New attractions coming to Florida in 2025: New theme park, planetarium and more 

TAMPA, Fla. — As we look ahead to 2025, there are some promising new attractions and deals coming to Central Florida, from a brand new billion-dollar theme park to free tickets to savings at Disney’s water parks when the new year unfolds.

Busch Gardens

In August of this year fans of Scorpion took one last nostalgic ride on the oldest coaster at Busch Gardens, as it closed after 44 years. For 2025, the Tampa theme park is remaking its Jungala play zone that could have been nicknamed tweenerville for its four-acre play zone aimed at kids too old for the toddler splash pad but too young for SheiKra. But it has been closed off for some time.

In a new realm there called Wild Oasis, parents and grandparents will be able to follow kids through a multitiered climbing feature and enjoy new water play areas together in the Florida heat. They’ll also be able to ride a reimagined drop tower that promises to be much tamer than the park’s 300-foot, 60-mile-per-hour Falcon’s Fury.

The park has been setting records and making headlines for its many roller coasters, like in 2022 when the newly opened Iron Gwazi was called "America’s most terrifying new roller coaster" by the New York Post.

While this is great for adrenaline junkies, some guests with younger children are looking for tamer attractions for their kids.

This rainforest-themed realm Wild Oasis will feature a reimagined drop tower with state-of-the-art digital and sound effects, a multilevel climbing canopy, as well as a new, multispecies animal habitat.

"It’s been five years since guests last stepped foot in the tucked away realm of Treetop Trails in the Jungala area of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and we are thrilled to breathe new life into this corner of the park with the development of this realm," Stewart Clark, president of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, said in a press release.

Museum of Science and Industry

Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry is opening the second-largest planetarium in the nation this spring. The museum is transforming its former IMAX dome theater into the new digital dome theater and planetarium in a multimillion-dollar project.

The new attraction will be powered by 10 huge cutting-edge digital projectors by Christie, the global visual and audio technology company. The new 8K technology is sharper, brighter and more immersive than the old technology used inside the dome in 2017.

In addition, the former IMAX’s entire 10,000-square-foot screen has been replaced.

The current Saunders Planetarium can seat 46 guests and has a diameter of 30 feet. The new space can seat more than 300 people and has a diameter of 82 feet.

"Our eight-story-tall screen will surround you with science, with 360-degree movies and the second-largest digital dome planetarium in America," said MOSI’s CEO John Graydon Smith.

Universal’s Epic Universe

The first new Florida theme park in more than 25 years is a multibillion-dollar undertaking. Epic Universe, which opens in May next to the Orange County Convention Center, will be the largest expansion of the resort in Universal Orlando’s history.

The Chronos tower will serve as the front gate at Epic Universe, taking visitors into Celestial Park, an astronomical-themed land filled with gardens, dancing fountains and pathways, as well as the Starfall Racers dual-launch racing coaster.

Situated on 750 acres, Epic Universe includes a theme park and three hotels. It will have more than 50 attractions, entertainment experiences and retail outlets. The new lands are Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, a land of classic monsters, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, and How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk and Celestial Park.

And to make matters more difficult for visitors (and for competitor Disney World) you can’t buy a single ticket to Epic Universe. It only comes with a multiday purchase, in which just one day can be spent in the new park.

Florida Aquarium

Downtown Tampa’s Florida Aquarium is in the midst of a $45 million expansion project. It has already recently opened its MORPH’D exhibition, an immersive experience with interactive exhibits and animals that have adapted to survive.

Coming next is a redesigned second floor mezzanine with an expansive touch experience that triples the size of the current exhibit, a new tide pool water feature and an aquatic lounge for guests to relax with food and drinks.

And by 2026 the aquarium will have the only Pacific Puffin exhibit in Florida. The habitat, complete with a kelp forest and other fish species, will transport guests to a rugged coast with multiple viewing windows to enjoy these fun-to-watch birds.

That will be followed by a sea lion exhibit that will mimic the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest and bring California sea lions to the west coast of Florida for the first time. The project will also expand the Aquarium’s African penguin habitat.

Disney water parks

It’s rare to have the words "free" and "Disney World" in the same sentence, but starting Jan. 1, all registered Walt Disney World Resort guests will get free admission on check-in day to one of the resort’s two water parks. A regular one-day ticket to Disney’s Blizzard Beach or Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon is $74 for adults and $68 for children ages 3 to 9.

For comparison, a room that sleeps four adults at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort on a random day in January costs Florida residents $106.24, including fees and taxes.

The free pass must be used on the day of check-in. Resort check-in is not until 3 p.m., but guests will have access to their water park passes all day, making this a good arrival-day plan to let families relax before hitting the theme parks.