Disney Springs has had numerous glow-ups over the course of its 50-year history – but that history is wilder than you might expect.

Think Disney Springs has always been a laid-back shopping and dining spot? Longtime Disney World visitors know differently. A site that’s gone by many, many names over the years, Disney Springs looked very different back in 1975, and it’s changed dramatically from its rowdiest years in the 1980s and 1990s.

While Disney Springs has always been a destination for dining, shopping, and exploring entertainment outside of Disney World’s theme parks, it’s seen some surprising transformations throughout its history. From raucous adult nightclubs to unique, high-tech attractions, we’re diving into the different eras of Disney Springs – and trust us, the ways in which it’s changed will surprise you.

The First Years: Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village

The area that would eventually become Disney Springs dates back to March 22, 1975 – the opening date of Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village. 

Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village opened, with the intent of becoming a shopping mall for the larger city of Lake Buena Vista. It didn’t have obvious ties to Disney World itself (hence its more general name) – it wasn’t even part of the original plans for the resort – but it was built to serve both Disney World’s guests and the local community. 

Set on the shores of Village Lake, this shopping mall features clusters of different shops, including the Bath Parlour, Gourmet Pantry, 2Rs—Read’n & Rite’n, and Posh Pets. There wasn’t a ton of Disney merch to be found here, but visitors could stop by the It’s a Small World After All shop.

However, Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village didn’t stick around in its original incarnation for very long. After just two years of operation, the area underwent its first major re-theming.

Same Place, New Name: The Switch to Walt Disney World Village

The Empress Lily, back when it was still Fulton’s Crab House. Photo by Mike Billick

In 1977, Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village was transformed into Walt Disney World Village. This drew a much clearer connection between the shopping district and the larger Disney World Resort – and made it easy for guests to stay “on property.”

The new name also brought some new theming, giving the shops a more European-inspired look and feel. The idea? To bring a bit of boutique flair to this unique space within Disney World (and some of that iconic Disney theming).

Another big change took place when Walt Disney World Village replaced Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village: The Empress Lilly arrived. It welcomed its first guests on May 1, 1977 and offered fine dining until it became Fulton’s Crab House in 1996 (and Paddlefish in 2016).

Walt Disney World Village lasted far longer than its predecessor – nearly 20 years. And while under this particular name, some of the most exciting, rowdiest fun came to the destination that would later go by Disney Springs.

Pleasure Island Brings Adult Fun to Disney World

In 1984, then-CEO of The Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner was looking for ways to keep Disney World’s guests on property and within the “Disney bubble” during their vacations. The solution? Prevent guests from leaving to check out popular nightclubs over at Church Street Station in downtown Orlando by offering more adult-focused fun.

Pleasure Island expanded Walt Disney World Village, adding a whole host of shops, restaurants, and nightclubs along the lakefront. It drew direct inspiration from (or, to be blunt, straight up copied) Church Street Station – Pleasure Island gave guests access to all of its nightclubs for one flat admission price.

Loosely themed around the fictional Pleasure Island from Walt Disney’s 1940 animated film Pinocchio, Disney created a fresh backstory for the area. It was said to be founded by Merriweather Adam Pleasure, an industrialist and explorer who’d moved to Florida to start a sailmaking and yacht construction company from the 1920s to the 1940s. 

Merriweather Pleasure enjoyed throwing parties for his employees and friends, but after he was lost at sea, his companies failed and the island was nearly destroyed in a storm. Years later, to carry on his merrymaking spirit, a new nightclub district was established. 

Pleasure Island debuted on May 1, 1989. For years it was a hit with guests, drawing crowds at its nightclubs and offering late-night options for the 21-and-up crowd. Every night (through 2005), New Year’s Eve was celebrated with an explosive fireworks display, adding to its celebratory party atmosphere.

 But, by the early 2000s, Pleasure Island and its nightclubs were fading in popularity. The single admission price charged for access to all of the clubs ended, and entertainment within the area became accessible by guests of all ages (including teens). 

By 2008, the nightclubs had wound down and all of Pleasure Island was facing changes as entertainment options began to shutter. That year, Disney announced that the remaining nightclubs here would shutter, and on September 27, 2008 Pleasure Island celebrated New Year’s Eve one last time before closing permanently on September 28.

While initial plans suggested Pleasure Island would be reimagined into an area called Hyperion Wharf, filled with family-friendly options versus the adult-driven clubs of the past, that never came to fruition.

The Downtown Disney Years

About six years into Pleasure Island’s heyday, Walt Disney World Village underwent another big change: Disney revealed that the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island would be blended into one more cohesive district named Downtown Disney.

Once the area’s transformation was complete, Downtown Disney officially “opened” under its new name on September 7, 1997. Shortly after its debut, the district grew even bigger, adding Downtown Disney West Side, a third shopping, dining and entertainment space home to impressive offerings like La Nouba (the district’s first Cirque Du Soleil show), DisneyQuest, and a Virgin Megastore.

Downtown Disney made a name for itself and arguably made this non-theme park space even more popular with guests. It introduced World of Disney, the world’s largest Disney Store (or, as the Disney World website describes it, the largest collection of Disney merchandise). It also brought a whole host of new family-focused entertainment to the area, from the high-tech fun found in DisneyQuest to the themed dining experiences found at Rainforest Cafe and Planet Hollywood to an expanded, upgraded AMC Theatres.

Downtown Disney continued to thrive even after the closure of Pleasure Island and its nightclubs. But, just like the iterations before it, this version too ultimately saw a massive retheming and transformation just shy of its 20th anniversary.

From Downtown Disney to Disney Springs

Disney Springs illuminated at night. Photo by Laurie Sapp

In 2013, Disney announced that change was coming to its shopping, dining, and entertainment district at Disney World. Downtown Disney would undergo a transformation – its first since it officially opened under that name since 1997 – and be renamed yet again. 

Downtown Disney was being renamed Disney Springs. This update would bring other big changes, though. The area was set to almost double in size, welcome a whole host of brand-new shops and restaurants, and introduce new theming.

Disney Springs also introduced a new backstory for this mall-like district. According to Disney’s new lore, the town was settled in the mid-1800s by a cattle rancher who found the town’s namesake springs. Over time, it expanded into four neighborhoods, with each neighborhood reflecting the different (and fictional) time period during which it was developed. 

The Disney Springs name became official on September 29, 2015. However, work on the multi-year reimaging continued. As the project progressed, the area saw each of the individual neighborhoods (including the new fourth addition, Town Center) connected via new bridges and a number of transportation upgrades to make it easier for guests to walk, drive, or take Disney World transportation to Disney Springs.

Will Disney Springs Change Again?

With so many transformations and name changes over the last 50 years, Disney Springs stands on a lot of history. It’s taken on many different forms and offered quite a wide range of different options, whether that’s in the sheer number of stores and restaurants or the diverse entertainment that’s welcomed families, the 21-and-up crowd, and kids and teens.

Wondering if Disney Springs might change yet again? Based on history, odds are this shopping, dining, and entertainment district will continue to evolve as guests’ tastes change and Disney World itself continues to change. But for the time being, Disney Springs is still growing in its current form – so it’s very likely this most recent iteration will be sticking around for some time.