River Country?

[buffettgirl]

To everyone looking back nostalgically to River Country I think you are looking through very thick Rose Colored Glasses.

Disclaimer: This review is from someone who first visited RC as a teenager and then as a father with a 6 and 7 year old.

River Country was a first gen water park. Not at all like water parks today. Today RC would be an insurance nightmare.

The water for all the slides came from the lake. They supposedly treated it, but it was greenish brown.

Some of the body slides (not the "shotgun" slides at the pool) dumped you into over 6 feet of water. Everyone had to be a strong swimmer but at the time there were no "height" limits. In order for younger ones to use the slides you had to go down first, tread water and then push them to the ropes that defined the splash down area.

If you went under and stayed under, good luck, the water viability was maybe 2 feet if that. The light guards would have had to search for you or your kids blindly.

The real pool had rocks around it for diving, yes diving, at one time in this country diving was encouraged.

So besides that other issues that it was much smaller than the other water parks and it was tough to get to* I can see why it closed.

* At the time RC was built it was in the middle of what was WDW. As they started to build other parks and resorts it was now in a lost corner of the world. If you told guests that at one time there was a water park near the campground in WDW they would ask "There's a campground in WDW? "

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.

Oh and yes I too have a very special place in my heart for RC.

oh I totally agree. DH and went back there as young adults and I was a little bit horrified at how gross it was to swim in the lake water LOL.

 

[Planogirl]

I believe that River Country could have been as self-contained water-wise as any other water park if money had been invested. However it was an old school park and also cost less than the other two waterparks. That is never a good combination at WDW.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

If I had to guess it wasn't dismantled because it just wasn't necessary. If you don't have to spend the money to dismantle an attraction why bother? It is not in an area that is easily seen unless you are off the beaten path or rent a boat and know where to go. Unless there are plans to develop the area, I don't see why they would waste the resources or money.

 

[Evoga]

I loved river country.

Does anyone remember the characters walking around the pool in their swimming costumes? I am sure Goofy went down the water slide too.

 

[Disneynut71]

I went to River Country on my first trip to WDW many many years ago. It was in it's time an outstanding water park. We had so much fun. I would love to go back and revisit

 

[PHLtoMCO]

To everyone looking back nostalgically to River Country I think you are looking through very thick Rose Colored Glasses.

Disclaimer: This review is from someone who first visited RC as a teenager and then as a father with a 6 and 7 year old.

River Country was a first gen water park. Not at all like water parks today. Today RC would be an insurance nightmare.

The water for all the slides came from the lake. They supposedly treated it, but it was greenish brown.

Some of the body slides (not just the "shotgun" slides at the pool) dumped you into over 6 feet of water. Everyone had to be a strong swimmer but at the time there were no "height" limits. In order for younger ones to use the slides you had to go down first, tread water and then push them to the ropes that defined the splash down area.

If you went under and stayed under, good luck, the water viability was maybe 2 feet if that. The life guards would have had to search for you or your kids blindly.

The real pool had rocks around it for diving, yes diving, at one time in this country diving was encouraged.

So besides that, other issues that it was much smaller than the other water parks and it was tough to get to* I can see why it closed.

* At the time RC was built it was in the middle of what was WDW. As they started to build other parks and resorts it was now in a lost corner of the world. If you told guests that at one time there was a water park near the campground in WDW they would ask "There's a campground in WDW? "

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.

Oh and yes I too have a very special place in my heart for RC.

Simply reminiscing all of the memories made there. No need to accuse people of looking through rose colored glasses or making anyone feel guilty for the fun they had there

 

[chartle]

Simply reminiscing all of the memories made there. No need to accuse people of looking through rose colored glasses or making anyone feel guilty for the fun they had there

I guess my post did kind of sound like that. My post was a variation on one I write whenever I reply to a "What happened to River Country?" thread.

I was just trying to inject some reality into the situation. Wanting RC back is not like saying you wish Mr Toad's Wild Ride or Horizons was back. In order for RC to be a water park in today's world every single water attraction would have to be rebuild and or eliminated.

No lake water, no diving, no deep pool, no dumping you into 6 plus feet of water, etc.

Once that happened it would not longer be RC anymore.

Also if you only went as a kid and not as a parent you wouldn't see where I was coming from.

 

[Pattiwig]

I have memories of River Country too. Awful ones. 13 years ago we went there on the first day of a two week trip. My 7yo DS wanted to go off the mast, which swung off the raft/dock thingy. You had to hold on and swing out. He wasn't sure how to do it. I decided to go first to show him. As it swung out I lost my grip and went straight down. The water wasn't very deep. I don't know if there was a concrete bottom, or I hit a rock, but I shattered my right ankle. It couldn't be casted because it was too swollen. Great start to the trip. Rest of the time I was in a wheelchair, my husband had to do the whole ride back to NY without any breaks from me. I was out of work for 3 months when we got back.

Miss River Country? I don't think so.

 

[River Country]

WOW AN ENTIRE THREAD ABOUT ME????????????


I think my name says it all and i still have a beach towel from RC with the fab 5 on it and i still use it. I dont think my DW ever went to RC but i did and man was it fun. The first time i was there was the summer of 86 and being from NJ we dont swim in our lakes we dump stuff in them LOL just joking please no one from NJ get offended. It was awesome then i remember when Typhoon Lagoon opened and we went there i think that was 89 or 90 it was fun but it wasnt River Country

have to try to find some pics. Thanks for all the love

 

[onnawufei]

It would require too many shots.

Visit beautiful Walt Disney World, now with tetanus!

I never went to River Country, but personally the idea of swimming around in lake water gives me the heebie jeebies.

 

[chartle]

Visit beautiful Walt Disney World, now with tetanus!

I never went to River Country, but personally the idea of swimming around in lake water gives me the heebie jeebies.

The shots are for the current tour. The one where there is a swimming pool full of algae and one lone tube floating in it.

 

[Reddog1134]

the shots are for the current tour. The one where there is a swimming pool full of algae and one lone tube floating in it.

Dibs!!!

 

[kt_mom]

I have so many awesome memories of RC. We always did a whole day here on our trips when I was a kid. We would get there early and get chairs in the pool area and just swim and relax all day.

I loved the drop off slides in the pool and diving from the rocks. And I loved the slides in the lake too. I remember going down them as a small child even and my dad waiting at the bottom just in case, even though I was a strong swimmer even as a young kid.

I loved all of it. I remember being creeped out by being the lake though and worrying about snakes and stuff. I didn't really have any desire to hang around in the deeper water. Just go down the slide, get out and do it again.

As much as I have fond memories of it, there's no way in this world I would swim in that lake water again. Now I know why my mom spent all day by the pool and if I wanted to go to the lake side I had to get my dad to take me.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I love catching glimpses of it on the boat ride from WL.



No! Please do post them. I too would like to see yours. All are a little different depending on the photographer.



Now that sounds like a mystery worth investigating. I wonder what happened? Does anyone know?



Me too, sister! If you're weird, we'll be weird together. I love stuff like that.

I'm not the only one! Dh thinks I'm a bit nuts about the cemetery thing, my dd always asks to go inside one but he won't.

Visit beautiful Walt Disney World, now with tetanus!

I never went to River Country, but personally the idea of swimming around in lake water gives me the heebie jeebies.

@ the tetnus comment. I could never swim in that water, lake water creeps me out, especially in warm areas. I'm afraid of snakes and microbes. My kids would have loved it though.

 

[World Showcaser]

*Here's* Tri-circle-D's original post with all the photos.

Thank you for posting this. He did a wonderful job. It certainly is creepy, especially inside the shack where the employees seemed to just up and leave everything behind. It's like they were in a hurry to get out. The whole thing screams "horror movie" to me.

To everyone looking back nostalgically to River Country I think you are looking through very thick Rose Colored Glasses.

Let them wear the rose-coloured glasses. What harm is it doing? This is a fun thread for those of us who never had the chance to visit.

Does anyone remember the characters walking around the pool in their swimming costumes? I am sure Goofy went down the water slide too.

This sounds awesome! I recall Goofy water-skiing somewhere but it wasn't there because I have never been.

 

[chartle]

Let them wear the rose-coloured glasses. What harm is it doing? This is a fun thread for those of us who never had the chance to visit.

Again my post was more for those that wanted it back and like I said if you would have gone back with your own kids you would have seen it much differently and understand why it had to close.

 

[mcd2745]

To everyone looking back nostalgically to River Country I think you are looking through very thick Rose Colored Glasses.

Disclaimer: This review is from someone who first visited RC as a teenager and then as a father with a 6 and 7 year old.

River Country was a first gen water park. Not at all like water parks today. Today RC would be an insurance nightmare.

The water for all the slides came from the lake. They supposedly treated it, but it was greenish brown.

Some of the body slides (not just the "shotgun" slides at the pool) dumped you into over 6 feet of water. Everyone had to be a strong swimmer but at the time there were no "height" limits. In order for younger ones to use the slides you had to go down first, tread water and then push them to the ropes that defined the splash down area.

If you went under and stayed under, good luck, the water viability was maybe 2 feet if that. The life guards would have had to search for you or your kids blindly.

The real pool had rocks around it for diving, yes diving, at one time in this country diving was encouraged.

So besides that, other issues that it was much smaller than the other water parks and it was tough to get to* I can see why it closed.

* At the time RC was built it was in the middle of what was WDW. As they started to build other parks and resorts it was now in a lost corner of the world. If you told guests that at one time there was a water park near the campground in WDW they would ask "There's a campground in WDW? "

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.

Oh and yes I too have a very special place in my heart for RC.

*** Full Disclosure: I unfortunately never went to River Country. It was still open my first couple of visits to WDW, but we never went.


As I read the posts in this thread (and I had previously seen those pitcures of the deserted, grown-over state the RC site is currently in), I couldn't help but think the same thing - that a majority of the posters are being influenced mostly by their nostalgia and not because of the park itself. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, as nostalgia and all those great memories they have from there can be extremely powerful and I would never discount that.

But just looking objectively at strictly what the park was...it doesn't seem like it was very large, first of all. Secondly, when I fist saw a map of RC, the first thing that popped into my mind was "so they used the same water they don't allow people to swim in today?". It somewhat reminds me of the old Action Park in NJ. If anyone here on the DIS has been to both (there's got to be at least few), please let me know if that is an accurate comparison. And to the part of the above-quoted post about it being an insurance/liability nightmare...I'm sure that is what eventually caused Action Park to shut down. People were getting some serious injuries in that place.

 

[michsig]

It's so creepy to see those pictures! I loved River Country. It was one of my favorites!

 

[chartle]

*** Full Disclosure: I unfortunately never went to River Country. It was still open my first couple of visits to WDW, but we never went.


As I read the posts in this thread (and I had previously seen those pitcures of the deserted, grown-over state the RC site is currently in), I couldn't help but think the same thing - that a majority of the posters are being influenced mostly by their nostalgia and not because of the park itself. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, as nostalgia and all those great memories they have from there can be extremely powerful and I would never discount that.

But just looking objectively at strictly what the park was...it doesn't seem like it was very large, first of all. Secondly, when I fist saw a map of RC, the first thing that popped into my mind was "so they used the same water they don't allow people to swim in today?". It somewhat reminds me of the old Action Park in NJ. If anyone here on the DIS has been to both (there's got to be at least few), please let me know if that is an accurate comparison. And to the part of the above-quoted post about it being an insurance/liability nightmare...I'm sure that is what eventually caused Action Park to shut down. People were getting some serious injuries in that place.

I just looked up the Action Park Wiki page and this is the first thing I read.

Waterworld

Water-based attractions made up half of the park's rides and accounted for the greatest share of its casualty count.

 

[mcd2745]

I just looked up the Action Park Wiki page and this is the first thing I read.

Yeahhhh...no surprise there.

Personally, I always had fun there and never got hurt. However, on many trips, some of the people I was with got hurt.