Disney Allegedly Reopening River Country in 2026

Long before Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon, there was Disney’s River Country. It was the first water park ever built at the Walt Disney World Resort. For those Disney guests of a certain age, remember heading down to the old watering hole and spending the day cooling off at River Country.

💦On June 20, 1976, Disney's River Country water park opened at Walt Disney World pic.twitter.com/lS68W1aspw

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) June 21, 2023

Before EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom, there was River Country. It was built along Bay Long, near Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and campground, and opened in 1976, just five years after the Magic Kingdom opened.

But by the late 1990s, Disney World had three water parks, and the down-home feel of the old swimming hole River Country offered couldn’t match the high-speed waterslides or wave pools that Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon provided guests. So, in 2001, Disney closed River Country for good, or so we thought.

A rumor has spread around the internet that Disney World is planning to reopen River County in 2026, giving Disney a third water park. Given that Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are constantly shutting down for refurbishments, a third water park, especially during the hot summer months, could be precisely what Walt Disney World needs.

The Rumor

According to rumors, the water park along Bay Lake will reopen on June 30, 2026, the 50th anniversary of the opening of River Country. The new park will include the original 12 rides and an additional eight rides and attractions.

But sadly, those are just rumors from Mousetrap news. The site prides itself on providing completely fake and satirical Walt Disney World and Disney Company-related news. And this is another one of those stories.

Disney announced in 2005 that the water park would remain closed permanently. Then, in 2018, Disney World filed permits to build a new hotel on the site of River Country along Bay Lake. Many of the rides and attractions were torn down to make way for the new deluxe resort hotel.

Shortly after the Walt Disney Company began demolition on the site, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and construction stopped. After the pandemic ended, Disney chose to abandon the project.

Despite the demolition of some of the rides at River Country, some remain, an eery reminder of what once was at Disney World. To this day, it remains the only Disney theme park to ever permanently close.

For now, older guests are left with their memories of Disney’s River Country and hope that Disney Parks will see something like it again.

What do you remember about River Country? Let us know in the comments.

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