River Country
Disney's first water park opened in 1976. It shut down in 2001 for several reasons. They closed it in a hurry! You can tell because there are trash cans, old inflatable tubes, swimming flippers, old pictures, picnic tables, and more! It is rumored that the cast-members who worked at the park did not expect the park to stay closed for more than a few days, so they left their belongings in the lockers! The offices inside River Country still have papers and chairs in them!
It was as if they closed one night and planned on reopening the next day, but never did. We all wonder "Why would Disney just up and leave something?". Well, no one outside the Disney company know. We speculate that revamping the area would cost more money than it was worth. I want to know why it was left the way it was - the lockers are not empty, the office chairs and paperwork are still in the office, tubes and floaters were left on the sidewalk. That makes no sense!! What was so important that no one could come and clean out? Park benches and picnic tables are still inside. They could have taken those to other parks! The office chairs and desk could have been moved or sold! The paperwork could have been thrown away or put in file cabinets in another Disney building. The tubes could be moved to Typhoon Lagoon.
They shut down for several reasons. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach were larger and in better locations. More people were going to the 2 newer water parks than to River County. It was becoming obsolete because of the smaller size and bad location. New laws came out saying no water park can use water from stand-still water areas. River county used the water from Bay Lake. This law was created because harmful bacteria in lake water could easily get into the water park and harm people. The bacteria was not growing inside River Country because there were filters keeping the water circulating. If the water is circulating, the bacteria has a harder time growing and spreading. The guests were allowed to sit on the beach and swim in Bay Lake, where the water is not circulating. This area has bacteria. No one ever filed suit against Disney for contracting the bacteria. It would be hard to prove that they came in contact with it only at Bay Lake, because most of the lakes in Florida have the bacteria or had it at one time. This type of bacteria thrives in standing, warm water. It is also said that because of 9/11, less people were visiting tourist places because they might be attacked. Disney did not make as much money that year, and River Country had become a waste of space.
Now the area is turning into a swamp. The lights still turn on at night, the drinking fountains still work, and there is music playing in the park! Creepy! It is like a ghost town water park!
I have not visited any abandoned site, but many have. It is intriguing and adventurous! It is also very illegal and dangerous.
River Country will probably keep sitting and rotting as it has for over a decade.
I don't foresee Disney doing anything with it except building barriers around it with surveillance cameras to alert security when someone is lurking nearby. Rumors will always be around about what they will do next, but really the only thing they will do is make it to where no one can get in. It is a money pit. I don't think they will expand Fort Wilderness there, but I could be wrong!
Shane Perez posted a blog about his adventures through River Country to swim to Discovery Island. He was smart in waiting 5+ years to post about it so he could not be convicted of trespassing. However, Disney can still ban him from all Disney property. They have not done that, so I highly doubt they will to him. Now, if this continues, I feel sure they will take action against the trespassers. It is a huge liability to keep these sites so easily accessible. Disney did not take proper precautions to keep people out of River Country. If someone would fall in a slide or get hurt while trespassing, they could file suit against Disney for their harm. Disney would lose because they didn't have enough barriers. It is just a matter of time before this happens! I say this because I know people who have trespassed into someone's property and got hurt, then sued the owners of the property and won! What a crazy world we live!
In Shane's blog, there are pictures of the rooms where they kept animals and an office on Discovery Island. In the office-like room, there are papers, a desk, pictures, and a Pluto doll! Again, I don't understand why Disney wouldn't have someone go in and clear out! There were also snakes kept in jars and plastic bottles. My theory is they wanted to preserve some of the original snakes found on the land. They are in some liquid that has preserved their bodies pretty well. I'm sure it stinks in there!
It is almost like Disney likes having a haunted side. Some people can't stay away from a mystery! When those guys posted their pictures and videos in 09/10, it gave Disney a lot of free press and I'm sure it led to more people wanting to go and find out what happened. This is not the only site of abandoned Disney property.
Other abandoned sites by Disney include Discovery Island (the island a few hundred feet from the beach of River Country, and Treasure Island (Bahamas island). The Bahamas island was where Disney cruise ships stopped for their guests to have a private island to enjoy. This is not to be confused with the island the cruise ships stop at now. Completely different! The Legendary Years at Pop Century Resort was also abandoned! They built the building, and just left it there in 2001. There were even rooms that have open doors or no doors at all but there is nothing inside. In 2012 Disney turned it into the Art of Animation Studio.
River Country will never be a running water park again.
If you want to see more pictures and videos:
http://shaneperez.blogspot.com/2009/12/discovery-island.html - Shane Perez and friends swim from River Country to Discovery Island and take pictures along the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENIZHzbXhTA - This is a video of some idiot kids who enter River Country. Again, it is Disney's fault for letting it stay accessible. In the video, it shows how the gate is locked, but you can easily squeeze through it! It also shows how everything was left to rot, including the offices.
http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/disney-blunder/ - This link describes the Disney abandoned Bahamas island Treasure Island.
http://movies.disney.com/sing-along-songs-campout-at-walt-disney-world - This video is on youtube. It was filmed on Discovery Island and River Country!
http://www.popcenturysite.com/content/pop-century-legendary-years-art-animation - The abandoned Pop Century Resort. Includes a video!
I don't encourage you to trespass onto any Disney property. However, peeking through the holes in the fence surrounding it, doesn't hurt. I have not trespassed at River Country and I don't own the copyrights to the pictures above.
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