 Before Wild Rivers was built, the land was a drive-through zoo called Lion Country Safari, which went bankrupt and closed in 1984.The park's owner still held 13 years on the original 29 year lease for the land, which he then subleased to the operators of the Wild Rivers water park, the Camp Frasier (later Camp James) summer camp and the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.Construction on Wild Rivers "Mountain" began in 1985 and the park itself opened in 1986.