Universal Kids Resort Reveals Seven Themed Lands

Published on Nov 18, 2025, 4:01 pm CST

8 min read

Key points

Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas will open in 2026 with seven themed lands built for families with young children
New details cover rides, shows, dining, and merchandise across areas themed to Shrek, Jurassic World, SpongeBob, Minions, Trolls, Puss in Boots, and Gabby's Dollhouse
Each land mixes gentle rides, character meet and greets, and large play areas instead of extreme thrills
A 300 room onsite hotel with bunk bed layouts and family suites will sit steps from the park
Design choices such as low signage, sensory gardens, and shaded spaces are aimed at making the park easier for young kids

Impact

Who Is Affected: Families with young children considering a theme park trip to North Texas in or after 2026
Opening Window: Universal and local officials continue to advertise a 2026 opening in Frisco, with recent reports pointing to a late spring or early summer launch
Trip Planning: Travelers can start comparing this smaller kid focused park against larger Universal Orlando or Disney trips, especially for first time theme park families
Onsite Hotel: The 300 room Universal Kids Resort Hotel will give families a walkable, early entry base, which will matter during busy school break periods
Budget And Logistics: Families will want to track ticket, parking, and package details as they are released and factor Dallas area airfare and driving times into 2026 plans

Universal Destinations & Experiences has released full details for Universal Kids Resort, a new compact theme park opening in Frisco, Texas in 2026 that is built from the ground up for younger children. The resort will feature seven themed lands tied to brands like Shrek, Jurassic World, SpongeBob SquarePants, Minions, Trolls, Puss in Boots, and Gabby's Dollhouse, plus an onsite hotel of about 300 rooms. For families, this shifts the project from early concept art to a concrete option to weigh against bigger trips to Orlando or Southern California.

Universal Kids Resort In Frisco, Texas

Universal Kids Resort is taking shape on a roughly 97 acre site in Frisco, a fast growing suburb north of Dallas. The park itself will occupy a smaller footprint than Universal's Florida and California resorts, with a 32 acre core focused on kid friendly lands, an adjacent hotel, and large surface parking fields. Universal positions this as a "first Universal park" for families with children who may find mega resorts overwhelming, with lower height requirements, shorter walking distances, and gentler ride profiles than thrill focused parks.

From opening, the resort is expected to operate as a stand alone destination rather than a multi park complex. That means visitors will likely spend a long weekend in North Texas instead of a full week hopping between parks. For out of state travelers, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL) will be the main gateways, with Frisco reachable by rental car, ride hail, or shuttle services depending on how Universal structures its transport offers.

Seven Lands Built For Younger Children

Universal has now confirmed the full lineup of seven lands and outlined headline attractions, shows, and play areas in each.

Families will enter through the Isle of Curiosity, a hub area themed around DreamWorks' Gabby's Dollhouse that acts as the gateway to the rest of the park. Here, kids can join Gabby's Cat-Tastic Dance Party, refuel with cupcakes at Cakey's Cupcakes, and shop at the flagship Universal Kids Resort Store, which pulls together merchandise from every land.

From there, paths branch into six more lands:

Shrek's Swamp lets kids ride Shrek & Fiona's Happily Ogre After, a family attraction that retells how Shrek met Fiona, then burn off energy in swamp themed play zones and a splash area. Swamp Snacks will serve items like the "Shrekzel," a Shrek shaped pretzel already seen in other Universal parks.

DreamWorks' Puss in Boots Del Mar aims at "small heroes," with Swings Over Del Mar, a flying ride above a seaside village, and Mama Luna's Adopt a Kitty Day, a puppet show style performance. Food options include Comidas y Leche, while Mercado de Perrito and Tienda de Dulces handle costumes and sweets.

DreamWorks' TrollsFest focuses heavily on music and movement. King Trollex Techno Dance Party is an indoor interactive space, while Rhonda's TrollsFest Express and the aerial Hair in the Clouds ride circle colorful festival scenery. Dedicated makeover and merch locations, such as the Troll-ify Me experience at Sparkle Shine Glitter Glow, are clearly pitched at kids who want to dress like Poppy and Branch.

Jurassic World Adventure Camp provides the park's most coaster forward experiences, centered on Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster, a Mack Rides YoungSTAR family coaster that sends riders searching for Bumpy the Ankylosaurus. Mr. DNA's Double Helix Spin and the Pteranodrop tower ride round out the lineup, while play structures, a lookout tower, and character encounters with baby dinosaurs keep non riders engaged.

Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom aims to reproduce key parts of the undersea town, with Jellyfish Fields Jamboree, Barnacle Bus, Bobbing Barrels, and Mrs. Puff's Boating School giving kids light spinning, bouncing, and water play without the intensity of big thrill rides. Goofy Goober's and Barg'N-Mart handle food and retail, and meet and greets with SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy are baked into the land's design.

Illumination's Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club is built around water based mayhem, with guests wielding water blasters in a Minion on Minion battle, taking a spin on the Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby, and riding the Bello Bay Cruise through dueling Yellow and Purple Minion antics. Food and merchandise lean into team colors, and the land mixes active spray zones with calmer viewing spots for parents.

Throughout the park, Universal emphasizes that signs are placed at child height, color palettes are tuned to be inviting rather than harsh, and nearly every land includes both dry play and water or splash elements, so families should plan for quick changes or ponchos.

Hotel Designed Around Family Stays

The Universal Kids Resort Hotel will sit just outside the park, within walking distance of the entrance. Current plans call for about 300 rooms, with layouts designed to sleep five or six guests in a single space, plus family suites with a separate bedroom and eating area.

Standard Queen, Deluxe Queen, and Signature Queen rooms will pair a queen bed with a twin over full bunk, while suites add a king bed and a queen pullout sofa next to twin bunk beds. This is a clear play for larger families and multi generation groups who often have to book two conventional hotel rooms.

On the amenities side, the hotel will feature Curiosity Café for quick service meals, a full service bar, an outdoor pool, a fitness room, and a game room. Universal is also highlighting "sensory gardens" both in the park and near the hotel, which are meant to provide quieter, shaded spaces for kids who need a reset away from noise and crowds.

Background

Universal announced its Frisco project in January 2023 as a "new concept" resort built specifically for families with children, separate from its larger Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure complexes. Since then, Frisco officials have approved infrastructure projects like Universal Parkway to handle traffic, and construction updates through 2024 and 2025 have shown coasters and facades rising across the site.

The opening window has narrowed over time. Early materials mentioned a broad 2026 date, while more recent reporting from local outlets and regional newspapers describes expectations for a launch between April and June 2026, with final timing still tied to construction progress and testing.

Analysis

For travelers, Universal Kids Resort fills a gap between local children's attractions and multi park destination trips. Families in Texas and neighboring states will be able to reach a major branded park by car in a day or less, avoiding the airfare and logistics of Orlando or Southern California, which can be a decisive factor for parents traveling with toddlers or early elementary school kids.

The land mix is also a signal. By stacking the park with Shrek, Trolls, Gabby's Dollhouse, SpongeBob, Minions, Jurassic World, and Puss in Boots, Universal is focusing almost entirely on animated properties and TV brands that already have strong recognition in preschool and grade school households. There are no big thrill coasters or horror zones here, and the heaviest ride in the lineup, Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster, is engineered as a family coaster rather than a high intensity headliner.

Families planning 2026 trips should watch for three main developments. First, the actual opening date, which will determine whether a spring break, early summer, or later trip makes sense. Second, ticket types and capacity controls, which will answer whether this park leans into dated tickets and reservations or a more traditional day ticket model. Third, package offers that combine onsite hotel stays with bundled admission, early entry, or character breakfasts, which could shift the value equation for choosing the Universal hotel over offsite Frisco properties.

Compared with a Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando vacation, Universal Kids Resort will likely feel more contained, with fewer daily steps and less decision fatigue, but also fewer after dark entertainment options. For some parents, that tradeoff will be a feature rather than a bug, especially for a first theme park trip with very young children.

Final thoughts

Universal Kids Resort is moving from renderings to reality, with seven themed lands, a purpose built family hotel, and a design language that centers kids rather than retrofits adult scale spaces. For families within driving distance of North Texas, it is shaping up to be a serious alternative to flying to Florida or California in 2026, especially for trips where the priority is gentle rides, character time, and manageable park days. As Universal locks in an opening date and releases ticket and package details, Universal Kids Resort will become easier to slot into real travel plans, and it will likely push other family destinations in the region to sharpen their own kid focused offerings.