Universal Parks and Resorts revealed on Jan. 11 a brand new family-focused theme park coming to Frisco in the next few years. While limited information has been released, many students like Oliver Lam (11) are curious about what’s to come. “I think Texas needs a theme park that is more designed for families that’s not entirely focused on thrills,” Lam said. “Even though thrills is what I like, I do think they need something like that.” According to Universal Parks and Resorts Corporate Communications, the park will be “more intimate and engaging for younger audiences,” unlike its locations in Flordia and California which have numerous thrill rides. Kaidi DeMerse (9), who often visits Universal Studios and Disney parks, has high expectations for the Texas version. “I’ve actually been to both [Disney World and Universal Studios],” DeMerse said. “I usually go in March around spring break, so I was surprised [about the new park] because Universal kind of reminds me of Disney World in Florida.” Because the park will be geared toward children, it will miss many aspects that draw older groups to Universal Parks. “I’m still excited, and I’ll probably still go when it opens,” Lam said. “However, I don’t think I’ll enjoy it as much as other theme parks because it’s targeted at children, so it doesn’t have the thrill rides.” Texas has other theme attractions, such as Six Flags over Texas and many large water parks throughout the state. However, Kloey Fowlks (9) thinks the new park will bring us something that those are lacking: family fun for all. “I don’t think the age targeting will affect people that go there at all,” Fowlks said. “I think it’ll be fun, and everybody will be able to go if they want to.” Frisco has set aside 97 acres for the park. That is less than ¼ the size of the Orlando location, which stands at a whopping 541 acres. For further comparison, Six Flags over Texas in Arlington is 212 acres. “I’m expecting it to be kind of like a smaller version of the actual Universal in Florida,” DeMerse said. The park will include many family-friendly attractions, shows, character meet-and-greets and a hotel. Although targeted at younger children, Lam believes older kids can have an enjoyable experience. “I’ve been to other theme parks like Disneyland in California where I used to live where they were targeted, again, mostly at children and families,” Lam said, “but I still went, and I still had a great time there.” Frisco is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, so placing a tourist hotspot there is likely to cause even more growth for the town. “There are other cool theme parks out there too that are popular,” Fowlks said, “so maybe that’ll bring attention to the people who are interested in those theme parks.” The park will also provide easier access to family-friendly experiences, which according to DeMerse, is something that Texans need. “I think [the new park] is amazing,” DeMerse said, “especially for the younger kids that don’t get to go to Disney World because of money issues.” Additional details will be released over time, but for now, kids of all ages wait in anticipation for the theme park unlike any other. “I expect this park to be just another place to go have fun and to spend time with your family,” Lam said. “It’s missing a lot of elements that I personally like about theme parks, but it does have one thing, which is incredible theming.”