that the ban was needed (I really need to find that newspaper article)... I would like to say within the last 5 years or so, but don't hold me to it.

The question of jetskis, etc has also come up... guess they don't feel that the exposure is that long...
 
Upvote 0
Mystic

Mystic

Well-Known Member
It's my understanding that the bacteria that's in the water lies along the bottom of the lake and would get churned up as you walk into the lake, or any time your feet hit the bottom of the lake. If you're jetskiing etc, you're out in the MIDDLE of the lake and therefore the likelihood of your feet actually hitting the bottom of the lake is slim to none. Also you don't eat the fish that are caught in the water. It's catch and release fishing. Plus the fish are probably immune to the bacteria as it is.
 
Upvote 0
ErickainPA

ErickainPA

New Member
jpstajdl said:
It says on the introduction slip I got in my packet that River Country will not be operating during my stay (dec 29-jan4). What is that?
Click to expand...

Funny I got my intro card a few days ago and didn't even see that, I read the card too. I relooked at it today and sure enough it says it won't be operating. Funny that they even put it on there, since most people don't even know where it is anymore or even think about it, since they have Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
 
Upvote 0
Rob562

Rob562

Well-Known Member
tikiman said:
So if the bacteria story was correct how did they have River Country open so long? The only separation between the cove River Country was located in and the lake was a bridge with rope netting below it that let the water in from the lake.

http://www.geocities.com/skattrak_2000/aerial.jpg

Also they let people jet ski, water ski and wake board in the water.
Click to expand...

Actually, what you can't really make out in that pic is the *real* separation between the park and the lake. There was some sort of inflatable balloon "bladder" or something between that bridge and the lake. (It blends in with the shoreline in the pic) The water level in the park was a foot or two higher than the lake's, and the flow was strictly from inside the park OUT into Bay Lake. There were then pumps that brought lake water back into the park.

-Rob
 
Upvote 0
ErickainPA

ErickainPA

New Member
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Country

River 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.
Attractions at 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.

Article on it as well as pictures. http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id220.htm
 
Upvote 0

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom