Abandoned Parks
River Country (1976-2001) was Disney’s first water park and right beside it was Discovery Island (1974-1999), a zoological park. Both parks were abandoned rather than demolished, and though closed to the public, brave souls have ventured within them.
Inside Discovery Island, it’s a mush-mash of dilapidated rides, old staff photos, and even snakes preserved in jars. Though it’s publicized that both parks were closed due to falling customer interest, the truth behind the closure is far more ominous for in 2001, a brain-eating amoeba, “Naegleria Fowleri” was found in River Country’s surrounding lake. It attacks the human brain and has a case fatality rate of 95%.
Then again, closing the parks could have strictly been a business decision. After all, N. Fowleri had already killed a young guest in 1980
