Disney's River Country - Who's Been!? How does it compare to today's water parks?

[North of Mouse]

Just asking I see all of the youtube areas of how it is now but how did you guys enjoy it!

Also why don't they use that area for anything? Isn't that puzzling??

River Country was 'great'!! You cannot compare the water parks of today with the way RC was set up. It was a park ahead of its time as a water park. We all loved it - was a very laid back watering hole, was relatively small compared to today's water parks, but it couldn't be beat as far as our family was concerned. We still miss it, and 'hate' the ghost it has been allowed to become.

You ask "why don't they use that area for anything"??? Who knows 'why' Disney does anything - most of the time no 'rhyme or reason' to their actions except where $$$'s are concerned.

 

[FLkid]

current state: We were the only ones on the boat so my skipper didn't mind getting us close so I could get photos

 

[CampbellzSoup]

John on the podcast said it might become a DVC resort.

I would love that! For me, sitting here and looking at the sad state its in is upsetting...

I would love to see it come alive again!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

River Country was biult to be a modern version of *The Old Watering Hole*. It had water slides and a tube ride designed to be a mild water rapids ride.
The lake pond had rope swings, and wire swings, all the type of things kids would build at a water hole.

Also a great pool and picnicing area and tables.

It was the best in its day and even today if restored with the wonderful theming
would be *Unique*.

AKK

 

[CampbellzSoup]

River Country was biult to be a modern version of *The Old Watering Hole*. It had water slides and a tube ride designed to be a mild water rapids ride.
The lake pond had rope swings, and wire swings, all the type of things kids would build at a water hole.

Also a great pool and picnicing area and tables.

It was the best in its day and even today if restored with the wonderful theming
would be *Unique*.

AKK

Do you think some of it will be restored with this DVC expansion???


I know for certain they won't have the fresh water parts

 

[rlovew]

I remember going there as a kid- we generally went in the afternoons- after 3pm FL residents at least could get in a carload for $30- so we would pile in my parents van with my cousins and head over. I loved that the tube slides went down into the lake but I can see that being a problem for people that can't swim- in fact I don't remember any areas that would have been very safe for non-swimmers there. I would love to go there again if only for nostalgia. I agree with those that said it was just like what kids would build at a pond near there homes for the most part.

 

[Drusilla99]

I went once in 91, while staying at fort wilderness. It was fun and convenient. Even at the time, I remember thinking it didn't compare to typhoon lagoon, which is still my favorite!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Do you think some of it will be restored with this DVC expansion???


I know for certain they won't have the fresh water parts

Do you think some of it will be restored with this DVC expansion???


I know for certain they won't have the fresh water parts

Hi there soups,

No I am sorry to say by now the orginial River Country is to rotted away to be restored.

I would love it if they built a new River Country in the same style..There is a way to use the lake water, which is to filter it to remove the micro organisms which is the problem.

There is plans on paper for a.new western type resort between WL and FW.

Time.will time what happens!

AKK

 

[jgplimdesign]

I believe my first RC visit was in '79... I remember it being the best part of our vacation----think my parents even extended our vacation so we could go a second day. It was very 'unique' for its time----and the first 'water park' we ever visited.

I remember my brother was about 5 at the time...and the various little concrete water slides in the shallow waters were perfect for him. I remember you'd see little schools of fish darting about!

I was about 10....and a strong enough swimmer to go on all the raft and body slides with my Dad. I do remember that it was quite a swim back from the slide exits.....not the easy shallow pools of TL and BB. It was hard work...

I recall some people (myself included) needing to get a new bathing suit.... There were rivet heads on the larger of the two (I believe) body slide that sometimes caught suits.

I was brave enough to do the slides that dropped you airborne into the swimming pool....but was always nervous cause you really couldn't see if the person who went before you, cleared the path...

 

[Capang]

Are the WL construction (DVC?) take place in this area? I'm not familiar with the layout of FW and WL but the construction plans that were posted on another thread said it looked to be between WL and FW.

 

[mshanson3121]

When River Country was built there were no other water parks., TL and BB were just rough plans on paper.. It was indeed a *Ole Swimming Hole*, in a lake or pond, with rope swings and swimming platforms and kids fun stuff and of course the 3 water slides. There was the pool and 2 short slides that ended about 10' above the pool water. There was a QS food place or you cold bring your own picnic food and sit on the beach or picnic tables It was really a fun park.

It was usually pretty full as I remember.

With the opening of TL and BB things changed and attendance dropped. The final straw was the problem with the ameba/ bio issues in Florida lakes, Disney decided to close it do and its ahs sat their since.

It would need to be totally rebuilt now.

AKK

This actually had very little/next to nothing to do with why it was closed.
It closed because of September 11th, the financial crash they had when attendance dropped off so bad, when they were making huge financial cutbacks, and it was nothing more than a financial decision. BB and TL were making enough money that they didn't feel the need to reopen it.

 

[mshanson3121]

River Country was biult to be a modern version of *The Old Watering Hole*. It had water slides and a tube ride designed to be a mild water rapids ride.
The lake pond had rope swings, and wire swings, all the type of things kids would build at a water hole.

Also a great pool and picnicing area and tables.

It was the best in its day and even today if restored with the wonderful theming
would be *Unique*.

AKK

Honestly, if they could restore it... I would prefer it hands down to BB or TL. It would be a refreshing break from all sensory overload that is everything else Disney.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Could the save SOMETHING from river country and make it Clorinated water like the big slides!

 

[kathy884]

We went when the only waterparks in Orlando were River Country and Wet and Wild. Even back then, as a few others posters have mentioned, the theme was that of an old time watering hole -- laid back ole time fun. And we did like it. // I don't remember when they closed it or why, but certainly things are different with the lake not being safe for swimming. // It certainly had it's charm. It reminded me a lot of a quarry place up in northern Michigan that we once went to on a vacation. The one thing that place had, though, that River Country didn't was a 16 meter platform. These are the only two places I've ever been to though with the barrels that you walk on and then fall into the water. Pretty cool places and good memories.

 

[PetePanMan]

those slides that end about 10 ' from water sound awesome!

 

[Turn the Page]

those slides that end about 10 ' from water sound awesome!

Oh they were. But it is very important to keep your ankles firmly crossed when you hit the water. The thigh smackers you would get if you didn't were a whole new level of pain.

Yeesh, I can feel it just thinking about it.

 

[Planogirl]

We went and I really enjoyed it far more than the "fancier" waterparks. It had a laid back, peaceful atmosphere and it was very pretty. We got a kick out of Goofy playing on the slides and the watering hole was amazing. Plus it didn't hurt that it cost less to visit too.

 

[Evoga]

I remember the characters walking around river country and one even going into the swimming pool that had the drop off slide.

Can't imagine that ever happening again.

 

[chartle]

Could the save SOMETHING from river country and make it Clorinated water like the big slides!

those slides that end about 10 ' from water sound awesome!

The drop slides dumped you into the chlorinated pool. The issue is the pool is way too deep for current safety standards. They also encouraged diving from the fake rocks around the pool.

When they refurbed the FW pool one thing they did was to make the pool shallower to eliminate any possible diving.

I visited RC as a 15 year old and as the father of 9 and 8 year old swimmers. As a teenager it was the neatest thing on earth, as a father it was a nightmare. The worse being the body slides that dumped you into 6 feet of murky water.

FW was a water park of its time. In order to reopen it would have to be totally redone. Also when it first opened it was just off to the side of what was WDW. There was only the MK, 2 hotels and the campground. Now if you told some one there used to be a third water park at the campground they may reply, "WDW has a campgroud?"

 

[Princess Jes]

I've just finished reading this (there are 5 pages so don't stop after one!)
It was brilliant. Makes me want to learn so much about WDW history
http://www.****************.com/fea...ed-rise-fall-and-decay-disney-s-river-country