MORE Details Revealed About New Universal Theme Park Experience Coming to Texas

Universal is taking its theme park experiences beyond its existing spots in the United States.

Universal Orlando

Earlier in 2023, Universal announced that it would build a NEW theme park experience in Frisco, Texas for families, along with a year-round horror-themed experience in Las Vegas. We’ve already gotten a few details about the Texas experience, but now even MORE has been revealed.

According to Universal, the new park concept will be “set in a lush green landscape” and feature “immersive themed lands.” It will celebrate “Universal’s iconic brand of entertainment, humor, and innovation and brings to life its beloved characters and stories in ways that will wow even the youngest theme park goers.”

The experience is meant to be family-focused, specifically for younger kids. It’ll have rides, shows, a hotel, and character meet-and-greets featuring Minions and Shrek.

©Universal

But now we’ve got many more details about this space thanks to an updated traffic impact analysis that has been revealed. The preliminary submission was made in November of 2022, but updated submissions were made in January and February of 2023.

The report was prepared by Kimley-Horn and Associates for Frisco, Texas. In it, they share that the proposed theme park experience is expected to ” attract 7,500 visitors on an average day and up to 20,000 visitors on the highest day.” Considering the fact that Universal Studios Hollywood had an average of 20,000 visitors in 2015 and hit an estimated 40,000 visitors in just one day back in 2017 (according to the Los Angeles Times) you can see just how much smaller this park will be.

It appears the hotel on the property is expected to be around 600 rooms in terms of size.

Universal Studios Orlando

The plans also include a map showing the proposed site. The park will be located on the “east side of Dallas North Tollway between Panther Creek Parkway and Fields Parkway in Frisco, Texas.”

©Kimley-Horn Report

There is also another map with more details.

©Kimley-Horn Report

The second map shows the portion that would be main for the theme park and proposed hotel area, as well as spots for parking lots and where guests/staff would exit.

©Kimley-Horn Report

According to the report, the development “as proposed will be built with a theme park” and a “600-room hotel.” BUT there could also be more, the report shares that there would also be “a second gate to either more theme park space or another attraction like a water park.”

©Universal Orlando (Volcano Bay)

The report also shares an estimated look at the number of park staff and hotel staff that’ll be at the resort.

©Kimley-Horn Report

It looks like employees will have 2 main shifts and another shift for overnight security.

There also seem to be 2 main shifts for hotel employees.

While the report doesn’t explicitly discuss park hours, it does talk about “peak” traffic and arrival times. And one report shows that around 31% of guests are expected to enter at around 10AM-11AM (giving us a clue to the park’s opening time). About 22% of guests are then expected to exit between 5-6PM, though some are expected to exit around 6PM-7PM (giving us a clue as to the park’s closing time).

The report also discusses traffic patterns and when guests/staff would be expected to enter and depart the location. There are also depictions included of how visitors and staff would enter the parking areas.

Again remember this is just meant to be a traffic report and things are all subject to change. But it’s interesting to get an inside look at the plans for this new space and just what it could include. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more details and let you know what we find.