Walt Disney World’s first water park, River Country, has closed and may not reopen.
Opening in 1976, River Country has fallen in popularity behind Disney’s newer water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, which opened in 1988 and 1995, respectively.
Blizzard Beach, with attendance of 1.8 million in 2001, and Typhoon Lagoon, 1.6 million, were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 among the world’s top water parks last year, according to estimates by Amusement Business magazine. River Country didn’t make the Top 15 rankings.
River Country, touted as Disney’s old-fashioned water park, re-created the nostalgia of the all-American swimming place at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground near Disney’s Bay Lake.
Disney World spokesman Bill Warren said that River Country could be reopened if “there’s enough guest demand.”
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