Another fantastic video, really enjoy these!

I was a cast member there for 5 years in the mid 90's and left before it closed. It was my understanding from a former co-worker who stayed after me that environmental consciousness was becoming popular and it was only a matter of time before the park ended up in the news for the effects of the bromine treated water which was allowed to flow back into the main lake. The park closed for 6-8 weeks each year for "Rehab" and slides where polished repaired etc etc BUT I don't recall the slides themselves being a big issue. If memory serves me right, the slides where "lined" by the late 80's. I was a lifeguard and the only real injuries, which always seemed minor, where when people flipped over backwards in the tubes on the river rapid ride. It was a great place to work AND swim in when I was a kid. We had a big family at RC and everyone loved working there. By the 90's the park hardly ever closed due to capacity. We typically reopened for the season by Feb. Also, the closing and anticipated reopening was to assess environmentally conscious options of treating the water but cost for this were too expensive....so I was told by my old friend and long time co-cast member friend of mine. Hope this helps. :)

I love how there used to be specials on TV for each new expansion back then

I feel like a great horror story/movie could come from this park. A group of teens steal a boat out to the closed and forbidden river country only to discover the real reason the park was closed. Could be filmed on a found footage camera. The creatures could just be humans infected with the algae within the water.

I went there a lot as a kid! When my Dad worked for the Monorails, he would be invited to a family fun day at River Country, so I went there with my family every year. The slides were a lot of fun and the food was always tasty. We were sad when it had to shut down.

Even though they used filters and machines, that water never looked clean to me. I've always wanted to go to either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, never knew which one to choose though.

some of my dads fondest memories as a child are at disney, when i asked him if he ever remembered visiting river country his face lit up! he told me about the rapids, the short rock slides that you fell into the water and a bar you’d swing on and then crash into the water below you. he loved it as a kid and was upset when he realized they closed it for good, and that i’d never get to experience it like he did.

It’d be so unlike Disney, but I really wish they’d add River County & Discovery Island to the “underground Disney” tour. I’ve been so interested in these parks for so long that I’d happily pay Disney to give me a tour of the grounds in their current state. (I’ll sign whatever I have to, I just wanna see the parks!)

"You can blame Michael Eisner for this one" Honestly I'm shocked

My parents first went to River Country in the late 70s after they moved to Florida from England. They took me and my brother in the mid 90s when we were kids. I remember being super upset we weren't going to Blizzard Beach which was new at the time, but now I'm really glad they took us to River Country before it was gone forever. We had a blast!

Yes!!!! I am so excited. I am weirdly obsessed with River Country. I imagine it as an alligator playground 🐊

I went there as a kid back in 1992. I LOVED it! Loved that you felt like you were in a swimming hole. I remember a peacock walking around while we were eating lunch lol

Wish they turned it into Tortuga , the pirate town in Pirates of the Caribbean .A themed dining experience through the day and into the night . You get on a pirate ship from the Magic Kingdom to Tortuga .Enrol as a pirate and join in the festivities that go with piracy on the high seas .

There's something so refreshing about how simple this park was.

People always want dramatic reasons. The fact that the park just wasn't worth operating is too boring.

Incredible footage that correlated with the narrative. Such a compelling video with facts I’ve never heard before! Never knew the park had a nature trail. Thank you so much for putting this together!

I love videos on river country the more I learn about this park the more intrigued I am. The fact they just left it there and let it sit abandoned inside the park is just crazy to me.

I've always liked the concept of River Country. A really nice little park. The FWRR closed due to the track's poor construction and the fact that the engines were incapable of pulling the heavy trains and holding enough oil and water to power them. Fact. (referenced from "Walt Disney's Railroad Story" by Michael Brogie.

Great video! I went to River Country once, in March 1978. I remember thinking it was kind of small. Almost went back in August 1994, but as we were walking there and asked a Cast Member for directions, he told us the park was closing in 1/2 hour and that we should go to Typhoon Lagoon because it was open later. I don't remember what time TL closed, but we saw the day turn to night and left TL after dark.

ahhh finally !! when i saw this video i did a little happy dance!! i wish river country was still around for when i was younger but it wasn’t sadly. i ask my dad about it because when he was growing up he got to go to disney a lot, he went to river country so much and loved it there!!

Thanks for giving the history of this Disney icon.

Nice video, shame it closed. Our kids loved River County. We went to Florida twice (from the UK) and they always wanted to go there. Had a great "natural" feel to the place. Blizzard beach was our favourite water park, but an afternoon at River Country was always relaxing and great fun. Had a great character.

Yes, you did River Country! I enjoy watching videos about this park, but I love your videos because you show more recordings of the parks from the past

I went to River Country in 1992 with my parents as part of a one week super pass that let us in to all the parks. Typhoon Lagoon is fantastic but we really enjoyed River Country because we liked to go camping it had a camper vibe to it. It was more laid back without people pressuring you to buy stuff or without huge crowds. It was a nice place to still enjoy Disney without the massive lines and people in your face at all times. We went back to DW in 1995 and did all three water parks and enjoyed them all. I was a teenager then and met a girl from Texas. Plenty of places in River Country we had fun away from the public together. Something about early 1990s Disney world as a whole just had a great vibe to it. It is far from the same now.

Love your take on river country. Always wondering how its been since my visit 😎

Made it a point to get there on each visit. Still can see my young daughters coming off that slide. They were young and even at 6 ft. It was deep for them so my wife or I would go first so we could wait for them at the botton. Loved River Country. I remember little minows in the beach area also. Thanks for the memories!

Absolutely loved this park. Stayed at the campground numerous times so it was within walking distance to my bus depot. Hahah. Loved everything about this park, was sad to see it closed. I do love the two water parks they have now, but would love one more ride down the slides into the lake at river country.

I'm happy to say that I got to experience River Country when I was little, during a week long camping vacation that my family began to take each year in different places around Florida and up into Georgia. Visiting Fort Wilderness was only the second time we camped, ever. And, during that trip we saw the Hoop Dee Doo Revue and visited River Country. One of our biggest memories was the drop-off slide that ended and left the rider to drop into the pool below. My mom somehow missed what the slide did and took the shock of her life when the slide left her to fall into the pool. It's still a trip none of us have forgotten. I was really sad when I heard the park had closed and saw the decaying remains of what I remembered from when I was a kid and shortly after I started to look for other places we visited to see if they were still around. We were very happy to see the Hoop Dee Doo Revue was still in operation and went back for a visit for father's day. It was amazing that not much has really changed in the show in what was about 20 years between visits! By the way, if you haven't experienced it. I highly recommend it, the food was great and the show is a lot of fun! While Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are bigger, there's still something to be said for a smaller more intimate park that lets you escape the hustle and bustle of larger crowds, that made River Country something particularly special in my opinion (and something Sea World has tapped into with Discovery Cove, yes, I've been there too).

I went to River Country in 1993 and it was great fun. I was only 7 and I don't have the most vivid memories but things that definitely stand out are the water slides where you plunge into the water below, the main watering hole, a waterfall and rubber rings. I remember having a great time and something is coming from the back of my head about the water being cold, like a paddling pool, until you acclimatise to it. Great memories of a lovely and wholesome water park.

Oh gorsh that 00’s era map they showed brings me back to my first Disney trip as a child.

When this park was made alligators were endangered by 1999 they were not. It would not be hard for them to find there way in to river country

According to Michael Broggie's "The Walt Disney Railroad Story", there were several reasons for closing the Ft. Wilderness Railroad. The first was water capacity. The little tank engines only carried enough water to make it a little more than one trip around the loop. Engines would often get stranded because they used rider operators who weren't experienced with steam travel. Another reason was constant derailments. The tracks were spiked into the soft Florida ground instead of how they were laid in the Magic Kingdom and would shift.

This was my first visit to a water park of any kind as a kid. We stayed in Ft. Wilderness in '84 and again in '88. Many great memories.

I remember seeing River Country in Mickey’s Fun Songs Campout at Walt Disney World, never went there when I visited as it was already closed when my family went to WDW years ago.

There seems to be a lot more information In this River Country video compared to the others Nice Job

It's hard to watch some of these. Pushing 50 now I spent a good chunk of my youth in Florida at my grandmothers in Haines City. We used to hit up all the attractions every year and seeing this reminds me of how long it's been and how many people have passed on. :(

I have been watching your videos for days now. Very well done! I don’t know why I just found you. A pleasure to watch. Great work, we’ll keep watching!

I knew a few people that worked there in the last years, and one thing you overlooked was wildlife. My friends said that some mornings (couple times a month) it would take them hours to contain alligators that had entered the area during evening, looking for scraps and trying to contain them was a real hassle, as NONE of the staff were professional animal handlers, mostly pushing them away with brooms. They had to daily sweep the area checking for unwanted wildlife. They also had MASSIVE efforts unknown to the outside for mosquitoes and bugs, as well as birds and even deer. Rumor was they were going to close the park and then sight line fence the entire area, and add a containment wall, that would keep wildlife out and allow the water to be converted to treated non-lake water like a big pool but after the project was looked at, it was NOT cost effective and RC remained untouched and closed.

Just stumbled across this video and so glad I did. I grew up outside of Chicago and our family vacation every year (no joke) was to Disney. We would always go to River Country (mid 70' to mid 80's) for at least a day. I have the most wonderful memories of RC and it breaks my heart to see its demise. I'm 40 something now with kids of my own. They will unfortunately never get to experience it other than through old family pictures and my reminiscing. I'm sure it would seem boring by comparison to the mega-waterparks these days but it holds a very special place in my heart. Thanks so much for creating this video.

I loved visiting as a kid and was lucky enough to go several times, best memories of the slides and meeting the characters. Thanks so much for this vid!

I was going to that mickey’s barbecue a couple years back and no lie I SAW part of river country through a hole in the fence. It was creepy. Edit: looking at the picture I took, the part I saw was the remains of Slippery Slide Falls.

Wish I would have visited our first time to WDW in 2001, but we only did the main parks. Of course unknowingly that they were going to close by our visit the next year in '02. Great video! ~Dawn

And, of course, I get a Disney ad before the video starts. Amazing.

Soon enough Disney world is gonna be all hotels

You are the best!! I love the historical information you give, and the effort you put into your research!!🙌🙌

Loved this place as a kid! Great video!

So much background info and detail I didn't know! I think I need to watch again to fully absorb.

This is so interesting. I wish they wouldn’t had abandoned it.

I went to River country 1981 when they were first opening and they were still fairly sought after as a great water park. I went with my graduation classroom high School it was great I don't remember everything about it I remember the boom I love the Moon it swung out over the river and it would drop you off into the water I remember riding the rabbits and the long water slide I also remember they had two pools a small one and a large one they were heated I didn't go in them very much I stayed in the river I love the river and I thank you for showing this video it brings back a lot of fond memories

Thanks again Sam! Another favorite video. Please keep 'em coming! In the late 70s, early 80s, my Boy Scout troop (from the Seffner-Brandon area) used to make a trip to Ft Wilderness each year and we would spend a lot of time at River Country. I loved that place. Now when I visit WDW, I still stay at Ft Wilderness in an RV and take a stroll down by Mickey' BBQ to look at the green fence. As late at 2015, I think, I remember seeing the names of the RC rides on shutters of the old RC ticket booth, now used by Mickey's BBQ. On my last visit sometime after that, however, the names had been removed. Glad you talked about the bug in the lake. I never really believed that was why RC was shut down. We used to swim in rivers and lakes throughout the state. Lack of relative profit makes way more sense. You can also still see some foundations of the old Ft Wilderness Railroad if you walk around the campground. David Leaphart put out a great series of books that take a in depth look at that Railroad. He does challenge the 4/5th scale (from the 1977 FWRR manual) notion, though, using a Roger Broggie, jr. interview and a Baldwin Catalog.

I dont know why but I LOVE these abandoned theme park videos!

I loved River Country and was fortunate enough to be a kid while it was open. Yes, it wasn’t as grandiose as Wet n Wild or the new water parks yet it was a great place to go and enjoy the Florida weather. It was a sad day when they closed this part of WDW but it just went the way of Discovery Island and is now forever gone. You can’t recapture those memories, instead bulldozers will come and raze the remnants to make way for another hotel...well thank goodness for pictures and our memories. Thanks, River Country, it was a blast!

I had the pleasure of going to river country the last year it was open.. I really did enjoy it because it WAS not as crowded as Blizzard Beach LOL Mom said "if I wanted to swim in green water, I would have stayed home and played in the creek!"

I went here a couple times as a kid. Good memories. Thank you 😊

Great video. I loved this place as a kid.

I love watching the Abandoned Videos of River Country!

Absolutely love your videos especially your theme tune

Awesome video thank you

My Friend went there a few months ago! And Yep it was so Abandoned!

This is so sad especially the river thingy like they spent so much money and then they just abandoned it 🥺

I lived in Tampa in the 80's and my youth group visited River Country all the time.

I have the fondest memories of the ol swimming hole, it was one of our families full days when we traveled to Disney, and a main reason we always stayed at Fort Wilderness, the food was always tasty, and we never wanted the day to end, RIP RC😥😢😭

I went to River country and bird island as a teen. It was fun, yeah a little rough,but it was wilderness! We loved it.

0 dislikes. Nobody can dislike some good Disney history.

My parents and grandparents ALWAYS talk about this place when we pass it on a ferry

Been watching you and Jackie for years on her channel. Also your podcast. Thought I would check out your channel. Very informative video. Will have to check more of your videos out.

I went there a few times in the 80s. It was fun, but it was nothing compared to the newer water parks. Also the water was freezing cold. It was destined to close sooner or later.

Three things killed River Country: It was small (it closed to non-Ft Wilderness guests when it hit 4000, capacity being 4500 total). It used 'natural' (unclorinated) water. And, unless you were staying at Ft Wilderness, awkward to get to - you had to park in the main Ft Wilderness lot, take a bus to the entrance, and if was closed due to capacity, (usually by noon/1pm) back to the main lot.

I’m from the UK and was lucky enough to visit River Country while it was still open in the 90’s. I loved the theme and how intimate it all was. I remember the bbq party that would be held in the evening and very sad it all had to be shut down. (If I remember they still hold the bbq events near by?)

Thank you for this video river country sounds cool

This channel is better than TV

This is my new favorite channel!!

I remember going to Disney world alot because my dad worked for General Motors. The family would get discounts and other things. But one time we went to the water park at the camp site. A child had drowned that day and died. Ever since than Disney world had closed that water park. But we had a blast with everything else. We went every year.

Well, i've never been there nor do i know anyone(to my knowledge) who has but i feel fascinated by the history of this park and it seemed to have the right idea...at first. If it had been open when i was a small child i might have gone and begged my parents. I have heard though that there's a creepy stigma around it which is even more strange. Thanks for sharing this video! :)

I went to river country as a kid in 1999. I remember liking the slides with the fall at the end. I spent most of my time in that pool because I wasn’t a fan of the brown water.

Another great Disney video! Would love to see a spotlight about the 100 years of Magic celebration😍

well done video. Nostalgic.

Great video thanks for sharing.

I remember going in 1985. I was sick that morning and threw up in line for one of the slides. My dad had to be "rescued" by a lifeguard on the zipline. He can't swim and panicked.

this is my favourite video so far!

I used to camp at Ft. Wilderness back in the 90s but never got to go to River Country. We did go to Discovery Island once though.

Fantastic video brother!!!! Keep up the great work work

Really enjoyed yet another video. Very interesting!

Too bad they are demolishing River Country next year

River Country was so much fun. The rapid slide still tops my list of water slides. It was so simple and fun there.

I was far too young to experience River Country when it was open, (heck I first visited WDW in 2008 at the age of 7) but the park has always been very intriguing nonetheless, just because of the taboo concept of Disney abandoning a theme park and how fun and unique it would've been to visit during operation. The past few years my family and I have gone to Fort Wilderness to see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, (which is amazing, you should really do some sort of video about it) and every time I take a walk down the path to River Country. I've always wanted to at least take a peek through the green fences at get a nice look at what remains of the old swimming hole, but I always stop at the front gate/ticket booth and a rope blocking off the path to the gate area guests can still traverse for Mickey's Backyard BBQ. Something always stops me and I don't know why, (probably the fear of WDW Security tazing me at the mere questioning of crossing the rope). Still, excellent video as always, and greetings from Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa!!!

Awesome video on River Country, You should do Discovery Island next. I love all your videos :)

When I was a kid my grandparents took me and my little brother to Disneyworld in my Grandpa's RV. We stayed in an RV park across the river from the Kingdom. I was only about 11 or 12 then so it would have been around 1971 or '72. I remember we took a boat that looked like a steam launch across the lake to get to the main entrance to the park. Not sure what the RV park was called but I don't remember a water park. One interesting thing though. While we were there we saw an RV from a post-apocalyptic TV series that had recently ended... I think it was called "Genesis 2"? It was a really cool looking RV, looked like a large jet aircraft with the wings removed. My Grandpa went and talked to the owners and they gave him a tour of it.

Excellent video. I travelled from UK with my family several times in the 90's. Our absolute favourite place was River Country and Discovery Island. Such a shame that it has to go for 'profit' reasons.

RIP River Country! :(

Went there in 1978 and again in 1986. Great memories!

I went to river country when I was a kid back in the 80-90s. It was one of my favorite places to visit. I remember sliding down and dropping off into the pool and swimming around in the 'lake' part of the park. I was so upset when I heard that they had closed it down. I found a video recently showing an urban explorer walking around the park. The lights and music were still on even though the park has been closed an abandoned for many years! very eerie..

It’s weird to think that the little kids in these videos are now middle aged adults.

Another rewatch. I love this one too 💚

The song, "river country, big river country", lol

I always love seeing a park in its heyday and then seeing it now when it's been overtaken by nature. It's not necessarily a good thing, but it's always interesting to see. For that matter, it's always interesting to see something man made that gets taken over by nature.

Great video. I never went to river country or discovery island but remember them being advertised. I know its not a theme park but id love to see a video on the old wdw stolport as well. Keep up the good work 😀✌️

So cool 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

the amount of cans of coke on the table in that camping scene was hilarious, i hope that was a deliberate plug

Great video. I like when your videos are long like this one.