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| Location | Walt Disney World Resort Lake Buena Vista, Florida, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 28°22′13″N81°31′16″W / 28.3702539°N 81.5209851°W /28.3702539; -81.5209851 |
| Opening date | March 22, 1975; 50 years ago (1975-03-22) |
| Previous names |
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| Management | Walt Disney World Key People - Matt Simon (VP)[1] |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Public transit |   50 & 300-306[2][3]Disney Transport |
| Website | Official website |
| Walt Disney World |
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| Theme parks |
| Water parks |
| Other attractions and areas |
| Resorts |
| Affiliated services |
| Transport |
Disney Springs is an outdoorshopping,dining, andentertainment complex at theWalt Disney World Resort inLake Buena Vista, Florida, nearOrlando.
First opened on March 22, 1975 asLake Buena Vista Shopping Village, it has been expanded and rebranded over the years asWalt Disney World Village (1977),Disney Village Marketplace (1989), andDowntown Disney (1997), becoming Disney Springs in 2015. A similar complex is being developed on the opposite side of Walt Disney World calledFlamingo Crossings.[4]
The 120-acre (49 ha) complex includes four distinct areas: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side. Buses andwater taxis operated byDisney Transport provide transportation between Disney Springs and other areas of Walt Disney World.
The Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, which opened on March 22, 1975, was originally envisioned as an area shopping mall. Two years after its opening, the complex was renamed Walt Disney World Village. With the advent of new management underMichael Eisner in 1984, Disney began looking for ways to keep vacationers on Walt Disney World property longer, and prevent them from leaving for entertainment beyond Disney's borders.[5]
To compete with the popularChurch Street Station clubs in downtown Orlando, Disney announced the addition ofPleasure Island, featuring nightclubs showcasing Disney's quality and creativity, to Walt Disney World Village on July 21, 1986. Construction began the following August and Pleasure Island was opened on May 1, 1989, the same day as theDisney's Hollywood Studios theme park. Later that year, the complex was renamed Disney Village Marketplace.[5]
In the mid-1990s, the growth ofWalt Disney World created the potential for further expansion, leading to a $1 billion investment in projects across the resort.[6] The firstWorld of Disney store opened October 2, 1996, in Marketplace.[7]
On June 20, 1995, a major enhancements and expansions were announced for the area, with the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island being combined into a newly branded district named Downtown Disney. The re-branding was introduced on September 7, 1997.[6] On September 15, Downtown Disney West Side, a 66 acres (27 ha) expansion, opened as a third shopping, dining, and entertainment area featuring venues such asLa Nouba (the formerCirque Du Soleil show in residence which closed at the end of 2017),DisneyQuest, andVirgin Megastore. Major changes to the complex also included the conversion of Mickey's Character Shop into theWorld of Disney, becoming the world's largestDisney store, in addition to the expansion and upgrade of theAMC Pleasure Island Theatres, as well as the opening ofRainforest Cafe andPlanet Hollywood.[5][6] On September 27, 2008, the Pleasure Island nightclubs closed.[5]
The Downtown Disney Mall Complex gained a sister district in California on January 12, 2001, with the addition ofDowntown Disney at theDisneyland Resort. Similar complexes also exist at other Disney resorts:Disney Village, which opened on April 12, 1992, atDisneyland Paris;Ikspiari, which opened on July 7, 2000, at theTokyo Disney Resort; andDisneytown atShanghai Disney Resort.
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On March 14, 2013,Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairmanTom Staggs announced that Downtown Disney would be redesigned and renamed as Disney Springs.[8][9] The 3-year renovation and expansion project would include 150 new tenants, twoparking structures,[10] and a near-doubling of the mall area.[10] Prior to this announcement, the last renovation of Downtown Disney had been in 1997.[10]
In order to facilitate the construction of the area and the increase in capacity, two large parking structures were constructed in previous surface parking lot areas. New construction features include new bridges connecting the complex toDisney's Saratoga Springs resort, with further bridges connecting The Landing to the Marketplace, The Springs, Town Center and West Side.High Line structures were built across the West Side in order to provide both theme and shade.[11] In addition, a new bus terminal, with dedicated bus lanes on Buena Vista Drive, was built;[12][13] Buena Vista Drive was widened, and a new exit ramp built fromInterstate 4 directly to Disney Springs, as part of the traffic upgrade.[13] The complex was renamed Disney Springs on September 29, 2015.[14] Town Center, built just south of The Landing in the surface parking lots, was opened on May 15, 2016, completing the major construction on the project.[15] A third parking garage began construction in 2017[16] across Buena Vista Drive and opened as Grapefruit Garage on April 16, 2019.[17]
On March 17, 2020, Disney Springs closed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Florida.[18] On May 7, 2020, it was announced that Disney Springs would begin a phased reopening on May 20.[19]
On May 24, 2024, a nighttime drone show,Dreams That Soar, began running nightly at Disney Springs, which ran until September 2, 2024. The show was revealed with several other highlights at the Walt Disney World Resort.[20][21] Disney World had also hosted a five-minute drone show titledStarbright Holidays for the 2016 holiday season.[22]
Disney Springs is divided into four areas: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side. The complex is bordered byLake Buena Vista to the north and the parking garages and surface lots to the south.Walt Disney Imagineering took inspiration for Disney Springs from real coastal towns found throughout Florida, such asSt. Augustine andCoral Gables.[23]
Creative director Dave Hoffman said about the area, "Each neighborhood reflects its function and [the fictional] time period when it was developed." According to the town's fictional history, Disney Springs was settled in the mid-1800s by a cattle rancher who discovered the town's namesakesprings and the town subsequently expanded from the springs outwards.[23]
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The Marketplace houses many shops and restaurants reminiscent of theAmerican Craftsman-style of the 1930s.[23] The first restaurant in theEarl of Sandwich chain is located here. T-Rex Cafe is adinosaur-themed restaurant operated byLandry's Restaurants, which features animatronic dinosaurs. It opened on October 14, 2008. Landry's Restaurants also operatesRainforest Cafe at this location. A walkway spanning the Village Lake and connectingRainforest Cafe with theLego Store—The Marketplace Causeway—was constructed and opened in 2015.[24][25]
The Landing depicts the fictional town's transportation hub andmarina.[23] The Landing features nautical-themed restaurants and shops, including Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar—an aviation-themeddive bar based onthe character from theIndiana Jones films—and The Boathouse, which serves as the port for theamphibious automobiles that offer cruises of Lake Buena Vista.[26][23] TheAmphicar is the amphibious vehicle used for the cruises.[27] The area is also home to the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant.[28]
The Landing was in the site ofPleasure Island, a nighttime entertainment district with two comedy clubs and four dance clubs. These areas closed permanently on September 27, 2008. On November 18, 2010, Disney announced a project named Hyperion Wharf, which was planned to replace the Pleasure Island complex. Pleasure Island would have undergone extensive renovations and re-theming to transform into the early twentieth century wharf-themed entertainment area. New shopping and dining locations would have also been added.[29] In July 2011, it was announced that these plans were delayed.[30] The plans were later canceled because it was deemed better to totally overhaul the Downtown Disney area.[10] With the advent of Disney Springs, the former Pleasure Island was redesigned as The Landing in 2015.[31]
The structure originally known as theEmpress Lilly is a static full-size replica of apaddle steamerriverboat on Village Lake. It is 220 feet long and 62 feet wide. Though it resembles a paddle steamer boat, it is actually a boat-shaped building on a submerged concrete foundation.[32]
It opened on May 1, 1977, when it was christened byWalt Disney's widow,Lillian Disney, for whom it was named. It originally housed four separate entertainment and dining areas.[32] In the mid-1990s,Levy Restaurants signed a contract to operate the "ship" for 20 years.[32] On April 22, 1995, theEmpress Lilly closed. The interior was remodeled and the old smokestacks and paddlewheel were removed due to rust and rot. The restaurant opened as Fulton's Crab House on March 10, 1996.[32] Fulton's Crab House closed for major renovations in 2016 to be remodeled into a new restaurant, Paddlefish.[33] As part of the transformation, the ship received new smokestacks and a new paddlewheel.
Town Center depicts the fictional town'scentral business district, featuringSpanish Revival architecture from the 1920s.[23] The Town Center area also features the namesake "springs", which are artificial.[34][35]
The area debuted in 2016, having been built on former surface parking lots, and features many well known retailers.[36] The area will open in multiple phases, with the first phase having opened on May 15, 2017.[15][37] Retailers to have opened in the first phase of Town Center includeAnthropologie,Uniqlo (the first of its kind in the Southeastern United States),Sephora,L'Occitane en Provence,Pandora,UGG,Johnston & Murphy,ZARA andKate Spade and Trophy Room among many others.[38]
West Side depicts the town'sexposition center, having been developed in the 1950s, according to the town's fictional history.[23]
The expansion of the existingAMC Theatres Pleasure Island 24 venue opened with Downtown Disney West Side in 1997. Renovations began in late 2010, which created theaters offering enhanced food service. The complex was renamedAMC Downtown Disney 24. In 1997, there were plans to open aPlanet Movies by AMC entertainment complex at this location by combining thePlanet Hollywood restaurant with a re-branded AMC megaplex. These plans were abandoned due toPlanet Hollywood's continued financial problems. The complex has now been renamedAMC Disney Springs 24.[39]DisneyQuest was located in this area until it closed on July 2, 2017,[40] and was subsequently demolished.[41] TheNBA Experience, which was built on theDisneyQuest site, briefly operated for 7 months from August 12, 2019, through March 2020 due to closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 16, 2021, it was confirmed that the location would never reopen.[42][43][44] On February 19, 2025, it was reported that Level99, anescape room attraction, would replace the NBA Experience.[45]
The complex is very car dependent. There are 3 parking garages at Disney Springs: the Orange Garage, the Lime Garage, and the Grapefruit Garage. There are also 4 surface parking lots: the Lemon Parking Lot, the Mango Parking Lot, the Strawberry Parking Lot, and the Watermelon Parking Lot.[46] A direct exit exists from westbound Interstate 4 to Disney Springs which is directly connected to the Orange Garage. Parking is free although valet parking is available for a fee of $20.[47]
Public transport is poor with no train or any other from of rail connection. Disney Springs is served byDisney Transport buses which serve all Disney resort hotels. There is no direct bus service from Disney Springs to Disney parks. ABrightline train station was planned to be built nearby, which would have provided service to Tampa, Orlando Airport, and Miami, however, on June 28, 2022, Disney announced that the station would not be built nor would the train run on the Walt Disney World park property.[48][49]
The only public transport connections to the complex are in the form of a bus and ferry services:
A direct bus service to Disney Parks is available from the Congress Park bus stop at Saratoga Springs (located near Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs) and bus service is available from Disney Springs to the Contemporary Resort (near Magic Kingdom) and the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts (near Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios). Additionally,Lynx serves the Disney Springs with bus routes 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 306 and 312 which depart from the bus terminal on the west side of the complex adjacent to the Watermelon Parking Lot.
Ferry service is provided within Disney Springs and from Disney Springs to the Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and Port Orleans resorts.[50]
Shortly after midnight on September 15, 2025 a suspect dressed in SCUBA gear allegedly swam up to the Paddlefish restaurant at Disney Springs, tied up two employees as they were counting the evening’s cash, stole between $10,000 and $20,000, jumped back into the water and swam away. The suspect is still at large despite an image of the thief in full wetsuit, mask, goggles, and gear.[51]
In 2017, a very serious incident occurred on the 17th of March, when a large fish tank burst and flooded the T-Rex Cafe and thousands of tropical fish and other marine creatures escaped the tank.[52]
Catastrophic failures and major leaks have occurred at numerous largeacrylic tanks, including failures at theRadisson Collection Hotel in the DomAquarée complex inBerlin with itsAquaDom; the Dubai Aquarium at theDubai Mall; the Orient Shopping Center, Shanghai; the Gulfstream Casino, Hallandale Beach, Florida; at the Lotte Tower, Seoul, South Korea and at the Mazatlan, Mexico Aquarium.[53][54]
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