Lagoon - It's What Fun Is!
Lagoon is located about 15 minutes from Salt Lake City in Farmington, Utah. It has 5 coasters and a very nice collection of flat rides. It may not be as big as some other parks, but it can still provide a fun filled day.
It was my mom's company "Lagoon Day" which meant we got a discount on tickets, free food and drinks, and a raffle, which was a pretty good deal. The park was crowded and the temperatures were VERY hot, over 100 degrees. Shade was sometimes difficult to find, but was still present.
The park is divided into 2 different sections, The Midway and Pioneer Village. The Midway contains most of the rides and attractions, while Pioneer Village contains some great exhibits, shops, restaurants and other nifty things about the Old Times and the BEST smoked corn on the cob around. It also has some rides as well.
The ride ops at the coasters are GREAT. They really put forth an effort and make the lines fast and bearable. Most of the ride ops at the flat rides do a great job and work fast, but some don't. One of my longest waits was for the Rock-O-Planes due to the op who didn't seem to know what he was doing. Also, the ride ops on the Centennial Screamer kept talking and waving their hands everywhere rather than begin the ride. Oh, they both were male, if you were wondering ;)
Anyway, on the coasters!
-Fire Dragon:
No, not the one at IOA! Lagoon's Fire Dragon is a portable Schwarzkopf (did I spell it right?) steel looper. As I mentioned before, the ride ops were really great, and never stacked a train once, which made the wait only around 10 minutes.
Fire Dragon begins with a steep, twisted drop into 2 vertical loops with G's out the wahzoo. There are 2 helixes that follow. One thing I should mention about Fire Dragon is the INSANE headchopper effects. I duck every single time in the second helix, where the headchoppers are most apparent. Another thing I should mention is the restraints. Lap bars and nothing else!
Fire Dragon is a great coaster. It may not be as big, or as fast as some others, but it still delivers an amazing ride. Best coaster at Lagoon, right here.
-Roller Coaster
Creative name, huh? Most commonly known as "The White Roller Coaster."
Roller coaster was designed by John Miller in 1921. It's been operating ever since. It's a Double Out-And-Back that looks and feels like it will collapse at any second, but that's half the fun! It has some great airtime and lateral G's. It just keeps getting faster and faster as the ride progresses.
As on Fire Dragon, the ride ops were great. Never stacked once. Roller Coaster, while old, is still a great wooden coaster. The best, and only wooden at Lagoon.
-Wild Mouse
Another great name and original name! Installed for the '98 season, this little bugger used to scare the bejeezus out of me. Hey, I was 11, and not the coaster junkie I am today!
Like most Mice, Wild Mouse has hairpin turns taken at great speed. Gives you that "Oh-my-GOD-we're-gonna-die!" feeling. Then, some steep drops and more hairpin turns. Lagoon's Wild Mouse has a cute little "Mouse House" that the ride drops into, which provides an extra thrill... I guess.
Wild Mouse is a fun little ride. It usually doesn't have a very long line, again due to the great ride ops.
-Jet Star 2
Lagoon's second Schwarzkopf coaster. Jet Star 2 has a spiral lift and some extremely banked twists and turns. It was a lot more fun than I remembered it, and a lot more rough then I am remembered it. Not really much more to say.
As I said before, Lagoon has a great collection of flat rides, including 2 which are the only kind in the United States. I will take some more time to review some of the more unique of Lagoon's flat rides.
-Cliffhanger (Mondial Splashover)
Lagoon's New For 2001 ride. This is Mondials take on the Huss Top Spin. The most noticeable differences are there are 2 gondolas instead of 1, and no leg restraints.
I had ridden this one earlier in the season, and was not very impressed. This visit, Cliffhanger was running MUCH better. When our gondola unlocked, it performed a VERY fast and VERY surprising snap roll which was VERY disorienting. Through the whole ride cycle, 20 water jets are spraying up at you and you will get VERY wet. Overall, great ride, great fun.
-Samurai (Mondial Top Scan)
Installed for the '00 season, this was North Americas first Top Scan. There's no way I could describe this one, I could never do it justice.
This ride is absolutely amazing. Your being spun and flung in so many directions at once you can't even begin to tell where you are. It is very smooth, also. What else is there to say? EVERY park needs a Mondial Top Scan.
Lagoon is a great place. It's my homepark and always will be. I love this place. Hope you enjoyed reading! :)
*** This post was edited by Screamer on 7/1/2001. ***
