Why Universal Fans Will Want To Travel to Texas in 2026

Universal fans have A LOT to look forward to very soon!

Epic Universe is currently under construction in Orlando, as well as some new hotels, rounding out a huge array of accommodations to choose from when planning your vacation. But it seems that Universal has its sights set on other destinations, and that’s why we think we’ll see a HUGE rush of Universal fans flooding into Texas in 2026.

Universal has had its eye on expanding its theme parks and experiences for quite some time. Talk of Universal expanding outside of its current areas in Orlando, Hollywood, and Japan started late last year when a new kind of theme park was announced and is in its planning stages. This new park is set to be located in Frisco, Texas, and during the announcement, we didn’t learn much other than it would be a “family-friendly” theme park. With the announcement also came its official name — Universal Kid’s Resort.

We had suspicions that an announcement would be coming when we had noticed a few days prior that Universal had filed trademark applications for the name. So now that we had an official name for the new park, it left us all wondering what exactly we might find within the park — especially since Universal Orlando just rethemed its former KidZone area into what we now know as Dreamworks Land.

When Universal released concept artwork to show what they envisioned this new kid’s park to be, we were stunned! The newest designs teased “family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, unique merchandise, fun food and beverage venues, and character meet and greets.”

But we have to admit that the new concept art did look a little different than their earlier drafts of the land that were shared back in January 2023. This park is estimated to be about a 1/4 of the size of the Orlando theme parks; don’t forget, this is a park made for smaller children.

The biggest change we noticed between the artwork had to do with the center of the park. It seems that Universal may have expanded the idea of its water play area to the center rather than opting to push it out to the sides where we saw it in a land from the earlier artwork. Additionally, it seems that some of the larger Dreamworks theming may have been toned down a bit from what was originally planned.

The theme park isn’t all they’ll have here, though — you’ll need a place for you and your family to stay while you’re visiting! The resort also has plans to open a 300-room themed hotel for those looking to stay near the park.

The City of Dallas estimates that the park is expected to bring in 7,000 guests on weekdays and 14,000 on weekends. However, this number could grow since this area is already known to bring in 28,000 weekday visitors thanks to the high-rise buildings, restaurants, and retail space that surround it.

Universal is known for bringing incredible theme destinations and parks, and they estimate that families will typically spend about 1-2 days in this park to experience it all. That sounds like plenty of time when you have little ones who might need to take breaks, naps, and stick to earlier bedtime schedules.

So far, Universal seems to be sticking to its original plans to open the park in 2026. If the progress on Epic Universe is any indication to us of just how quickly they can get a full brand new theme park up and running, we’ve got confidence in them!

Stay tuned with us at All Ears for all the latest updates on Universal news, changes, and more!

BREAKING: Universal Shares FULL GUIDE to Its NEW Helios Grand Hotel

Are you already planning to visit Universal’s new theme parks? Tell us what’s on your list in the comments below!