Universal’s first ‘SpongeBob Squarepants’ land | Rides, concept art
Universal’s first “SpongeBob SquarePants” land opens in 2026 with rides and locations based on Nickelodeon’s flagship animated series.
The land’s official name is “Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom,” and it will open sometime in 2026 at the new Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas.
The park, first revealed in early 2023, will focus on family-friendly attractions rather than the thrill rides Universal’s other parks are known for. Besides “SpongeBob,” other lands will be based on “Minions,” “Shrek,” and other familiar franchises (see the full list of lands below).
A specific opening date for Universal Kids has not been announced other than “2026.”
Rides in Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom
Jellyfish Fields Jamboree is a hub-and-spoke flying ride in the style of Disneyland’s Dumbo attraction. Riders will sit in anglers to go jellyfishing with SpongeBob.
Barnacle Bus travels along a halfpipe while gently spinning.
In Bobbing Barrels, riders spin while blasting water at other ride vehicles.
There’s no concept art yet for the final ride in Bikini Bottom, called Mrs. Puff’s Boating School, but Universal describes the attraction this way:
Free boating lessons, for one day only! Is today the day you finally qualify for your Bikini Bottom boating license? Kids and their grown-ups will put their skills to the test and try to impress Mrs. Puff as they swerve and spin — and even go backward — through her specially designed course.
SpongeBob restaurant and shop
There are no announced plans to build a Krusty Krab restaurant in Universal’s new SpongeBob land, but Goofy Goober’s will be there. It’s SpongeBob’s favorite ice cream eatery in “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” and here at Universal Kids its menu expands with chicken sandwiches, salads, and hot dogs in addition to its “sky-high sundaes.”
The land’s gift shop will be Barg’N-Mart. In the TV series, it’s where SpongeBob goes grocery shopping, but here it’s where guests can find souvenirs.
Themed areas
Pineapple Paradise is a water play area themed after SpongeBob’s pineapple house.
Mussel Beach is a relaxation zone, though we don’t have concept art or other details for this space just yet.
The land will also have meet & greets with SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, and Squidward.
SpongeBob in other theme parks
While this is the first SpongeBob land in a Universal park, it’s not Universal’s first utilization of the franchise. SpongeBob and friends were part of the now-defunct Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast simulator ride at Universal Studios Florida, and they’ve had meet & greets in the park for years.
Beyond Universal, SpongeBob also appeared in rides and shows at various parks now under the Six Flags banner, such as Carowinds and Kings Island, back when those parks were owned by Paramount.
Meanwhile, a separate SpongeBob land without Universal opened in 2025 at The Land of Legends theme park in Türkiye, complete with the dark ride SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride, which is also open in Las Vegas.
All the lands of Universal Kids theme park
SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom is just one of seven lands within the Universal Kids theme park. The others are:
- Isle of Curiosity featuring Gabby’s Dollhouse
- Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions – Bello Bay Club
- Jurassic World Adventure Camp
- DreamWorks’ Puss In Boots Del Mar
- DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp
- DreamWorks’ TrollsFest
For an idea of the type of kid-friendly attractions and theming to expect at Universal Kids, enjoy our walk-through of DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida:
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