River Country Exploration

[foodrocksluver]

True story about how I cried through that whole video!

 

[goofyernmost]

I noticed during the video that the slide has a major lawsuit potential. What's to stop someone from being underneath and having someone fall on top of them.

Who knows, maybe that was the real reason. The Lawyers got one look at it and fainted dead away.

It was kind of spooky to see that tube floating on the water. It's almost like they had an air raid and everyone just dropped what they had and ran for it. Then never returned. Kind of Twilight Zone-ish. That's what I like about exploring places like that. I let my imagination go crazy. I used to explore old abandoned houses and try and picture what it was like when it was occupied by a family. You would see things left behind like pictures or old lunch boxes, cooking utensils and sometimes books and clothing.

It's kind of sad and yet fascinating.

 

[iggbees]

wow that movie was sad. i remember being there when i was little and i went on the slide at the pool and i lost my tooth coming down, because i clenched my teeth. i'll never forget how i freaked out when i got into the pool! haha.

 

[La2kw]

I noticed during the video that the slide has a major lawsuit potential. What's to stop someone from being underneath and having someone fall on top of them.

Who knows, maybe that was the real reason. The Lawyers got one look at it and fainted dead away.

From what I recall, there was a lifeguard at the top and you were instructed to wait until you saw the person ahead of you swimming away. That slide was alot of fun. The rest of the park was just okay- TL is so much better. It is sad that they let it go, we do have lots of fond memories of the place.

 

[saquin]

Some pics from our family vacations in 1978 and 1981:

Dad, Me (age 8) and my brother Brian (age 10), March 1978

Also 1978, me (in fashionable bathing cap), Dad & Brian (shivering) in the shallow section (I loved that slide built into the rocks on the left).
(I have no idea who the little boy grabbing my arm is. He followed me around all day. Must have been the bathing cap. )

A picture from our 1981 trip (you can see someone on the zipline over the water).

Also from '81, Dad going down one of the slides into the pool.

 

[wasabi girl]

Thanks for the pics!

 

[foodrocksluver]

OK so what's creepy to me is that River Country's inner tubes were black. I thought that was so and when I watched the video it showed them being black. So why on earth is there a YELLOW inner tube that is floating in the murky water? I think thats just downright creepy.
Thanks for sharing your pictures saquin.

 

[PopArtGal]

If you look at other videos... I could swear I saw yeallow ones in more recent years...

 

[wilde_oscar]

As a life long fan of River Country, the best current view I think are from the water. If ya get a boat from the CR Marina and float over ya can see how bad off the boulders where the slides are these days.

Rumors abound on why it closed... there is a Bacteria in Florida lakes that makes swiming in any FL lake pretty much prohibited. Cost of upkeep, RC is a pretty old facility. Cost to refurb, the bolders with the slides just needs to fall down as demolition cost is too high. The new water parks dropped attendance to where RC no longer made a profit. ETC. I think that much like the original Discovery Island, RC had just run its course and WDW just moved on to something new.

 

[OhMari]

Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells has a water slide like this and lawyers have not shut it down. I do the slide at least once, just to get wet. The Zip lines are right next to it.

 

[PilotWife]

I know this may sound stupid but everytime I see pictures of Big River County after it closed it gives me anxiety. I have the biggest fear of abandoned things that are ran down. So the thought of wanting to look around the property now freaks me out!!!!! I paused before scrolling down to the pics that someone posted.

I kinda have to agree with you....it looks like a scene from a horror movie or the Swamp Thing. CREEPY!

 

[specialk829]

was because of amoebas. We get those in our lakes down here. Usually one person each summer dies from an amoeba they got from swimming in a lake here in our county (Seminole). I've heard a warm lake is a sign?
Also, on the River Country pin the tube is yellow.

 

[dydrmr81]

What cool pics, saquin - thanks so much for posting them!

 

[zeroed]

Judging from those recent photos Disney has created a mosquito based theme park called Mickey's Malaria World.

 

[Poohbear123]

Judging from those recent photos Disney has created a mosquito based theme park called Mickey's Malaria World.

Too funny!

 

[alabamagirl]

Awww....that video was so sad.

Everyone in it had a huge smile on their face. So it must have been a fun place! I wish I could have visited this park before it closed. I wish that Disney would just bulldoze it down if they do not plan to refurbish it. Seeing anything in ruins like that is sad and can kill your Disney spirit.

 

[Tiziminchac]

There's a hidden Mickey in the clouds!

 

[Luv2trav]

Why don't they just tear it down? Instead of leaving it like that? Although it is very facinating.

 

[PrincessEeyore]

wow, what great memories everyone had!
I wish it was still around today. I would have loved to go to this park.
The video made me emotional, and this is the first time that I have evere
heard of River Country.

 

[ammo]

Thanks for bringing back some great memories. When staying in FW, River Country seemed like a world unto itself. If you want a clip with better-quality video, take a look at this (part of a great series on lost Disney attractions):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ofV8vsk0U