Universal Parks & Resorts says it’s bringing a family-focused 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 and Resorts plans to build a children’s-themed theme park and hotel off the Dallas North Tollway that will provide entertainment for families for years to come.
No specific details about the park were released, but officials said it will have traditional offerings like rides, shows, and food, while also including meet-and-greets with characters from Universal properties, movies, and shows — like Minions or Shrek.
A drawing of the garden was shown Wednesday morning that includes lush borders with a grand entrance opening onto a lake. From there, guests can head in a number of directions to visit the park’s themed areas.
The park’s design also included a river that appears to be a boat ride around the park.
Universal Parks and Resorts Artist rendering showing plan for family-focused resort in Frisco, released January 11, 2023.
According to Universal Parks and Resorts Chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury, who was in Frisco for the announcement Wednesday, the park will be unlike any other universal park in the world and they are “very excited” to bring the park to North Texas.
“We are known for creating one-of-a-kind interactive and innovative experiences for the whole family,” said Woodberry. “We have a bunch of great attractions that appeal to young families all over the world. We had the idea to bring all of those together and create a destination specifically designed to appeal to families with young children. That’s what you see in this illustration right now and that’s what we hope to bring to Frisco.” .
The space is about a quarter the size of the parks in Orlando, and has been scaled down to be more “intimate and inviting” for younger guests. The company said The park will have a completely different look, feel, and size compared to existing Universal parks but will still carry the same quality as the larger resort destinations.
Woodbury said the park is expected to be a one- or two-day experience and that they also plan to build a 300-room resort-themed hotel on the property.
Paige Thompson, president of new projects for Universal Parks & Resorts, said Wednesday that the company has purchased 97 acres on the east side of the Dallas North Tollway near the Panther Creek Parkway to build both the park and the themed hotel.
The amusement park will be built near the 2,500-acre Fields project, which includes plans for nearly 10,000 homes, a PGA headquarters, golf course, and $500 million Omni Resort hotel.
Officials did not name the park or what they will say when they plan to open the park.
World theme parks to open the horror attraction throughout the year
Universal Parks & Resorts also announced plans Wednesday to build a horror-themed theme park in Las Vegas that would “bring to life Universal’s massive library of classic horror films and today’s scariest tales.”
The park will be open year-round and will be the anchor tenant on a 20-acre expansion at District 15 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 Wolf Man – and redefined modern horror and suspense stories by collaborating with iconic filmmakers like Jason Blum, James Wan and Jordan Peele. Only Universal has It can ignite the suspense and excitement of the genre on a large scale and in three dimensions,” The company said in a statement.
Credit: Universal Parks and Resorts.
Universal is currently building Epic Universe, a theme park that is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025 as part of the Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal Parks and Resorts It is owned by NBC Universal, who also owns this station. Universal Parks & Resorts currently operates theme parks and resorts around the world including two locations in the United States in Hollywood, California and Orlando, Florida. The company also operates parks in Osaka, Japan, Sentosa, Singapore and Beijing, China.
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