There’s a new theme park resort in the works, and it’s made for kids! Universal is building Universal Kids Resort in Texas, and we’re honestly really excited. Read on to learn all about this new resort, from where to when to what’s included and what we’re expecting and hoping for from this new destination. Here’s everything you need to know about Universal Kids Resort!
Basics of Universal Kids Resort
Universal announced Universal Kids Resort in 2023. At its expected May 2026 opening in Frisco, Texas, the resort will comprise one theme park and an attached hotel. As you might expect from the name, the resort is specifically aimed at younger visited. While I haven’t seen an official range published by Universal (plenty of reason for that), ages 3 to 9 seems to be the commonly understood target demographic.
Frisco, Texas is a suburb of Dallas, about a 30-minute drive from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The initial project will be 32 acres. This is a small number by American theme park standards but by no means dispositive of quality (the famed Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, for example, encompasses 20 acres and over 20 attractions).
Ground broke on the project in late 2023, and it’s scheduled to open May 2026. This isn’t an overly ambitious timeline for a resort that probably won’t have any groundbreaking technology, but until bookings are available we’re not locking this one into our calendar.
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What’s Included
Overall, Universal Kids Resort will comprise one theme park and one hotel when it opens. The theme park will have six lands and a hub land. The themes of the lands are:
Isle of Curiosity (the hub land)
DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp
DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots Del Mar
Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club
Jurassic World Adventure Camp
DreamWorks’ TrollsFest
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom
Universal has provided some basic information about the lands, but are still holding back on ride lineups. So, here’s what they’ve said will be in the lands other than rides:
Isle of Curiosity. Gabby from DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse will meet and greet, and there will be a “pawsome” dance party.
DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp. Shrek’s Swamp will host a Shrek and Fiona greeting and an onion carriage photo op. The land will host two interactive play areas—one dry and one wet: Shrek’s Swamp Rompin’ Stomp and Shrek’s Swamp Splash & Smash.
DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots Del Mar will host character greetings and carnival games.
Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club. The Minion land will have, of course, a Minion meet and greet, along with interactive play areas and “plenty of surprises.”
Jurassic World Adventure Camp will be home to a greeting with a baby dinosaur and a play area.
Dreamworks’ TrollsFest will have meet and greets and two interactive play areas—Poppy’s Playland and Trolls Critter Crawl.
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom. The SpongeBob-themed land will have a meet and greet along with two play areas—Mussel Beach (dry) and Pineapple Paradise (wet).
Universal also tell us there will be “multiple sensory gardens designed to give children and families opportunities to pause, reset, and connect. These carefully crafted spaces invite guests to explore through touch, sound, and color in calming, nature-inspired settings — creating moments of balance within a day full of play.”
Concept art shows a handful of rides—between 5 and 10, but the actual number could be more or fewer. All that said, I’m going to be cautiously optimistic about whatever the ride number is.
My most recent experiences at Universal Orlando Resort continue to confirm that Universal builds spaces for small kids quite well. The new Dreamworks Land at Universal Studios Florida was a hit with my kid, and Zoe was super disappointed to leave the Viking Training Camp at Epic Universe (meanwhile, Disney shuttered the Boneyard and Tom Sawyer Island this year).
Kids engage in unspecified martial arts with Kung Fu Panda at Universal Studios Florida
Kids need more than just rides to wait in line for—playgrounds, water features, and interactive shows are must-haves, in my mind, and Universal does those well. I’m thrilled to see them leaning into to.
The on-site hotel will have five stories and 300 rooms. It’ll sit right at the park entrance, a big convenience for families with young kids. Similar to the above, I think Universal (usually in partnership with Loews, and I’m a bit uneasy I haven’t seen them mentioned in connection with this project yet) does hotel design quite well, too. Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a favorite of mine, and I have confidence this hotel will hit the necessary marks, too.
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You can see from the above concept art that the hotel is going to match the ambiance of the resort as a whole. I think this is a win on two fronts. First, it’ll be fun for kids. Second, it’ll probably be easier on adults’ wallets. The bottom line is that at plenty of theme park resorts, hotel price correlates more strongly with appearance of quality than actual quality. People simply won’t pay high prices to stay in a box of Crayola Crayons, but slap the word “Grand” on it and call it “Victorian” and all of a sudden you can charge $1000 per night.
Commentary
Overall, I’m optimistic—Zoe will turn 6 in 2026 and I’m sure we’ll plan a quick trip to Universal Kids Resort. It’s only…8 hours from Big Bend National Park, too…
Universal is stepping outside its historical comfort zone, which is mostly teen-focused screen and thrill rides. Like I said above, though, I’ve been really impressed with Universal’s recent offerings for kids. Our family has always had a great time at Universal Orlando Resort.
Some people look at this move as “competing” in Disney’s “family friendly” arena. I’m not sure I see that. Legoland doesn’t really “compete” with Disney World. It’s a fun place, but Disney is operating multi-day vacation destinations, a single theme park won’t ever compete with that.
Remember that Walt’s own idea for Disneyland came while sitting on a bench watching his daughters ride a carousel. The idea was for a place where people of all ages could come together for themed entertainment. Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort work for multi-day trips not only because of their size, but also because they’re not just for a specific subset of guests.
By contrast, Universal Kids Resort is going to be the sort of place we go on a leisurely 3-day weekend. This will be a one-day / two-night destination. It will appeal primarily to regional guests, but it’s worth noting it’s under 4 hours flying from both New York and Los Angeles, and only a 1 or 2-hour time zone change.
This all very well may work to the resort’s benefit. In 2025, at least, travelers—particularly theme park travelers—are very concerned about price. Universal Orlando Resort is a bona fide 4-day destination with no small price tag. Disney World is already the most overwhelming vacation to plan on the planet, and the prices sometimes surprise even me. There’s a sense in which I’m looking forward to my expected trip to Universal Kids Resort more than most other upcoming theme park trips. I don’t expect much stress, and I don’t expect exorbitant prices.
Of course, I’ve never taken a long weekend trip to Legoland. So why would I go to Universal Kids Resort? Part of what Universal is hoping for here is that people recognize “those are the people who did Epic Universe!” The brand is on the upswing. More important, I think they can bring the product to match it. I’ve been to plenty of family theme parks, and Universal solidly in the top tier (with only Disney) when it comes to creating family experiences, even if they aren’t most known for that.
Two more thoughts. First, I think this is a good opportunity for Universal to build brand loyalty in young families. If you’ve got a young kid, a trip to Universal Kids Resort will maybe make more sense than a trip to Disney World. When that kid gets older, you’ll be more familiar with the Universal brand. It’s a nice pipeline, and a point that maybe deserves more consideration than the bottom of this post (but I’m not a business analyst).
Second, I’m torn on how ambitious I want Universal to be here. On the one hand, I’d like to see them experiment with new attractions for young kids—concepts that could make their way to larger resorts later. But ambition doesn’t usually pay off with the youngest demographic, and I don’t want them to let ambition be the enemy of success. In PR material, Universal says:
“We envisioned this park through the unbridled creativity of kids where infinite imagination, curiosity and free-spirited play were core to our design philosophies,” said Brian Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Universal Creative. (emphasis added)
That’s music to my ears and gets it right—kids need play, not over-engineered, theatrical experiences. If they truly believe that, then I could see them focusing on just creating a great place for kids, which would be a win.