Disney4me Posted 4 hours ago Report Posted 4 hours ago Disney’s latest hotel — the Lakeshore Lodge — is just about a year away from opening, and fans (it’s us, we’re fans too) are looking over all of the concept art Disney has released of the new hotel. ©Disney As we’ve been looking over all the details of the sprawling nature-themed resort, a couple of elements of concept art for Lakeshore Lodge’s sprawling pool and water recreation area have jumped out to us, connecting it to Disney World’s storied past. Dubbed The Wetlands, the outdoor recreation area will sit just beyond the hotel’s lobby and immerse guests in an area that’s “surrounded by the beauty of Bay Lake.” The Wetlands will feature a mixture of several different kinds of areas designed for guests, including Heron Shores and Otter Spring, each area loaded with interactive water features that draw inspiration from the classic 1995 animated film Pocahontas, specifically the lyrics “the heron and the otter are my friends” from “Colors of the Wind.” The Wetlands at Lakeshore Lodge ©Disney The Daydream River offers guests a “leisurely” tour around the Wetlands area and allows them to see the landscape. The Wetlands at Lakeshore Lodge ©Disney At the center of the Wetlands sits Lakeside Lagoon, a zero‑entry feature pool that will sit as the main hub of the area… Lakeside Lagoon at Lakeshore Lodge ©Disney …and includes a water slide. ©Disney While the presence of both a lazy river and a water slide may seem like simple amenities to some, longtime Disney fans know that their presence at the Lakeshore Lodge also harkens back five decades to River Country. ©Wikipedia Disney World’s first water park, River Country, was located on the same site where the Lakeshore Lodge complex is currently located. The park first opened near the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on June 20th, 1976. Themed as a “Tom Sawyer swimmin’ hole,” the park -– which was originally known in its planning stages as Pop’s Willow Grove –- was revolutionary thanks to numerous water-based attractions that would become industry standard at water parks in future decades. This would include water slides, an inner-tube river (just like the Lakeshore Lodge’s Wetlands), a sand-bottom lake, and a play area featuring tire swings and bridges. Disney’s River Country, the former water park on the site ©Disney River Country was initially very popular, though after the openings of Typhoon Lagoon (1989) and Blizzard Beach (1995), the park dipped to being Disney World’s third-most popular water park by a large margin. Still, it came as a surprise to many when the park closed for its annual winter closure on November 2nd, 2001, and simply never reopened. Disney initially remained silent on the issue for months before releasing a statement in 2002, which said the park would be closed for the remainder of the year. The park remained closed in 2003 and 2004 before Disney officially announced in 2005 that River Country was closed for good. Its closure was due to a slump in tourism post-9/11, as well as rising maintenance costs. River Country Footage The River Country site sat vacant and exposed to the elements for years, becoming a haven for urban explorers, until the final remnants were torn down in preparation for the construction of Lakeshore Lodge. ©bioreconstruct The presence of a waterslide and a lazy river within the concept art for the Wetlands area and the Lakeside Lagoon pool is not likely a reference to River Country, as those amenities would likely be present in the water area of any new major Disney hotel property, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not especially apt, given their location on the site of the former water park. Stay tuned to DFB for more on the evolution of Disney World. Three 2027 Disney World Deadlines We Need To Warn You About Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW Will you be thinking of River Country during your first visit to Lakeshore Lodge? Let us know in the comments below. View the full article Quote
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