Universal Parks & Resorts says it’s bringing a family-oriented theme park and resort to North Texas and a year-round horror experience to Las Vegas.
In North Texas, Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney announced Wednesday morning that Universal Parks & Resorts plans to build a kid-themed theme park and hotel on the Dallas North Tollway that will provide family entertainment for years to come.
Specific details about the park were not released, but officials said it will offer traditional offerings such as rides, shows and food as well as meet and greet characters from Universal properties, movies and shows – such as Minions or Shrek.
A picture of the garden was shown on Wednesday morning, which included a lush border with a grand entrance opening onto a lagoon. From there, visitors can go in various directions to visit the theme areas of the park.
The park design also included a river with what appears to be a boat ride around the park.
Universal Parks & Resorts Artist’s rendering of a plan for a family-oriented resort in Frisco, released on January 11, 2023.
According to Universal Parks & Resorts Chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury, who was in Frisco for Wednesday’s announcement, the park will be unlike any other Universal Park in the world and they are “crazy excited” to bring the park to North Texas.
“We are known for creating unique innovative, interactive experiences for the whole family,” said Woodbury. “We have a collection of great attractions that appeal to young families around the world. We had the idea to bring them all together and create a destination specifically designed to appeal to families with young children. That’s what you see on this movie. now and that’s what we hope to bring to Frisco.”
The footprint is about one-quarter the size of Orlando’s parks, scaled down to be “more intimate and engaging” for younger visitors. The company said the theme park will have a completely different look, feel and scale compared to Universal’s existing parks, but will still carry the same quality as larger destinations.
Woodbury said the park is expected to be a one-day or two-day experience, and they also plan to build a 300-room themed hotel on the site.
Page Thompson, president of new projects for Universal Parks & Resorts, said Wednesday that the company purchased 97 acres on the east side of the Dallas North Tollway near Panther Creek Parkway for construction of both the park and the theme hotel.
The theme park will be built near the 2,500-acre Fields development, which includes plans for approximately 10,000 homes, PGA headquarters, a golf course and a $500 million Omni resort hotel.
Officials did not say what the park will be called or say when they plan to open the park.
INTERNATIONAL PARKS TO OPEN ALL HORROR MINISTRY
Universal Parks & Resorts also announced Wednesday that it is building a horror-themed theme park in Las Vegas that will “bring to life Universal’s vast collection of classic horror films and today’s scariest stories.”
The park will be open year-round and will be the anchor tenant in the 20-acre expansion of the Area15 entertainment district near the Las Vegas strip.
“Universal has long defined horror with its classic films featuring iconic characters such as Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and the Wolfman – and redefined modern horror and thrillers through collaborations with notable filmmakers such as Jason Blum, James Wan and Jordan Peele.” Only Universal could ignite the thrill and excitement of this genre in full-scale and 3D,” the company said in a statement.
Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts.
Universal is currently building Epic Universe, a theme park scheduled to open in the summer of 2025 as part of the Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal Parks & Resorts is owned by NBCUniversal, which also owns this station. Universal Parks & Resorts currently operates theme parks and properties around the world, including two US locations in Hollywood, California and Orlando, Florida. The company also operates parks in Osaka, Japan, Sentosa, Singapore and Beijing, China.
