The lands
Bayou Country
This corner of the park has had four names. From 1956 to 1971 it was the Indian Village, part of Frontierland, with a dance circle, regional arts and architecture, and the Indian War Canoes (Wikipedia).
On March 4, 1972, it reopened as Bear Country, the park's seventh land, a four-acre piece of north woods built for $8 million. A sign at the entrance called it "A honey of a place since '72" (Wikipedia; Yesterland). Its star attraction was a show full of singing bears. It arrived three weeks later.
Bear Country was quiet. Imagineer Tony Baxter called it often empty, and in 1983 he began planning a log flume to bring people in (Wikipedia: Splash Mountain). Before that ride opened, the land was renamed Critter Country. Wikipedia dates the change to 1988; Yesterland ties it to Splash Mountain's opening in 1989. Then, on November 15, 2024, the land took a fourth name, Bayou Country, on the day Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened in Splash Mountain's place (Wikipedia).
Attractions
| Attraction | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indian War Canoes → Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes | 1956–today | See The Boats |
| Country Bear Jamboree → Vacation Hoedown → Country Bear Playhouse | Mar 24, 1972–Sep 9, 2001 | Vacation Hoedown version from February 1986 (D23) |
| Splash Mountain | Jul 17, 1989–May 31, 2023 | (Wikipedia) |
| The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Apr 11, 2003–today | In the old bear theater (D23) |
| Tiana's Bayou Adventure | Nov 15, 2024–today | (Wikipedia) |
The Country Bear Jamboree
The bears were never meant for Anaheim. The show was first designed for Mineral King, a ski resort Disney planned in the 1960s (D23). The bears went to Disneyland instead.
The Country Bear Jamboree opened on March 24, 1972, with 18 Audio-Animatronics bears playing country music. In February 1986 the show was rewritten as the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown. It closed on September 9, 2001, to make room for Winnie the Pooh (D23). Three of the original performers stayed. The mounted heads of Max, Buff and Melvin now hang above the doorways in the Pooh ride (D23).
From Splash Mountain to Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Tony Baxter had two problems in 1983: an empty land and a warehouse of good figures with nowhere to perform. America Sings had closed in Tomorrowland, and its Audio-Animatronics animals were waiting. Baxter's answer was a log flume, themed to the animated Uncle Remus segments of Disney's 1946 film Song of the South. The Anaheim version used 103 figures, many of them from America Sings. Splash Mountain opened on July 17, 1989, the park's thirty-fourth birthday, and ended in a drop Wikipedia gives as 52.5 feet (Wikipedia: Splash Mountain).
In June 2020 Disney announced the ride would be re-themed. The company said work on a replacement had begun in 2019. The New York Times reported that executives had privately discussed dropping the Song of the South theme for at least five years (Wikipedia: Splash Mountain). Splash Mountain closed on May 31, 2023.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure, based on The Princess and the Frog, opened in Florida first, in the summer of 2024. Disney Experiences chairman Josh D'Amaro announced the Disneyland date at D23 that August, and the ride opened on November 15, 2024 (WDW Info). The same day, Critter Country became Bayou Country, and the Hungry Bear Restaurant became the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree (Wikipedia).
Pooh, dining and shops
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opened on April 11, 2003. Guests ride into a giant beehive and through the stories, meeting Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Piglet, Gopher and Owl (D23).
| Place | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Bear Lodge → Hungry Bear Restaurant → Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree | 1972–77, 1977–2024, 2024–today | — |
| Mile Long Bar | 1972–89 | Mirrors at each end made it look endless; it served Pepsi and cider (Yesterland) |
| Brer Bar | 1989–2003 | |
| Teddi Barra's Swingin' Arcade | 1972–2003 | Home of "I'm Gomer, Fly Me," a 25-cent game (Yesterland) |
| Crocodile Mercantile → Pooh Corner | to 1996, 1996–today | — |
Years are from Wikipedia unless another source is linked.
Bayou Country in pictures
Fun facts: Bayou Country
- The land has had four names: Indian Village, Bear Country, Critter Country and Bayou Country (Wikipedia).
- Bear Country was Disneyland's seventh land (Wikipedia).
- The Country Bear Jamboree was first designed for a ski resort, not a theme park (D23).
- The Jamboree had 18 Audio-Animatronics bears (D23).
- The Mile Long Bar was not a mile long. Mirrors at each end made it seem endless, and it served Pepsi and apple cider (Yesterland).
- Teddi Barra's arcade had a one-of-a-kind game, "I'm Gomer, Fly Me," where players flew a bear through a Pepper's ghost illusion for a quarter (Yesterland).
- Splash Mountain opened on July 17, 1989, Disneyland's thirty-fourth birthday (Wikipedia).
- Many of Splash Mountain's 103 figures had already performed in Tomorrowland's America Sings (Wikipedia).
- Three bear heads from the Jamboree, Max, Buff and Melvin, still hang inside the Winnie the Pooh ride (D23).
- Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened in Florida months before it reached Disneyland (WDW Info).
Quotes
"A honey of a place since '72."
— The sign at the entrance to Bear Country (Yesterland)