2025 is an exciting year all round, no less so for the USA which has a plethora of incredible attractions and experiences launching this year. Whether you want to explore the culinary tradition of barbecue at a new Kansas City museum, watch top football clubs from around the globe compete in U.S. cities, head to Alaska to see a famous sled dog race, or visit Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe park you’re spoilt for choice.
“Whether you’re on a road trip exploring our spectacular landscapes and diverse history, or heading to a theme park, sports event or museum, there’s never been a better time to plan a trip to the USA,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of Brand USA, the nation’s destination marketing organization. In this article we take a look at some of the new attractions in the USA for 2025 you need to try for yourself.
New Attractions in the USA For 2025
Universal Orlando
In Orlando, Florida, the theme park capital of the world, Universal Orlando opens its new Epic Universe park May 22, doubling the park’s current size with 50 new attractions and venues offering immersive stories and thrilling rides. Epic’s five new worlds include How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk; Dark Universe, home to Dracula and Frankenstein; a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter installment called the Ministry of Magic; Celestial Park’s gardens and fountains, and fun and games at Super Nintendo World.
Walt Disney World
Nearby, Walt Disney World’s new attractions include a “Pirates of the Caribbean” – themed tavern in Adventureland; Spaceship Earth Lounge at EPCOT; a nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom with characters from “Frozen” and “Encanto,” and new shows featuring “The Little Mermaid,” “Zootopia” and Disney villains. This will also be the first full year for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a log flume water ride that replaced Splash Mountain at both Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Tiana, from “The Princess and the Frog,” is Disney’s first Black princess. The Disneyland ride is located in the newly renamed Bayou Country land, a reference to Tiana’s hometown, New Orleans, Louisiana.
To mark Disneyland’s 70th birthday, which begins May 16 and runs through the summer of 2026, the park has several new offerings. They include an after-hours “90s Nite” and an animatronic figure portraying park founder Walt Disney, which is part of an attraction called “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.” Disneyland is also reviving several past experiences, including the “Paint the Night” nighttime parade and “Wondrous Journeys” nighttime spectacular, while Disney California Adventure brings back the “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” parade.
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri, has long been known as a top destination for mouthwatering barbecue, and in March, the city opens the world’s first Museum of BBQ. The immersive experience explores food history and culture, including various styles of barbecue from Texas, North and South Carolina, and Memphis, Tennessee. Other attractions in Kansas City include the American Jazz Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas, featured on Travel + Leisure’s Best Places to Go in 2025, has loads of new attractions for the new year, including new Kimpton, InterContinental and Plaza hotels. But the city’s most unusual new lodging is located inside its zoo: The Spekboom Lodge is a luxurious retreat offering overnight stays for (human) visitors inside the new Naylor Savanna habitat for zebras, giraffes, rhinos and other animals. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s famous River Walk is getting a new immersive dining, entertainment and shopping experience called Mexico Ceaty, featuring the cuisine and culture of Mexico and San Antonio.
And remember the Alamo? It’s the historic Spanish mission that was used as a fort in the Texas war for independence from Mexico. Legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett was among 200 men who died in battle there on March 6, 1836. Today the Alamo is part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Texas. A new World Heritage Center exploring local history, art and culture opens onsite in January.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the new OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark opens in late February in the city’s Horizons District, near the First Americans Museum and Exhibit C Gallery, which focus on Native American art, history and culture. Other local attractions include the Oklahoma City National Memorial, a moving tribute to victims of a 1995 bombing, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. OKC was included on AFAR travel magazine’s list of best places to go in 2025, which also highlighted the city’s James Beard Award-winning restaurant Grey Sweater, the boutique hotel Bradford House, and the DeadCenter Film Festival.
California
California’s Yosemite National Park is getting a host of new and revamped lodging options, including the reopening of Tuolumne Meadows Campground this summer and the full reopening of Ahwahnee Hotel following earthquake-safety retrofits. New accommodations opening near the park include Outbound Yosemite, an outdoor lifestyle hotel, and Under Canvas glamping. Last year saw openings for Firefall Ranch and Wildhaven Yosemite glamping, along with Tenaya at Yosemite’s newly remodeled lodge rooms.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is looking ahead to late 2025 and early 2026 for the world’s first AI art museum, DATALAND, at the Grand LA shopping and entertainment complex; Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3-mile open-air museum celebrating LA’s Black community; and the Automated People Mover at LAX Airport, a free, 24/7 electric train debuting January 2026 that will allow visitors to access terminals, parking, rideshares and the Metro rail system.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
In May, Virginia Beach, Virginia, opens Atlantic Park, offering year-round surfing, plus surf lessons and camps, in a 2-acre lagoon using wave technology. The $350 million, 10-acre development includes upscale retail, dining and The Dome, an indoor-outdoor amphitheater. Visitors can then test their surfing skills on the real waves of the Atlantic Ocean across the street. Virginia Beach also hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships, held every year the last weekend in August. Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water music festival returns to the city April 26 – 27, right before the May premiere of Pharrell’s coming-of-age movie musical “Golden.”
As you can see, there are so many new attractions in the USA in 2025 to sink your teeth into. Whether you’re looking to get your culture fix, experience the thrills of a theme park or stay somewhere absolutely fabulous, you’ll find it.
