RIVER COUnTRY – 1976-2001

One of the most magical places in all of the Disney kingdom was right outside of Fort Wilderness – River Country. The epitome of an old fashioned swimming hole, River Country opened in June 20, 1976, less than three weeks before America’s bicentennial. Okay, so here’s where  things get messy. Part of going to Disney is about the nostalgia. And just because you add three or five new things doesn’t make up for that one that you abandoned/deconstructed/replaced. (Okay, I’ll try to calm down and do that seek-to-understand thing because it’s supposed to be good for my soul.) 

Walt Disney World was a much different place during this time, with the primary resorts being the Polynesian, Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. There was no Epcot, only the Magic Kingdom. Everything was concentrated around what we know as Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. So, compared to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, River Country was quite small. I can remember visiting in the early 90s, and being able to lay on the beach and actually look around to see where other member of my family were. I miss the simplicity of those days, and sometimes wish Disney had opened a third theme park in Texas or Ohio or New York or somewhere rather than the endless and dizzying expansion of Florida’s Disney World.

So, back to River Country. The water came from Bay Lake, but my recollection is that it was relatively clear. Perhaps this was due to its intricate and complex filtering system, and a design that actually placed it about six inches above Bay Lake, preventing most of the lake water from flowing in. It also had an area that was a freshwater pool as well, with its own water slides.

River Country was not part of the original plan for Walt Disney World. Rather, the vision for Fort Wilderness was that it be built up into a complete model of a western town (Pioneer Hall was the first building constructed). However, after attendance fell in 1973 due to the oil embargo, the strategy changed to create an independent attraction that would be a destination unto itself, and thus was born Disney’s first water park – River Country.  It was sheer genius, and like anything Disney related, it’s design was so detailed and complex that it seemed as though it naturally fit into the landscape – as though the dozens of giant rocks that grounded its landscape had emerged naturally (thanks to Disney rockwork guru Fred Joerger).

Closing of River Country

River Country had the most wonderful water slides I can ever recall. They were long and adventurous, and focused on pure fun rather than extreme thrill. Unfortunately, River Country closed in 2001. Some reports suggested this was an after effect of 9/11, while others say it was due to increased concerns about bacteria-related illnesses and deaths associated with warm lake water.

For a guest of Fort Wilderness, the closure was a serious downer. While Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach remained fancy pants options, gone were the days of taking your bike down the trail to the simple watering hole, where you would certainly find a nice crowd and a line, but not massive globs of humanity (obviously the antithesis of what a Wilderness Princess loves).

Here are a couple of tidbits about River Country that you may or may not recollect:

• The original name (during the planning phase) was.– and then Simply “Swimming Hole.” In December 1975, WDW solicited suggestions from the public for naming the water park.
• The freshwater pool (Upstream Plunge) within River Country was the world’s largest when it was built with 330,000 gallons of heated water (Orlando Sentinel, 1975)

Photo: Visitors at the River Country water park at Walt Disney World. 1977. Color digital image, . State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/320789>, accessed 25 November 2018.