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When Was Disney World Built?

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And That's Not All, Folks: Water Parks, Resorts, Downtown Disney
Ski Jump, Mt. Gushmore, at Disney's Blizzard Beach water park. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World. Mt. Gushmore, at Disney's Blizzard Beach water park. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World.
Also huge fun at Disney World, especially during the heat of summer, are two gigantic water parks. Typhoon Lagoon opened in June 1989, and has a lazy river, giant outdoor wave pool, and many slides and raft rides. Disney's Blizzard Beach opened on April 1 1995, and includes a lazy river and the 90-ft. high Mount Gushmore (reportedly the fifth highest point in Florida.) An earlier water park, River Country, opened in 1976 but closed in 2001.

Meanwhile, throughout the years many more resorts were built at Disney World, in several types: Value, Moderate, Luxury, and more recently Vacation Club Villas. See Disney World Resorts, by TYPE, and Disney World Resorts, by LOCATION.

The shopping/restaurant/entertainment zone Downtown Disney got its name in 1997 and includes the Pleasure Island adult area, Cirque du Soleil, and many  restaurants and shops. 

Walt Disney World, by the way, is not actually inOrlando; Disney World is outside the Orlando city limits, in its own cities, Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake.

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