Universal Parks & Resorts has revealed plans to launch two entirely new visitor attractions concepts – a family-focused theme park and resort in Texas and a year-round horror experience in Las Vegas. Described as a "one-of-a-kind theme park, unlike any other in the world", the new Texas resort will feature immersive themed lands, family-friendly attractions, interactive shows and character 'meet and greets' utilising Universal’s IP. Designed as intimate and engaging for

US wellness lifestyle brand Canyon Ranch is curating a members-only urban wellness club concept to help its guests lead healthier happier lives. The 26,000sq ft spa and fitness location will open within the US$250m (€213.4m, £183m) mixed-use development Crescent Fort Worth Development in Fort Worth, Texas. Crescent Fort Worth is being developed by Crescent Real Estate, a company owned by John Goff – the chair and owner of Canyon Ranch.

A new US$550m (€509m, £426m) African-themed water park and resort from Kalahari Resorts & Conventions is due to open in Round Rock, Texas, in November 2020. With 1.5 million sq ft (457,000sq m) of resort space, Kalahari said the resort would be its largest yet, and would also be America's largest indoor water park, at 223,000sq ft (68,000sq m). Facilities at the venue will include Tom Foolery's Adventure Park –

The Ruby City contemporary art centre, designed by British architect Sir David Adjaye, has opened in San Antonio, Texas. So-called because of the ruby red colour of its precast concrete exterior, the 14,000sq ft (1,300sq m) gallery houses more than 900 paintings, sculptures, installations and video works. Its design was inspired by the vision of the late collector and philanthropist Linda Pace and, in part, by the Spanish missions built

Morgan's Wonderland, a completely wheelchair accessible theme park in San Antonio, Texas, has announced that it is to build a new "ultra-accessible" sports complex in the city, providing 8,000sq ft (2,440sq m) of covered space for wheelchair sports. Designed by Luna Middleman Architects, the US$3m (€2.7m, £2.45m) Morgan's Wonderland Sports complex will offer fitness and competition for athletes with different abilities. Facilities will include 8,000 sq ft (745sq m) of

Car manufacturer Toyota has opened its first visitor attraction in North America – the 44,000sq ft (13,400sq m) Toyota Experience Center (TEC) at its headquarters in Plano, Texas. The company says the centre, which was planned, designed and project managed by experience designers JRA, is intended to educate visitors about Toyota's past, present and future as a mobility company. The centre features a variety of interactive exhibits and displays, all

Hyatt has opened Miraval Austin in Texas, US, the brand’s second wellness resort to open outside of its flagship property in Tucson, Arizona, US. Set on 220 acres in Texas Hill Country overlooking Lake Travis, Miraval Austin was previously the Travaasa Austin Resort, which was acquired by Miraval in December 2016, just before Hyatt acquired Miraval in January 2017. Offering 117 guestrooms and suites, a Life in Balance Spa, a

Esports Stadium Arlington, the largest video gaming stadium in North America, has opened in Texas. Designed by international architecture firm Populous and built by Shawmut Design and Construction, the new 100,000 sq ft (929 sq m) facility features eight tea rooms, a player lounge, and a competition space amplified by surround sound. The venue, which will be able to accommodate up to 2,500 people, will also utilise broadcasting technology supplied

The Arts District in El Paso, Texas is to welcome a new addition in the form of the El Paso Children’s Museum, which will sit between the El Paso Museum of History and the El Paso Museum of Art. Norway-based architectural practice Snøhetta have been selected to design the new museum, which will aim to engage children and families from El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, the American southwest, and the nearby

Officials at the San Antonio Zoo are expanding the 104-year-old visitor attraction, unveiling a US$200m (€172m, £154.3m) masterplan for the historic site. The zoo in Texas, US, has had its development plan for the next 20 years laid out by its leaders, starting with a new US$1m (€860,000, £772,000) rhino habitat, which broke ground last month. “We have been working on our master plan for over a well year now

National Football League (NFL) franchise the Dallas Cowboys has partnered with architects Perkins + Will, healthcare provider Baylor Scott & White Health and a local school district to launch a facility dedicated to community health and wellbeing. The 300,000sq ft (28,000sq m) Sports Therapy & Research complex – which opened yesterday (20 June) on the Cowboys-themed campus The Star in Frisco, Texas – is an educational opportunity for visitors as

Landscape architects West 8 have revealed their first clear-cut plans for a new 120 acre Houston Botanic Garden set to open to the Texas public in 2020. The firm have released details of ‘Botanic Beginnings’, the first phase of their 120-acre masterplan for the site, which will be developed over the next three decades on a site located a short distance outside downtown Houston. The Garden, conceived as “Houston’s next

Three international architecture firms invited to submit designs for a new children’s museum in the Mexico-US border city of El Paso, Texas, will soon learn the outcome of a public vote. Three firms are competing in the contest: the Santa Monica, California-based KoningEizenberg; Norwegian firm Snøhetta; and Mexico’s TEN Arquitectos. El Paso Community Foundation says the new children’s museum will “spark imaginations, curiosity, creativity and critical thinking through immersive, experiential

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have revealed their latest major US project – a sports and entertainment neighbourhood in Texas under a dramatic chequered roofscape. Ambitious plans for the 1.3 million sq ft (121,000sq m) East Austin District were announced today (5 December) by Austin Sports & Entertainment, founded by sports media executives Andrew Nestor and Sean Foley. Located at the home of rodeo in Austin, the new complex is described

US-based operator Omni Hotels and Resorts will invest US$150m (£114m, €129m) in the redevelopment of the Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas. Led by design-build firm The Beck Group, the work will transform the resort by adding a second hotel tower – increasing the room count from 309 to 493 rooms. All guest facilities will also be upgraded – including the addition of a new spa. The design

The Prosper Independent School District (IDS) just north of Dallas has unveiled plans for a US$48m (€41.5m, £37m) 12,000 capacity stadium and attached natatorium, set to open in 2019. According to the project's architect, Huckabee, the stadium will feature split level seating for the home-side; a two-storey press box; press, scouting and community rooms; and restaurant facilities. The turf is suitable for both competitive American football and soccer, with paved

Ground has broken on a new contemporary art museum in San Antonio, Texas, with a design by British architect Sir David Adjaye that was inspired by an artist’s dream. The modern crimson-hued building, called Ruby City, will house the Linda Pace Foundation’s growing collection of more than 800 paintings, sculptures, installations and video works by contemporary artists from around the world. Pace, who died in 2007, was an artist and

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has broken ground on a new building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, designed by Steven Holl Architects. The 165,000sq ft (15,300sq m) Nancy and Rich Kinder Building is the centrepiece of the museum’s wider US$450m (€400m, £348m) expansion, and will house 54,000sq ft (5,000sq m) of gallery space for exhibitions showcasing its collection. The building will be clad in a translucent-glass exterior, which

The architecture firm behind Minnesota Vikings’ US$1.1bn (£905.9m, €1bn) US Bank Stadium has been appointed by Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Texas Rangers to design a new ballpark. HKS will develop a design for the venue to include a retractable roof for climate control. It will also have a capacity of 42,000, down from the 50,000 spectators Texas Rangers’ can accommodate at its current Globe Life stadium, with fans

Wellness resort operator Miraval Group today announced it has acquired the 220-acre Travaasa Austin Resort in the Hill Country of Texas, which it will redevelop and expand into a 120-bedroom destination wellness resort, its first in Texas and the American South. The purchase, from a wholly owned subsidiary of Amstar Group LLC, closed today following the approval of Miraval’s development plans. The project is expected to be completed by January

A forthcoming Fairmont hotel in Austin, Texas will be filled with trees, plants and landscape design features to form an extension to a neighbouring park. San Francisco studio Warren Sheets Design have designed the interiors of the 37-storey hotel, which will include two 24ft (7m) high Heritage Oak trees and a geometric topiary garden. The close proximity of the Fairmont Austin to the city’s Palm Park inspired designer Warren Sheets

Texas Rangers – the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise – has moved a step closer to building a new US$1bn (£680.1m, €894.2m) stadium after the council agreed a financing package for the development. Arlington City Council unanimously approved a master agreement in which the funds for the stadium would be split between the team and public finance. A public vote will now be held in November to ask residents if

Canadian practice Diamond Schmitt Architects have released design details for a new arts complex in Texas inspired by the legendary 1950s pop star Buddy Holly. The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences will be located in the city of Lubbock, where the singer was born. The multi-purpose centre will be a new home for rock concerts, operas, ballets and touring Broadway shows, as well as large-scale social and

Destination Hotels is opening a 25,000sq ft (2,323sq m) indoor/outdoor spa sanctuary in June 2016 at its La Cantera Hill Country Resort, located on 550 acres just outside of San Antonio, Texas. Part of a multi-million-dollar transformation of the 498-guestroom resort, Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness will offer holistic, meditative and restorative treatments that blend indigenous Texas elements with European influences. Loma de Vida – or ‘Hill of Life’

Hong Kong-based Langham Hotels & Resorts is expanding its US presence with three new hotels in Texas, California and New Mexico. Langham Place, Wade Park will be located in Frisco, Texas and will open in early 2018 and is part of a US$1.6bn (€1.4bn, £1.1bn), 175-acre development created by Thomas Land & Development. Designed by Dallas-based 5G Studio Collaborative, the 35-storey hotel will have a sleek, modern feel and will

A masterplan drawn up by Dutch landscape architects West 8 to create a 120 acre botanic garden in Houston, Texas has received approval from the city’s mayor. Plans to create a vast public green space showcasing Houston's native plants, preserving various wildlife habitats and hosting community events have been in development since 2002, but received a major boost last year after US$5m (€4.4m, £3.5m) was successfully fundraised to move the

A facility billed as “the largest bouldering gym in the world” has opened in Austin, Texas after two years of construction. The 50,000sq ft (4,650sq m) facility, called the Austin Bouldering Project, was designed by Dylan Johnson of DJA Architects, with interiors created by local studio Lilianne Steckel and realised by general contractor LaBelle Construction. The developer was Texan company 3423 Holdings. The gym features 23,000sq ft (2,100sq m) of