Lagoon is Utah's hidden gem. It's about 20 minutes north of downtown Salt Lake City. It's the perfect way to entertain kiddos all day long. Lagoon is Utah's one and only amusement park filled with tons of rollercoasters and rides of all sizes.
I was raised relatively close to Lagoon, so I grew up going there a lot as a kid. Since then, they have added tons of new rides and shows. The newest ride is The Caninibal and it is the biggest roller coaster in the entire park. It is known for having the steepest drop of any roller coaster. (at the time it was built, at least) With more than a 90-degree drop, it's sure to get your heart pumping. On the south end of the park is the second biggest coaster, The Wicked. This coaster will quickly shoot you up and out to start the rest of the coaster. Other big coasters included the Colossus: The Fire Dragon, which includes two full circles upsidedown and, The White Roller coaster, a wooden roller coaster that'll wiggle your organs. You can expect all of these rides to have a 30 minute to 1 hour wait time if it's a busy day.
Some of my favorite rides are more of the middle-sized rides. The most popular is The Samurai, this ride will swing you around in all directions. It gets me a little seasick every time but my husband insists we have to ride it. My favorite is the Tilt-a-whirl. It's a pretty basic fair ride, but the lines are usually pretty short and it's fun to make it spin. The Spider is fairly popular, it's a smaller coaster that spins while you ride.
Smaller rides include the Tower of Terror, a slow-moving haunted house, and the bumper cars. At the center of the amusement park is the kid zone where you can find tons of rides tailored for tiny tons. If you come with kids, this will more likely be where you find most of your day. There are lots of rides here that don't require height requirements.
At the back of the park, there are historic homes built by pioneers. You can walk among them and read about some of Utah's history. It's the perfect place to go to get away from the craziness of the rest of the park. Perfect for older guests or grumpy kids. It's a peaceful area where you can grab an ice cream or a soda. Here you can also find two water rides. One is a Log ride where you end with a big drop to get a little wet. There is also the Rattle Snake Rapids, where you and eight others will ride in a large raft down a river. You are more than likely to get pretty wet on this ride, so be prepared. Also on the south end of the park, you can find the Clift Hanger, this is the last of the water rides. And you can expect to get very wet on this ride.
Some of my favorite entertainment happens right inside of Lagoon. These shows are also included with your general admission unless otherwise noted. (I've seen one show during Halloween have a cover cost) They have different shows throughout the day. Some of more for kids and some are made for everyone. Make sure to check showtimes first to plan your day. Also, try to show up 15 minutes early to get a good seat. If it's a full show, they may turn you away.
Near the entertainment is the beer garden. Here you can sit down and enjoy a beer on draft. They also have beer cheese, brawts, and other similar snacks to purchase within the bier garden. You aren't allowed to leave the beer garden with your beer, so make sure to plan to hang out for a while inside. Lagoon as a park still allows personal beers into the park. But it's still Utah so if you drink a beer expect to get dirty looks from mom's. I think they'll eventually make a rule that you can't bring in your own beer now that you can buy beer within the beer garden.
Some of the rides that are not included with your general admission are the Sky Coaster, this is a ride where they take you and one or two friends up 100 feet and drop you. I've done is before and thought it was pretty scary at first. But after the "drop" it's more just peaceful as you swing back and forth with a great view of the Rocky Mountains. The last time I checked, the Sky Coaster was $15 per person. Another ride you have to pay for is the Catapult. On this ride, you and one friend sit in a ball and get slingshot into the air. The last time I checked this ride was $20 per person. You also have to pay for the go-carts. Last time I checked this was $8 per person. Also, I do know, if you have a season pass, all of these are half off.
Season passes are 100% worth it if you plan to go to the lagoon more than three times in one summer. A season pass is usually about $100 depending on the time of the year. A single-day ticket is about $75 per person. You also have to pay for parking. A single-day pass is $15 and a season pass was $65 the last time I purchased one. Obviously, all of these prices will probably get higher with inflation and population increases, but as of 2021, these were the prices.
Food within the park is pretty basic. You can find chicken nuggets and pizza near the kid rides. On the north side of the park, you can find a Subway and an Arby's. At the back of the park, you can find a BBQ. On the south side of the park, you can find Chinese. There is also tons of fun carnival games throughout the entire park. You do have to pay to play any of these, but most are pretty easy to win a prize at.
There is also a (kinda) zoo within the park. The only way to see all of the animals is via the train ride. This has always been a weird add and most people hate it. Unless your kids are under the age of ten, you'll more likely be leaving the ride just feeling bad for the animals. Everyone is hoping Lagoon will just give the animals to a better zoo. Sooner rather than later, but we will see. Just north of the park is a campground that you can stay at while visiting the amusement park. It's mostly just an RV park. You can see the campground sites from inside of the park, so don't expect too much privacy if you plan to stay here! But it can be fun if you need a good stopping point while on a road trip.
This past year was extremely busy and I expect it to always be busy from here on out. The best times to go will definitely be on weekends or in the mornings. Expect Saturdays at 1pm to be very very busy. This past year they opened in March instead of May. If that's the case for next year, go then! There were hardly any people when we went in March. We were able to walk on every ride. Just remember to bring a jacket because it'll probably be a little cold. Lagoon-a-Beach usually opens at the end of May. The Halloween festivities, including haunted houses, start usually after Labor day. The entire park usually closes for the season right after Halloween. Also, almost all workers are high school kids, so expect it to only be open on weekends before memorial day and after labor day.
I've always loved visiting Lagoon and I hope you do too! Have you been to Lagoon before? If so, let me know in the comments what your favorite ride is. I'll make sure to make any updates when I see any changes at the park. Thanks for reading!
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