Discovery Island (Bay Lake)

Origins

From 1900 to 1937, the island was known as Raz Island, named after the family that lived there.[1] In the late 1930s, it was purchased for $800 by a man named Delmar "Radio Nick" Nicholson, who renamed it "Idle Bay Isle" and lived there for 20 years with his wife and pet crane. It was later sold, after the island's owner became ill, and renamed "Riles Island,"[2] and used as a hunting retreat. Disney bought it in 1965 as part of its strategic property acquisitions before building the Walt Disney World Resort.[3][4]

Delmar lived on the island and grew exotic plants prior to the island's acquisition by Disney.[5]

Opening

The island opened as Treasure Island on April 8, 1974, as a place to observe wildlife, and was later renamed Discovery Island when it was recognized as a zoological park. The admission cost in 1995 was $10.60 for adults and $5.83 for children aged three through nine.[6] In March 1999, admission was $12.67 for adults and $6.89 for children, including tax.[1] The island's facilities were the home of the last known dusky seaside sparrow before it died in July 1987.[7] In 1989, Disney was accused by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals of mistreating vultures that landed on Discovery Island. Disney confirmed some of them died while being captured by their employees.[8] Following this allegation, State and Federal officials charged Disney with 16 counts of animal cruelty.[9]

Discovery Island housed approximately 150 birds and small primates.[10]

Filming location

The island was occasionally used as a movie filming location, most notably for the climax of Treasure of Matecumbe, in which it doubled for the titular Florida Key.

Closure

Discovery Island closed to the public on April 8, 1999, exactly 25 years after its opening.[11] but continued to operate until July 9, 1999, at which point all of its animals had been relocated to Disney's Animal Kingdom (whose Safari Village hub area was renamed Discovery Island) and other zoos. Although Disney never officially stated its reasons for closing the park, it is widely speculated that high costs of maintenance, declining attendance, improper treatment of animals, and the opening of a bigger and newer Disney Animal Kingdom are the most likely reasons.

Since its closing, the island has sat largely abandoned, with no signs of development. Disney considered teaming up with Cyan Worlds to turn the island into a replica of the titular island from the video game Myst, where visitors would solve puzzles while exploring.[11][12] As of 2025, all original buildings and attractions remain on the island, though several have sustained major damage from hurricanes and natural decay.

Today, the island can easily be seen from Walt Disney World Monorail, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, as well as from boat trips between them. It is adjacent to the former site of Disney's River Country water park, which closed in November 2001 and was ultimately demolished in April 2019.

Unsanctioned visits

In 2009, an account was published of an unauthorized exploration "a couple of years ago" with photographs by Shane Perez.[13] In 2017, a film was published by Matt Sonswa of exploration of the island.[14] On April 30, 2020, a man was arrested for camping on Discovery Island, supposedly attempting to spend quarantine on the island. He was removed from the island and banned from Walt Disney property. He called the island a "tropical paradise", and said he did not know the area was off limits to the public.[15]