   downtown disney, originally the lake buena vista shopping village, is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the walt disney world resort in bay lake, florida, near orlando, florida opened on march 22, 1975. it is open to the public, requires no admission fee, and offers complimentary parking and transportation to all disney-operated walt disney world resorts. notable tenants include cirque du soleil's la nouba, disney quest, the house of blues, planet hollywood, the lego imagination center, world of disney, the art of disney, amc downtown disney 24 with dine-in theatres, and rainforest cafe. construction began in april 2013 on disney springs, a complete remake of the section, which will be completed by 2016. ==history== the lake buena vista shopping village opened on march 22, 1975, as a shopping complex intended to serve the planned residences within the walt disney world property. as the residential units evolved into more resort hotel space, the complex became more focused as a shopping destination for all walt disney world visitors, and was renamed walt disney world village in 1977. with the advent of new management under michael eisner in 1984, disney began looking for ways to keep vacationers on walt disney world property longer, and entice them with offerings to prevent them from leaving for entertainment beyond disney's borders. to compete with the popular church street station clubs in downtown orlando, the addition of pleasure island was announced on july 21, 1986, featuring adult nightclubs showcasing disney's quality and creativity. construction began the following august and was opened on may 1, 1989, the same 
1975_establishments_in_Florida Buildings_and_structures_in_Lake_Buena_Vista,_Florida Visitor_attractions_in_Greater_Orlando Walt_Disney_Parks_and_Resorts Walt_Disney_World