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:
DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse (hub land)
DreamWorks’ Shrek
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants
Illumination’s Minions
Jurassic World
DreamWorks’ Trolls
DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots
No information has yet been revealed about ride or attraction counts. In the above concept art, I can spot at least 7 outdoor rides and a handful of playgrounds. Add in a few indoor rides, and you’ve got a pretty respectable count. Of course, that’s all guesswork—you should never trust concept art.
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. 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.
Kids engage in unspecified martial arts with Kung Fu Panda at Universal Studios Florida
The new Dreamworks Land at Universal Studios Florida was a hit with my kid (meanwhile, Disney will be shuttering the Boneyard and Tom Sawyer Island soon). I haven’t yet seen what Epic Universe offers, but my hopes are high.
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.
Copyright Universal Studios, Fair Use Claimed
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 soon to be 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 hope Universal is ambitious here, even if I suspect they won’t be. Ambition doesn’t usually pay off with the youngest demographic. We were just at Disneyland for three days. Zoe’s favorite rides were the Silly Symphony Swings, Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Matterhorn, and Goofy’s Sky School. Plenty of days we’ve had trouble leaving the playground at Epcot. And we will very much mourn the end of The Boneyard at Animal Kingdom. While I’d like to see Universal experiment with new attractions for young kids—concepts that could make their way to larger resorts initially—I won’t blame them for just making an amazing one-day destination for kids. Fingers crossed that they hit that mark!