Lagoon (amusement park)
Amusement park in Farmington, Utah, U.S. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lagoon is a family owned amusement park in Farmington, Utah, located about 18 miles north of Salt Lake City. Lagoon is divided into five main areas: The Midway, containing the majority of the rides; Pioneer Village, which has several exhibits displaying pioneer buildings and artifacts; Lagoon-A-Beach, a water park; Kiddie Land, an area with several rides for small children; and X-Venture Zone, featuring more extreme rides that are upcharged. Lagoon also offers an RV park, a campground, and a walking trail outside the park that stays open all year. Every autumn, the park offers Halloween-themed shows and attractions, collectively known as Frightmares.
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| Previously known as Lake Park (1886-1906)[1] | |
  | |
| Location | Farmington, Utah, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°59′08″N 111°53′41″W |
| Opened | 1886 |
| Owner | Lagoon Corporation |
| Slogan | It's what FUN is! |
| Operating season | Late March – Last Sunday in October |
| Area | 95 acres (38 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 54 |
| Roller coasters | 11 |
| Website | www.lagoonpark.com |
Lagoon has eleven roller coasters, six of which are unique: Colossus the Fire Dragon, one of two remaining Schwarzkopf Double Looping coaster still in operation in the United States; Roller Coaster, one of the oldest coasters in the world, operating since 1921; Wicked, designed by Lagoon's engineering department and Werner Stengel in cooperation with ride manufacturer Zierer; BomBora, a family coaster designed in-house; Cannibal, built in-house with one of the world's steepest drops; and Primordial, an interactive dark ride coaster/3-D shooter game attraction inside an artificial mountain.
1886–1939
In 1886, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad built a resort called Lake Park on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. It was one of several resorts built along the lake throughout the late 1800s. In the following years, however, the lake level receded drastically until Lake Park was far from the lake, and the park closed by the end of the 1895 season.
Simon Bamberger, who was building his Salt Lake & Ogden Railroad line from Salt Lake City to Ogden, Utah, was vice president of Lake Park.[2] To increase passenger traffic on his line, he bought most of the original Lake Park buildings from the D&RGW and moved them about 3 miles (5 km) east near Farmington, Utah. The resort was named Lagoon for the small body of water located on the original forty acres (162,000 m2) of the park. The original lagoon was enlarged to 9 acres (36,000 m2) by clearing some swampland.
Lagoon opened in Farmington on July 12, 1896, and featured live music and restaurants. In 1900, guests began swimming and rowing boats in Lagoon Lake. Over time, rides were added, such as the authentic Herschell-Spillman Carousel and Cagney Miniature Railroad. In 1901, the park hosted a minor league baseball team in the Inter-Mountain League and in 1902, a team in the Utah State League.[3]
Lagoon's wooden coaster, Roller Coaster, was designed by John Miller and constructed in 1921. Its highest height is 57 feet (17 m), and it has 2,500 feet (760 m) of track. The ride lasts just under two minutes, and reaches speeds up to 45 mph (72 km/h).
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In 1927, a 1.5×106 US gal (5.7×106 L) swimming pool was built north of Lagoon Lake. It was one of the first filtered swimming pools in western North America, and was a cleaner alternative than swimming in the briny Great Salt Lake.
Lagoon's popularity grew during the 1920s and 1930s. The park's first Fun House was built in 1929, along with many other midway shows, rides, and games. During the "Big Band" era, many notable musicians played on Lagoon's stage, including Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller.
1940–1970
The park was closed for three seasons during World War II. By 1946, the park was in bad condition and on the brink of permanent closure. The Bamberger family considered razing it. However, Ranch S. Kimball and Robert E. Freed convinced the Bamberger family to lease the park to their newly formed Utah Amusement Corporation. Kimball served as president while Freed served as secretary and assistant manager. The Freed family's Lagoon Corporation later bought the resort outright from the Bamberger family in 1983.
When the Utah Amusement Corporation took over the lease of Lagoon, a Farmington town ordinance prohibited African-Americans from using the swimming pool and the ballroom. By the end of the 1940s, Robert Freed had fully opened Lagoon to the black community, and further extended this policy to the Terrace Ballroom (formerly the Rainbow Gardens) in Salt Lake City.[4]
The Freed family made several improvements, including an overhaul of the swimming pool in 1949, a rebuilt fun house, the introduction of the "Dodgem Cars" and the "Lakeshore Express" miniature railway in 1951, and a new Ferris wheel in 1953.
In November 1953, a fire damaged much of the park, including the fun house, dance pavilion, and the front portion of the Roller Coaster. The Roller Coaster was rebuilt and reopend for the 1954 season. Many rides were restored, rebuilt, or replaced, and a few new rides were added in 1955. In 1956, Mother Gooseland, Lagoon's first themed section, was opened between the Midway and the swimming pool. It featured rides only for children.
From the mid-1950s into the 1960s, Lagoon made many improvements. A showboat was added to the lake, and a new fun house was built, which featured such attractions as a multi-lane giant slide, mazes, mirrors, obstacle courses, and mystery rooms. There was also a mini-car ride added in 1960, followed by the "Space Scrambler", spook house, I.Q. Zoo, and shooting gallery in 1961. A Wild Mouse coaster opened in 1965.
On the Midway, musicians including the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Kingston Trio, and Johnny Cash performed on the bandstand throughout the 1960s. The Beach Boys made mention of the park in the song "Salt Lake City" on their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!).
The 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge Animaland Train began circling Lagoon Lake in 1967. In 1975, authentic steam locomotives built by Crown Metal Products were put into operation around the lake instead, and the railway's name was changed to the Wild Kingdom Train Zoo.
1971–1997
The Opera House Square opened in 1968 and showcased melodramas, musicals, and silent movies. In 1976, Lagoon expanded east by purchasing Pioneer Village, an old west town complete with several historic structures. The buildings were moved to Lagoon and the 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge "Pioneer Village Railroad" (featuring "Old Ironsides", a Crown Metal Products locomotive) circled the town. In addition, the "Lagoon Miniature Railroad" looped around the residential area of Pioneer Village using an original miniature gauge steam locomotive acquired in the early 1900s. A log flume ride was brought in from the defunct Pixieland Park in Oregon.[5]
In 1976, the Jet Star 2 roller coaster was added. Before Lagoon purchased it, it was an attraction at Spokane, Washington's Expo '74.[6]
Colossus the Fire Dragon came to Lagoon in 1983. It was selected by People magazine in 1984 as one of the top 10 coasters in the country. Colossus was Lagoon's first coaster to feature inversions, with a top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h). With its double inverted loops, Colossus had the most inversions of any coaster at Lagoon for 32 years until the opening of Cannibal in 2015.[7]
In the late 1980s, both the old fun house and the "Haunted Shack", a walk-through dark attraction, were closed due to escalating maintenance costs and safety concerns. The swimming pool closed after its fifth decade in 1987. This made way for the $5.5 million Lagoon-A-Beach water park, which was completed in 1989. Its construction required the closure of miniature railroad operations in Pioneer Village, as some of the supports stood in the way of the track.
1997–2009
In 1997, in a major expansion of Pioneer Village, Lagoon added Rattlesnake Rapids, a river rapids ride located in the new Rattlesnake Plaza. In 1998, Lagoon added the Maurer AG Wild Mouse coaster. This ride replaced the wooden Wild Mouse coaster that had been demolished 5 years prior. In 1999, Lagoon opened its first attraction above the height of 200-foot (61 m): The Rocket, an S&S space shot tower with two different ride towers. In 2000, Samurai, a Mondial Top Scan, was built, as well as Double Thunder Raceway. In 2001, a Monidal Top Spin, Cliffhanger, was opened. In 2002, Lagoon expanded its X-Venture Zone by adding Catapult, a reverse bungee ride. Spider, a Maurer AG steel spinning coaster, opened in 2003. In 2004, Lagoon revamped Kiddieland, giving it a garden theme and adding two new rides, Kontiki and Dragon Fly. In 2005, The Bat, an inverted coaster manufactured by Vekoma, was constructed near Lagoon-A-Beach. It is a family-friendly coaster with a minimum height requirement of 42 inches. In 2006, Lagoon expanded Kiddieland further by adding two new rides, Dinosaur Drop and Lady Bug Bop, both of which are Zierer Family Drop Towers.
On June 1, 2007, a $10 million roller coaster named Wicked opened. Wicked is a Zierer tower launch coaster, and is powered by linear synchronous motors that launch riders up a 100-foot (30 m) tower at 55 mph (89 km/h) in 2.5 seconds. It has several elements, including an Immelmann turn, a heartline roll, two half-pipe turns, and the signature "lake turn" into a final tunnel before returning to the station. Several improvements were made to the park in 2007 as well. On April 5, 2008, Lagoon opened OdySea, a Zierer "Flying Fish" ride with aquatic theming. OdySea is an interactive ride with a joystick to control the vehicle's height. Arrows blink to direct the rider to dodge jets of water from the sea creatures that attempt to soak the rider as accompanying audio tells a story.[8] On April 4, 2009, Lagoon opened "Jumping Dragon", a Zierer "Dragon Roundabout" ride.
2010–present
In 2010, Lagoon revamped their Ferris wheel, Sky Scraper. It was dismantled after the 2009 season, and reopened with a new coat of paint in April 2010. As a result of the economic crisis, Lagoon did not install a new ride that season. Instead, the park improved their entertainment division with several new shows. In 2011, Lagoon installed another family roller coaster, named BomBora.[9] The coaster was created by a group of manufacturers and Lagoon itself, and has a height of 45 feet (14 m), as well as a theme based on 1960s surfing. In 2012, Lagoon installed a ride called Air Race. In 2013, Lagoon began work on a new coaster at the site of the former Top Eliminator. Two new family rides opened for the 2013 season, Tipsey Tea Cups and Red Rock Rally, both of which were manufactured by Zamperla. In 2014, Lagoon continued work on a new coaster, building vertically throughout the entire operating season. With much of its focus on the new coaster, no new rides were added this year. Due to maintenance problems, Lagoon-A-Beach's old Rip-Curl slide was replaced with a new slide of the same name. At a press conference on September 4, 2014, Lagoon officially announced Cannibal, their new roller coaster for the 2015 season.[10] On July 2, 2015, Cannibal opened, featuring a 208-foot (63 m) elevator lift hill, a 116° beyond vertical drop, three inversions, and a top speed of 70 mph.[11] Shortly after its opening, the park began the early planning stages of Primordial. In 2016, Lagoon continued work on Cannibal, with no new rides being added. Extensive work was also done on Spider. In 2017, a mural by Sril Art was created at the park. Two new rides were added to Kiddieland: Flying Tigers and Ruka Safari. In 2018, the Roller Coaster was re-tracked. A new ride opened in Kiddieland called Engine 86 in 2020. On December 18, 2021, a fire broke out at the Carousel Candy shop. The fire rekindled that evening and subsequently destroyed the candy shop and the adjacent Scamper, a miniature bumper cars ride.[12] In 2023, Lagoon opened Primordial, a 4D interactive dark ride roller coaster, after eight years of development and construction. The attraction is located inside an artificial mountain and includes multiple ride endings.[13]
| Thrill level (out of 5)[14] |
|---|
| 1 (Children's ride) 2 (mild) 3 (moderate) 4 (high) 5 (aggressive) 6 (extreme) |
Roller coasters
Lagoon features eleven different roller coasters. The oldest, Roller Coaster, was built in 1921 and is an American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) Roller Coaster Landmark.[15]
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Design | Year opened | Description | Location | Thrill rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roller Coaster | Miller & Baker; Trains by Great Coasters International | Wooden | Sit-down | 1921 | One of the oldest roller coasters in the United States. Features an initial lift-hill and several subsequential smaller hills. Partially damaged by fire in 1953. | South Midway | 5 |
| Jet Star 2 | Schwarzkopf | Steel | Sit-down | 1974 | Spiral lift-hill followed by intense turns. Maximum elevation is 45 feet. | North Midway | 5 |
| Colossus the Fire Dragon | Schwarzkopf | Steel | Sit-down | 1983 | 87-foot lift hill with back-to-back double loop and two large helices. | South Midway | 6 |
| Puff the Little Fire Dragon | Zierer | Steel | Sit-down | 1985 | A mild coaster intended for small children with only a small drop and hill. | Kiddieland | 2 |
| Wild Mouse | Maurer AG | Steel | Sit-down | 1998 | The second Wild Mouse coaster to be located at Lagoon. Features tight turns and sharp stops. | South Midway | 5 |
| Spider | Maurer AG | Steel | Sit-down | 2003 | Originally called "The Spider and the Fly", the ride includes a large drop and tight turns. The car constantly spins while traveling on the track. | South Midway | 5 |
| The Bat | Vekoma | Steel | Inverted | 2005 | A suspended family coaster. It is the sole inverted coaster at Lagoon. | Kiddieland | 3 |
| Wicked | Zierer | Steel | Sit-down | 2007 | LSM-launched coaster with a vertical drop and a zero-G barrel roll. | South Midway | 6 |
| BomBora | ART Engineering, Lagoon | Steel | Sit-down | 2011 | A short family coaster with smooth turns and small drops. | Kiddieland | 3 |
| Cannibal | ART Engineering, Lagoon | Steel | Sit-down | 2015 | The second steepest roller coaster in the United States, with a first drop at 116 degrees down a 208 foot tower. It features several inverting elements. | North Midway | 6 |
| Primordial | ART Engineering, Lagoon | Steel | Sit-down | 2023 | Development began in 2015, and construction began in 2018, but the latter was temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction resumed in early 2021. Primordial opened towards the end of the 2023 season. It is an interactive 4D roller coaster. | North Midway | 5 |
Thrill rides
| Name | Manufacturer | Year opened | Model | Description | Location | Thrill rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Race | Zamperla | 2012 | Air Race | An airplane ride with vehicles looping sideways while circling a central point. | North Midway | 4 |
| Cliffhanger | Mondial | 2001 | Top Spin | A spinning ride that goes up in a circle and falls down several times through geyser-like water fountains. | South Midway | 5 |
| Centennial Screamer | HUSS | 1987 | Enterprise | Consists of 20 cars around a disc. As the ride begins to spin, the disc stays in a horizontal position. When speed and centrifugal forces increase, the ride is lifted to a near-vertical position as the disc continues to spin.[16] | South Midway | 5 |
| Rock-O-Plane | Eyerly Aircraft Company | 1954 | Rock-O-Plane | Similar to a Ferris wheel, but with spinning cars. | South Midway | 4 |
| Rocket | S&S Worldwide | 1999 | Drop tower | A drop tower with two different ride types: "Blast Off", a rapid vertical ascent, and "Re-Entry", a slow ascent followed by a powered drop. | North Midway | 6 |
| Samurai | Mondial | 2000 | Top Scan | Six radial arms that spin as the entire ride rotates through an oval arc in either direction.[17] | North Midway | 6 |
Dark rides
Water rides
| Name | Manufacturer | Year opened | Model | Description | Location | Thrill rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rattlesnake Rapids | Intamin | 1997 | River Rapids | A river rapids ride. Features a tunnel and waterfalls. | Pioneer Village | 4 |
Family rides
| Name | Manufacturer | Year opened | Model | Description | Location | Thrill rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boomerang | Ihle | 1977 | Bumper cars | A bumper cars ride. | North Midway | 2 |
| Flying Aces | Bisch-Rocco | 1941 | Flying Scooters | An airplane-type ride. Riders can move the front sail. | North Midway | 2 |
| Merry-Go-Round | Herschell-Spillman | 1906 | Carousel | An 1893 Armitage Herschell Company carousel; one of the oldest in the world.[18] | South Midway | 1 |
| Musik Express | Mack Rides | 1982 | Music Express | A spinning ride. | South Midway | 3 |
| Paratrooper | Hrubetz | 1966 | Paratrooper | An elevated spinning ride. | North Midway | 3 |
| Sky Scraper | Bussink | 1991 | Ferris wheel | A 150-foot Nauta-Bussink R50 wheel with spinning gondolas | North Midway | 2 |
| Sky Ride | Hopkins | 1974 | Elevated gondola ride | An elevated gondola ride that spans across the entire park. | North and South Midway | 1 |
| Space Scrambler | Eli Bridge Company | 1961 | Scrambler | A spinning ride. | North Midway | 3 |
| Tidal Wave | HUSS | 1980 | Pirate ship | A swinging ship ride. | South Midway | 3 |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | Sellner Manufacturing | 1954 | Tilt-A-Whirl | A ride that spins with separately spinning cars. | North Midway | 3 |
| Turn of the Century | Zierer | 1987 | Wave Swinger | A rotating swing ride. | South Midway | 3 |
| Wild Kingdom Train Zoo | Crown Metal Products | 1975 | Miniature railway | A train ride that goes through a tunnel and circles Lagoon Lake, passing by many animal exhibits. | South Midway | 1 |
Children's rides
All of these attractions are located in the park's Kiddieland section.
| Name | Manufacturer | Year opened | Model | Description | Thrill rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Boats | Allan Herschell | N/A | Boat ride | Small boats travel in an oval formation while surfaced on water. | 1 |
| Bulgy | Eyerly Aircraft | 1956 | Bulgy the Whale | Riders sit in small whale carts that jump up and down. | 1 |
| Dinosaur Drop | Zierer | 2006 | Jumpin' Star | A 40 foot drop tower. | 3 |
| The Dragonfly | Eli Bridge Company | 2004 | Dragonfly | A spinning ride. | 1 |
| Engine 86 | Sartori | 2020 | Carousel | A fire engine themed ride. | 2 |
| Flying Tigers | Zamperla | 2017 | Flying Tigers | An airplane ride on an oval track with tight turns. The airplanes slightly tilt on the turns. | 2 |
| Helicopters | Allan Herschell | 1963 | Helicopters | A ride meant for small children with helicopter carts that can go up and down using a joystick you control. | 2 |
| Jumping Dragon | Zierer | 2009 | Jumping Dragon | A family spinning ride with a Chinese dragon theme; rotates clockwise, then reverses direction. | 2 |
| Kontiki | Zierer | 2004 | Kontiki | A swinging and spinning ride. | 2 |
| Ladybug Bop | Zamperla | 2006 | Jumpin' Star | A 40 foot drop tower. | 3 |
| Moonraker | Zamperla | 1983 | Space Age | Spaceship carts that move in a circular formation. | 2 |
| OdySea | Zierer | 2008 | Flying Gondolas | Robotic sea creatures serve as cars that travel in a circular formation. Sea creatures squirt water at riders while riders use joystick controls to avoid the water. | 3 |
| Red Baron | Bradley & Kaye | 1984 | Red Baron | A ride similar to Helicopters. | 1 |
| Red Rock Rally | Zamperla | 2013 | Speedway | A spinning ride with Jeep carts. | 1 |
| Ruka Safari | Zamperla | 2017 | Speedway | A ride with safari jeeps that bounce while rotating in a small circle. | 2 |
| Scalawags | Mulligan | 1986 | Scalawags | A small spinning ride with animals as cars. | 2 |
| Sky Fighter | Allan Herschell | 1954 | Airplane | A small airplane ride with two-person cars. | 2 |
| Speedway Jr. | Mulligan | 1978 | Speedway Jr. | Miniature cars going around a track | 1 |
| Tipsy Tea Cups | Zamperla | 2013 | Teacups | A teacup spinning ride. | 3 |
X-Venture Zone
Each ride in the X-Venture Zone is an upcharge attraction.
| Name | Year opened | Model | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skycoaster | 1995 | Skycoaster | One of the first Skycoaster rides in the United States. The launch tower is 153 feet (47 m) tall and the main arch is 173 feet (53 m) tall. The flyers are raised up to a height of 143 feet (44 m). When they are instructed to do so, one of the flyers pulls the rip cord and then they drop rapidly, reaching speeds up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and experiencing sensations similar to skydiving. |
| Double Thunder Raceway | 2000 | Go-karts | Go-karts attraction that consists of two separate tracks: Lightning at 1,146 feet (349 m) and Thunder at 1,142 feet (348 m). Each track has 28 cars and features several sweeping turns, overpasses, 360-degree spirals, straight-aways, and camelbacks. |
| Catapult | 2002 | Catapult | Hurls two passengers at a time up to 250 feet (76 m) in the air. |
In 2012, Lagoon became the focus of animal welfare groups' protests which called for a boycott of the park, citing USDA inspection reports that suggested poor care of animals in the Wild Kingdom Train Zoo.[19] The Utah Animal Rights Coalition and PETA pointed to a range of USDA citations over a 15-year span that included insufficient living space for and unexplained deaths of animals.[20] While admitting to some problems, a Lagoon spokesman denied any abuse taking place and said veterinarians and staff regularly monitored the animals.[21]
- In 1989, six-year-old Ryan Beckstead was struck and killed on Puff the Little Fire Dragon after he fell off the ride and stood up in between the track, before being hit in the head by the oncoming train.[22]
- On August 14, 2021, a 32-year-old man fell 50 feet after dangling from the park's Sky Ride, a chairlift-like ride which transports people from one end of the amusement park to the other. The man succumbed to his injuries in the hospital the next day.[23]
The Beach Boys reference Lagoon by name in the song Salt Lake City on their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!).
- Mirror, Mirror: You and Your Self Image is a 1969 film by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Brigham Young University. The opening scenes are filmed at Lagoon.
- Lagoon was one of many parks featured in the first roller coaster documentary, America Screams in 1978.[24]
- An episode of the Werewolf TV series was filmed at Lagoon in fall of 1987, featuring scenes in and around the Dracula's Castle attraction.[25]
- Some scenes in the 1996 TV movie, Terror in the Family, were filmed at the Roller Coaster and Centennial Screamer.
- In My Sister's Shadow, a 1997 TV movie, featured a scene on the North Midway.[26]
- The Luck of the Irish, a 2001 Disney Channel original movie. A few scenes were filmed on the North Midway of Lagoon.[27] The dance festival scene was shot in front of the entrance to the Sky Scraper.
- Wieners, a movie released in 2008, had a montage featuring scenes filmed at Lagoon in 2007. The name of the park was changed in the film.[28]
- An episode of The Aquabats featured brief and edited shots of Lagoon.
- In 2015, Christmas Land was filmed in the Pioneer Village section of the park.[29]
- Season 3, episode 12 of Andi Mack featured brief and edited shots of Lagoon; including Paratrooper, Cannibal, and Sky Scraper.
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