Home / Arts and Entertainment / Nature Reclaims Abandoned Disney Water Park
Nature Reclaims Abandoned Disney Water Park
19 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Disney's first water park, River Country, closed in 2001 and was left abandoned.
- Nature has taken over the defunct park, with plants growing through pools and slides.
- Photographer Seph Lawless documented the eerie decay of River Country and Discovery Island.
Opened in 1976, River Country was Disney's inaugural water park, operating for 25 years before its closure in November 2001. Instead of removal or redevelopment, the park on the edge of Bay Lake was simply sealed off. Over time, nature began its relentless takeover, with vegetation engulfing the abandoned structures and slides succumbing to decay.
Similar to River Country, the nature attraction Discovery Island, which closed in 1999, was also left untouched. Buildings on the island weakened, and overgrown brush consumed the landscape. Both sites have become eerie testaments to forgotten attractions, slowly being consumed by the surrounding environment.
Photographer Seph Lawless documented the haunting scenes using a boat and drone, capturing images of the decay. His striking photographs revealed collapsed slides, submerged equipment, and deteriorating buildings, drawing significant public attention to these hidden, nature-reclaimed Disney locations.
