DisneyQuest was a
chain of indoor interactive
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
s in the United States operated by the
Disney Regional Entertainment
Disney Regional Entertainment was the subsidiary of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts which developed and operated unique local entertainment concepts. It previously operated the Club Disney, DisneyQuest, and ESPN Zone chain entertainment concepts ...
subsidiary of
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The DisneyQuest project was designed as a way for the Disney brand to reach populations that may not have the chance to travel to its various theme park destinations.
It was meant to target large cities and urban areas. Had the project continued, Disney would have constructed locations in many major cities in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, like
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
. However, only two locations were built; one in
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
and a much shorter-lived one in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.
History
DisneyQuest first opened on June 19, 1998, as part of a major expansion of the Downtown Disney entertainment district (today
Disney Springs
Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando.
First opened in 1975 as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, it has been expanded and rebra ...
) at Downtown Disney West Side, and was intended as the first of a larger chain of similar facilities.
The first DisneyQuest outside of a resort was opened in Chicago on June 16, 1999, with plans for more locations worldwide.
The Chicago location was in a development, North Bridge, where
ESPN Zone, a fellow Disney Regional chain, opened about a month later.
On December 9, 1998, Disney Regional announced Philadelphia as a new location as a tenant of the Pavilion at Market East project developed by Goldenberg Group on the former location of a
Gimbels Department Store.
[
The Chicago location permanently closed on September 4, 2001, after 2 years and 3 months of operating due to low visitor numbers as well as other, broader issues. While the location was generating income, it was not enough for Disney.]
After the failure of DisneyQuest Chicago, the DisneyQuest project was officially brought to an end. Construction that had begun in Philadelphia was scrapped, leaving a giant hole in its place for several years; the hole has since been filled and the space later became a parking lot. A DisneyQuest at the Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Experiences division and is home to two theme parks (Disneyland and Dis ...
in California never proceeded past the planning stage. After the closure of the Chicago location, Disney Regional Entertainment
Disney Regional Entertainment was the subsidiary of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts which developed and operated unique local entertainment concepts. It previously operated the Club Disney, DisneyQuest, and ESPN Zone chain entertainment concepts ...
turned over control of the remaining location to Walt Disney World operations.
On June 30, 2015, Disney officials announced that the Walt Disney World location would close in 2016 as part of the continued redevelopment of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. A spokesperson for the labor unions that represent Disney employees who work at DisneyQuest stated that displaced workers will be relocated to other positions. The property was set to be redeveloped into a new attraction themed to the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
after they left their previous location at Universal CityWalk. In November 2016, Disney officials announced that DisneyQuest would remain open for the remainder of the year and into 2017, with no definitive closing date. They further stated that they had no update on the status of the NBA attraction other than it was still planned for the site. On January 30, 2017, the Disney Parks announced that DisneyQuest would close after July 2, 2017, so work on the NBA Experience attraction could begin. DisneyQuest's final day of operation was on July 2, 2017, and was demolished a few months later.
Its replacement, the NBA Experience, officially opened on August 12, 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the venue closed in March 2020, and all guest actors were laid off in October the same year. On August 16, 2021, Disney announced that the venue would not reopen. On February 19, 2025, it was reported that Level99, an escape room attraction, would replace the NBA Experience.
Former attractions
Prior to final closure
All the redemption games were removed from the facility in January 2015 as a cautionary measure, in response to a state law that Disney believed made the games illegal under certain circumstances.
When DisneyQuest closed on July 2, 2017, the remaining arcade games (including the Fix-It Felix Jr. arcade games from ''Wreck-It Ralph
''Wreck-It Ralph'' is a 2012 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was directed by Rich Moore and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay by Phil Johnston (filmmaker), Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee ( ...
'') were removed, and most of them were sold or put into storage.
See also
* Six Flags Power Plant, a similar concept that opened in 1985
References
Further reading
*
{{Theme Parks of Florida
1998 establishments in Florida
1999 establishments in Illinois
2001 disestablishments in Illinois
2017 disestablishments in Florida
Amusement arcades
Amusement parks closed in 2001
Amusement parks opened in 1998
Amusement parks opened in 1999
Buildings and structures completed in 1998
Buildings and structures in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Disney Springs
Former buildings and structures in Chicago
Tourist attractions in Greater Orlando
Defunct amusement parks in Florida
Buildings and structures demolished in 2017
Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions