It was a rainy day in the Magic Kingdom on my most recent trip to Walt Disneyworld so my friend and I decided to check out some of the nearby Disney resorts. During our circle tour we decided to take a ferry ride from the Wilderness Lodge to the Contemporary. It was on this ferry ride that I got my first glimpse of the now closed Discovery Island. And no, I’m not talking about the new Discovery Island that the Tree of Life sits upon in the Animal Kingdom.
Discovery Island (copyright waltdatedworld.bravepages.com)
Being a Disney enthusiast I had seen and read numerous articles and stories about the former attraction but never before actually seen it with my own two eyes. To the unsuspecting tourist it looked just like any other island. No signs, no lights, just an island. However if you looked close enough you could just make out some remnants of pilings and part of a dock.
Back in the day this Island was an attraction and a park. Filled with numerous plants and both caged and free roaming animals. Areas included the Monkey Colony, Trumpeter Springs which had swans, Bamboo Hollow and Vulture’s Haunt. You could come for a nature walk or check out one of the numerous shows.
One of the Bird Shows on Discovery Island (c/o Allan Oakley)
Having opened April 8 1974, Discovery Island was eventually closed exactly 25 years later on April 8 1999. Ultimately due to the brand new park that had just been built, Animal Kingdom, in which you can now find the new Discovery Island.
Since this time the park has been closed, completely abandoned and over grown. As I stared at the island I couldn’t help but think how cool it would be to walk around what one person described as the “holy grail of modern ruins for Disney fans”.
There is no official Disney way to gain entry to the island. But of course there is always some way, albeit not very legal. The Island is surrounded by the waters of Bay Lake which in the past have been known to house alligators and bacteria that can result in death. Of course this doesn’t stop everyone. One blogger many years ago swam to the island under the cover of night. He found most of the structures were still present including cages and canopies. Even stumbling across old cast member photos and preserved snakes in jars. I highly recommend reading his account here: http://shaneperez.blogspot.com/2009/12/discovery-island.html
The Now Abandoned Discovery Island (taken by ShanePerez.com)
It should be noted that this is high risk to anyone attempting. I personally love Disney far too much to ever risk getting caught and banned from the parks so you won’t see me swimming the waters. But I would love to see Disney open up a special behind the scenes tour of the Island. Although it is questionable whether this is possible due to the countless number of birds now occupying the Island, but one can hope. Until that day I guess I will just have to be satisfied viewing it from a passing ferry.
