SpongeBob, Shrek and Minions are getting a new theme park this summer
Families can now book tickets and hotel stays for Universal Kids Resort ahead of its July opening.
- Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, will open on July 1.
- The park is designed specifically for families with young children.
- It features themed areas based on popular characters like Shrek and the Minions.
Universal Kids Resort will officially open its gates on July 1, and tickets and hotel packages are already on sale.
The Frisco, Texas, park is Universal’s first park designed specifically for families with young children.
It features themed areas based around Shrek, SpongeBob, Puss in Boots, Minions and more.
The 20-acre park also has a 300-room hotel on site, so families can stay close to the action.
"It’s an amazing opportunity to bring these iconic stories to life for kids and families to experience, interact with and play together," Sarah Gibbon, vice president and executive producer, Universal Creative, said in a statement in February 2025. "At each point, we considered how we could design a place especially for kids where they could explore, imagine and adventure with their families and friends."
The park is selling 1- and 2-day passes, an annual pass and customizable pass packages that include a 1.5-day pass. All room types at the hotel are also now on sale.
Prices for a single day pass start at $54.99 per person, and an annual pass that includes parking costs $164.99 per person.
While none of the park’s theme areas are unique to Universal Kids Resort, the resort's design philosophy, with its focus on young kids, will bring the characters to life in new and different ways.
What is included at Universal Kids Resort?
The park will feature seven lands that lean into popular franchises.
◾Guests will enter through the Isle of Curiosity, where they can meet Gabby from "Gabby’s Dollhouse" and join in Gabby’s Cat-Tastic Dance Party.
◾ The party continues in DreamWorks’ TrollsFest with the King Trollex Techno Dance Party and an upbeat Trolls-themed stage show. The land also features two rides, Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express and the towering Hair in the Clouds.
◾ In DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp, Shrek has built a ride retelling how he and Fiona met, called Shrek & Fiona’s Happily Ogre After. Guests are also invited into wet and dry play areas he built for their triplets, Shrek’s Swamp Rompin’ Stomp and Shrek’s Swamp Splash & Smash.
◾ In DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots Del Mar, guests can soar through the air on Swings Over Del Mar or sit back and enjoy a puppet show, Mama Luna’s Adopt a Kitty Day! This area will also feature carnival games and character appearances.
◾ Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club pits Yellow Minions against their purple counterparts. Guests get caught in the middle on the boat ride, Bello Bay Cruise, and Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby.
◾ Jurassic World Adventure Camp will feature a family coaster called Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster, a "twisting and turning" attraction called Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin, and Pteranodrop, which will offer a pteranodon's view of the park. There will also be two play areas: Jurassic World Lookout Towers and Paddock Play.
◾ Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom will boast several attractions. Guests can board a Jelly Angler on Jellyfish Fields Jamboree, tour Bikini Bottom on the Barnacle Bus, blast each other with water on Bobbing Barrels and take a spin on Mrs. Puff’s Boating School.
Additionally, the park will have multiple sensory gardens for guests who want to break away to reset or relax.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].