Can you contain your excitement over all of the theme park news we’ve been getting lately?
At Universal Orlando, Minion Land has opened with a new ride, new merch, and tons of new yellow food. Over at Disney World, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana, two new attractions coming to the parks, will be open before you know it! But did you know there are actually whole new theme parks being built as we speak? Five new parks are in the works across the country — let’s take a look at what we can expect!
Epic Universe
Let’s start with a big one — Epic Universe! This new theme park is being built near Universal Orlando and is scheduled to open in 2025.
When it debuts, we can expect to see new lands, new rides, a new hotel, and more! So far, Universal has confirmed that one of the lands we can expect is Super Nintendo World, but the other areas are still just rumors.
Some of the rumored lands include:
- Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
- Dark Universe (Universal’s Classic Monsters)
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Celestial Themed Central Hub
American Heartland Theme Park
Coming soon to Vinita, Oklahoma is the American Heartland Theme Park — a 1,000-acre resort destination that expects to attract more than 4.9 million guests per year.
This $2 billion theme park and resort has former Disney Imagineers behind it and is set to open in the fall of 2026.
We can expect to see multiple “lands” around the park, a 4-star hotel and water park, and the Three Ponies RV Park & Campground nearby.
Universal’s Texas Theme Park
Universal has another project in the works, but this one is in Texas! In early 2023, Universal announced that it would be building this new park in Frisco, Texas.
This new project is geared toward families with younger kids and it will have rides, shows, and a hotel. You’ll also be able to find character meet-and-greets tied to films and TV properties like Minions and Shrek.
The resort will be about 1/4 of the size of the parks in Orlando, more suited to families with small children. It should be a one or two-day destination.
Las Vegas Horror Experience
Universal is staying busy — they are also working on another project in Las Vegas, Nevada. The upcoming year-round horror destination will feature themed restaurants and entertainment attractions and “will bring to life Universal’s vast library of classic horror films and today’s most terrifying tales.”
This new destination will be an expansion of Vegas’ Area15 entertainment district and cover 110,000 square feet.
Universal previously shared via an Instagram post, “With a variety of unique, immersive, fantastic horror-centric experiences that surround high energy food and beverage spaces by day turned haunting bars and eateries by night, the new concept marks the first time Universal has created a permanent horror experience beyond its theme parks.”
Mattel Adventure Park
Lastly, if you went to see Barbie this summer and can’t get enough of it — you’re in luck! The new Mattel Adventure Park is coming to the VAI Resort complex in Glendale, Arizona.
The theme park’s website says that it will be “the only place where you can get behind the wheel of a lightning-fast Hot Wheels go kart, join Thomas & Friends on a treasure hunt journey and enjoy a signature pink beverage on the third story rooftop of The Barbie Beach House.”
While there is no set opening date yet, some sites have reported that the park is “supposed to” open in 2024. In the meantime, you can watch it being built on the park’s website!
So there are a lot of new theme park experiences to look forward to across the U.S. We’ll keep you up to date with all the latest news about these and current theme parks, so stay tuned to AllEars for more!
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Which of these parks are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments below!
Mattel Adventure Park,
Seems to be a different kind of adventure.