What do you know about Disney's River Country Water Park?

[WDW first-timer]

I was just watching the Travel Channel and they mentioned River Country Water Park..I had never heard of that before. I'm going to WDW in 5 days with my boyfriend, his brother and his brother's girlfriend. This is my first trip and I have been reading everything I can get a hold of and still I've never heard of this park...is it still open and worth going to? Tell me anything you know about it...thanx
...Also, what is Disney West Side
Thanx for you help

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

River Country is closed I really wanted to try it out this summer too.

 

[Storminator]

River Country closed a few years ago. Disney West Side is part of Downtown Disney which is a large shopping/restaurant/entertainment complex.

 

[Minnie824]

River Country - We used to go a lot when I was younger, when BB and TL weren't around. There was a pool w/a big slide, some inner tube slides, and a swimming area connected to Bay Lake (I think). It was closed some years ago. Its part of Fort Wilderness, right on the lake.

 

[BostonRob]

Here's what I know about River Country. It was very cool when I first attended it in the early 80's. There were water slides, which was cool, but what set it apart from other waterparks was the 'lazy river' ride and the fact that the whole place was more like a beach (it was supposes to be like the 'ole swimmin hole') than like a concrete waterpark. But, once typhoon lagoon and blizzard beach were built, River Country became obsolete. I'm not sure if it was closed do to dwindling attendance or due to lake bacteria, but from everything I've heard, it is closed permanently. Sad, but sensible.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

We went to River Country on our first Disney trip in '97, I really loved it, particularly with young kids (our kids were 9, 7, and 4 at the time). I think it was closed by the time we went back in '99.

I think there were rumors a long while back that they would be using it as a pool for Fort Wilderness.

 

[monarchsfan16]

River Country closed a few years ago. A CM told me that he believes River Country closed because it was becoming too expensive to maintain. Not only was it the original Disney water park but it was sort of the beginning of American water parks as well. It was pretty old, having been built around the same time as WDW opened. The issue was not bacteria from the lake. Water from RC did flow into Bay Lake but water from Bay Lake did not flow into RC. They were having more difficulty keeping the water out of Bay Lake from RC. It was expensive to run the busses out to RC. Plus RC was in need of some serious maintenance, because it was getting old.

 

[buzzriders]

I went with my DD9 at the time in '99 and we had a great time!!!! We wish it were still here!! When we went back in '01 it was closed!! I think it closed in 2000.

 

[Sean23]

It actually closed Labor Day 2001 for the season but never reopened. It would be open 4 days a week the last year. I have been to RC at least 100 times and it was my favorite WP, you could be walking up the steps to one of the slides and see the Contemporary Resort. I went the first year it opened in 1976 and the final day it closed in 2001.