Yes, Universal Is Building a New Theme Park in Texas — Here Are the 13 Rides Planned for It

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Universal is about to open a NEW theme park.

That’s right, just a year after opening the gargantuan Epic Universe, Universal is opening a brand new, slightly smaller but revolutionary in a different way theme park in Frisco, Texas! The Universal Kids Resort is scheduled to open in May of 2026, featuring a hotel as a theme park that — as the name would suggest — is aimed at families with kids!

The park will feature lands based on Gabby’s Dollhouse, Trolls, Shrek, Puss in Boots, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Despicable Me. While each land will feature shopping, dining, character interactions, and themed play areas, our focus today is on RIDES. So, what will each land have to offer in the attraction department? Let’s find out!

Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom

First up, there’s the Jellyfish Fields Jamboree, which will allow guests to “float above the coral on a current of fun” as they catch bouncing jellyfish with the one and only SpongeBob SquarePants.

The Barnacle Bus Surf allows guests to see how many Bikini Bottom sights and residents they can spot, “from Goofy Goober’s to Glovey Glove and SpongeBob’s loyal pet, Gary the Snail.”

Bobbing Barrels is a water cannon-based ride featuring Patrick and Sandy.

The final ride in the land is Mrs. Puff’s Boating School, which will allow kids and their grown-ups to “put their skills to the test and try to impress Mrs. Puff as they swerve and spin—and even go backwards—through her specially designed course.”

Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club

Bello Bay Cruise is a mini-rapids ride, which will feature Yellow and Purple Minions creating  “water-soaked chaos.”

Meanwhile, the Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby will see the Purple Minions turn a relaxing round of golf completely upside down.

Jurassic World

The headline attraction of the newest dino-themed island, Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster, will see guests ride a ranger vehicle and join the search for the missing Baby Bumpy, a curious Ankylosaur. Guests will roar through the land on this exciting roller coaster ride, zooming through “twists, turns, peaks, and valleys while keeping an eye out for an adorable little dinosaur.”

Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin is going to be a Metallbau Emmeln Flying Wheels attraction.

Finally, the Pteranodrop will offer guests the thrill of gentle drops, bounces, and dips just like a real flying with a Pteranodon!

DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots Del Mar

The Swings Over Del Mar attraction is a seated swing ride which will “spin high above the colorful kitty adoption day festivities of Del Mar with Puss in Boots, Perrito, Mama Luna and more of his adorable furry friends.”

DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp

Shrek & Fiona’s Happily Ogre After will take families through the story of how Shrek and Fiona met in a fun ride that Shrek built for their triplets, including the “heroic rescue from the dragon’s castle—with the help of the one and only Donkey—and more magical movie moments leading to Shrek and Fiona’s happily ogre after.”

DreamWorks’ TrollsFest

On Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express, you’ll twist and turn through the festival grounds on an armadillo bus ride, and then you can jump to

Hair in the Clouds will allow guests to “climb aboard for high-flying fun and awesome views of the festival grounds.”

While the Universal Kids Resort won’t feature any groundbreaking attractions in the vein of Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment or Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, the lineup is revolutionary for Universal in the sense that every attraction is — again, as the name implies — aimed at young kids, a market Universal has long been thought to sometimes ignore.

A year after Epic Universe opened, Universal is set to open ANOTHER new theme park, this time in Texas. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Universal Kids Resort as the park’s opening nears.

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Are you excited for Universal’s new venture? Let us know in the comments below.

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