9/4/2023 0 Comments Discovery island disney worldThe trail went in a circle, with small paths connecting the sides. I own a brochure of the park from 1986, which shows the layout and highlights animal species that lived on the island.Īs you can see by the map of the island, the path winded through forest and featured roughly a dozen and a half attractions, since restrooms and snack areas were considered attractions on the brochure. Discovery Island hosted 150 species of animals, such as lemurs, flamingos, giant tortoises, and lots of rare and endangered bird species. Unfortunately, the name change did little to boost attendance at this park which most people thought of as a half day attraction or a “We’ll do it later” park (Like Hollywood Studios as it is right now). The island wasn’t very popular, and when it was recognized as a Zoological Park, they renamed it Discovery Island in hopes that might be more popular then and to better reflect what the island actually was. A beached pirate ship was placed on the southwest side of the island, and that remains there to this day. Instead, Treasure Island opened on April 8th, 1974 as a place to observe animals and interact with pirate related stuff. The Asian, Venetian, and Persian Resorts were never built either (Click HERE for a great video about those resorts). In fact, only MK, the Polynesian, and the Contemporary Resorts opened on Day One. When Disney bought Riles Island in 1965, they originally planned to have it open as Treasure Island on Day One, which is shown by this early concept art:ĬREDIT: .com (Side note: If you want to know more about what WDW was originally supposed to be, this is an interesting written by an official Disney Blog Good luck sleeping tonight knowing that part of those are real, the setting at least. You know that creepypasta and that FNAF fan game? Those are partially based on this island. Then Disney bought it in 1965 as a part of its’ Florida Project. I honestly don’t know if any of the owners knew that). Did the owner bring animals there and then let them run then hunt them? Because, it’s an ISLAND. Later on, it was sold again and renamed Riles Island, and the owner used it as a hunting retreat (Again, this honestly sounds horrible. Later on, in the 1930’s, it was bought for $800 by a man who lived on it for 20 years with his wife and pet Crane (this island has all sorts of weird little things about it, including the fact that the man who purchased it had a pet Crane!). Originally known as Raz Island, it was named after the family that lived on it (Side note: Why on Earth would you decide to live on an island in the early 1900’s? That sounds like an awful idea). In this article, I will discuss everything about Discovery Island, from the layout to why it closed, and to what happened after it closed and what comes next. At around 11 acres, this island was once a theme park dedicated to animals, and it housed around 150 different species in its’ prime. Ever wonder if Disney has ever covered something up? Ever wonder if Disney has more than one abandoned theme park on property? Ever wonder if River Country isn’t the only abandoned themed area that’s been left to rot by Disney? Enter Discovery Island.ĭiscovery Island is an abandoned island in the middle of Bay Lake, near the Magic Kingdom, and it’s way more interesting than River Country.
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