Universal Parks & Resorts says it’s bringing a family-oriented theme park and resort hotel 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 children’s-themed theme park and hotel off the Dallas North Tollway that will provide entertainment for families. for the coming years.
Specific details about the park weren’t disclosed, but officials said it will feature traditional offerings such as rides, shows and food, while also including meet and greets with characters from the properties. , movies and shows from Universal – like Minions or Shrek.
A rendering of the park was shown Wednesday morning that included a lush border with a large entrance that opens to a lagoon. From here, guests can head in a number of directions to visit the park’s themed areas.
The park design also included a river with what appears to be a boat ride throughout the park.
Universal Parks and Resorts
An artist’s rendering showing the plan of a family compound in Frisco, released January 11, 2023.
According to Universal Parks & Resorts President and CEO Mark Woodbury, who was in Frisco for the announcement on Wednesday, the park will be unlike any other Universal park in the world and they are “extremely excited” to bring the park in North Texas.
“We are known for creating unique, innovative interactive experiences for the whole family,” said Woodbury. “We have a terrific portfolio of attractions that attract young families from all over the world. We had the idea to bring them together and create a destination specifically designed to appeal to families with young children. That’s what you see on this artwork now and that’s what we hope to bring to Frisco.”
The footprint is about a quarter the size of Orlando’s parks, scaled down to be more “intimate and engaging” for younger guests. The company said the theme park will have a completely different look, feel and scale than Universal’s existing parks, but will still offer the same quality as larger resort destinations.
Woodbury said the park should be a one- or two-day experience and they also plan to build a 300-room themed resort hotel on the property.
Page Thompson, president of new ventures 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 the theme park and hotel.
The theme park will be built near the 2,500-acre Fields development, which includes plans for about 10,000 homes, the PGA headquarters, a golf course and a $500 million Omni resort hotel.
Officials have not said what the park will be called or say when they plan to open the park.
UNIVERSAL PARKS TO OPEN A HORROR ATTRACTION ALL YEAR ROUND
Universal Parks & Resorts also announced plans on Wednesday to build a horror-themed theme park in Las Vegas that “will bring Universal’s extensive library of classic horror movies and the most terrifying tales of horror to life.” ‘today”.
The park will be open year-round and will be the anchor tenant in a 20-acre expansion of the Area15 entertainment district near the Las Vegas Strip.
“Universal has long defined the horror genre with its classic films featuring iconic characters like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and the Wolf Man – and has redefined modern horror and thriller stories through collaborations with acclaimed filmmakers such as Jason Blum, James Wan and Jordan Peele. Only Universal could deliver the thrill and excitement of this genre on a grand scale and in three dimensions,” the company said in a statement.
Credit: Universal Parks & Resorts.
Universal is currently building Epic Universe, a theme park slated 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 resort 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.