16 photos of abandoned Disney resorts that will give you the creeps
Seph Lawless
- Disney has tons of thriving parks — but it has abandoned more than most people realize.
- Discovery Island was abandoned in 1999 and has been left untouched.
- River Country was the first water park at the Walt Disney Resort, and closed down after multiple deaths and the tourism effects of 9/11.
Anything that's been abandoned is creepy to begin with, but abandoned Disney parks in particular have an unsettling quality to them that's hard to shake.
Disney has ditched several projects over the years for various reasons, but often these parks have been left intact to decay naturally over time. The result are eerie remains of what once was part of "the happiest place on Earth."
Take a look at a few of the parks Disney has abandoned over the years.
Discovery Island in Bay Lake has been abandoned since 1999.
Sam Howzit/Flickr/CC BY 2.0The island could only be accessed from a Disney resort boat or a Walt Disney World Cruise, and was known as a premiere tourist destination from the 1970s to the 1990s.
It was originally called "Treasure Island" when it opened in 1974 as a bird sanctuary.
MattSonswa/YouTubeIt was rebranded as "Discovery Island" in 1978, featuring a range of exotic animals, an aviary, flamingo pool, and a beach for tourists.
It closed in 1999 for a variety of reasons.
Matt Sonswa/YouTubeReasons it closed included a fear of wild-roaming alligators, alleged mishandling of animals, and deadly bacteria found in the park's waters.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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