Planning a trip to Lagoon in Utah? My family lives 15 minutes away from this fun amusement park and we have visited many times.
Lagoon Amusement Park has been a favorite Utah destination since 1886! Today, Lagoon is still one of the best regional amusement parks in the U.S. It is large and clean and has coasters and other attractions that you won't find anywhere else.
Our most recent trip to Lagoon was in August 2021. A neighbor offered us two free tickets on Saturday morning. Our teens were excited to go, so we dropped everything and hurried to the park. We bought two more tickets and had a great end-of-summer day together.
Here are tips for getting the most from your visit.
Don't pay full price
Lagoon discounts are not too hard to find, so don't pay full price. Many local businesses and hotels sell discounted passes. Lagoon lists several deals on its website at www.lagoonpark.com/tickets/deals-packages.
Lagoon charges admission for ALL kids and seniors who will ride. This price is less expensive than most discount passes. Children under age 2 can enter the park for free and individual ride tickets may be purchased if parents just want to buy one or two rides for their youngest children.
A season pass will pay for itself in 2-3 visits. Black Friday is an especially good time to buy, when season passes are about $99 each. Don't forget to buy a season parking pass too!
We bought season passes for Christmas one year, and it was a gift that we used over and over from spring through Halloween. A season pass makes it easy to just go for a few hours, send teens with friends, and make the most of Frightmares in October.
Related: 100 Fun Things to Do in Salt Lake City
Pack a picnic
Lagoon has hundreds of picnic tables and numerous grassy areas in the back of the park. Officially, Lagoon encourages guests to leave their food in cars until mealtime, but we always bring ours in as soon as we arrive. We don't leave anything of value unattended, and we've never had a problem.
I recommend bringing a big cooler and a large blanket. We finally switched to a cooler with wheels and a telescoping handle last year, and it is so much better than carrying a heavy cooler through the park! The cooler in the photo is not the one we use, but it's similar and available on Amazon.com.
Our favorite picnic lawn behind Bombora is shady and just far enough from the rides for a mid-day nap.
Dress for water rides
Summer temperatures can reach triple digits in Utah and Lagoon has several water rides and a splash pad where visitors can cool off. Wear clothes that will dry quickly. Avoid denim or anything see-through. You may be completely soaked on Rattlesnake Rapids.
Water rides are popular in the summer, so consider riding them early in the day. Bring Ziploc bags to keep your phones and tickets from getting drenched.
Related: 25 Free Things to Do in Salt Lake City
Pack Light
Avoid carrying purses or backpacks with you onto coasters like Wicked, Spider, Colossus, and even the family-friendly Bombora. Bags are not allowed on these rides.
Lockers are available at these rides, and they are free for up to one hour.
You can carry a small neck wallet or fanny pack onto all the rides, but make sure it's secure and will not get in the way of safety restraints.
One time, I wore my neck wallet under my shirt on Wicked. The first vertical hill lifted it into the air and out of my reach. I eventually got my bag back through Lost and Found, but my phone was destroyed. When in doubt, use the lockers.
Go on a weekday
Save yourself a lot of time in line and plan your Lagoon Day for a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Lagoon has no Fastpass or Skip-the-Line options, so it pays to arrive early and pick days with lighter crowds if you don't want to wait long for Cannibal and other popular rides.
Cannibal and Wicked have single rider lines, which are great for families with older kids who prefer to ride fast than ride together.
Related: Can You Swim in the Great Salt Lake?
Arrive early
Lagoon opens at 11:00 AM every day except Saturday. That's hardly the crack of dawn, but lines will be shortest during the first hour. We always aim to be standing at the front gates at 10:30 AM.
Save Lagoon-A-Beach for another day
We visit Lagoon nearly every year, but my kids still haven't done Lagoon-A-Beach, the water park inside the amusement park. The amusement park has enough attractions to fill our day without packing swimsuits and towels.
If Lagoon-a-Beach is your top priority, go there first and have a great time! Bring a change of clothes and enjoy the amusement park in the afternoon or evening.
Get in line for these rides first
These are the popular rides at Lagoon. Visit them early in the day to avoid long lines:
North End: Cannibal, The Rocket
South End: Wicked, Spider
Pioneer Village: Rattlesnake Rapids, Log Flume
Family Rides: Bombora, Dinosaur Drop/Ladybug Bop, Odysea, The Bat
Related: Tips for Visiting Rush Funplex
Stroll through Pioneer Village
Pioneer Village is a reconstruction of a typical 19th-century frontier town. It has 42 buildings filled with period furnishings and one of the best collections of small guns in the United States.
The home of my 3rd great-grandfather, Erastus Bingham, has been relocated to Pioneer Village, so it's fun to wander through this quiet section of Lagoon and show my kids a piece of our family history.
See a show
Lagoon offers high-quality, family-friendly shows on most days. We are usually ready for a break in the afternoon and watching a show in the shade with an icy soda is a pleasant way to spend half an hour.
Where to stay
Lagoon has an onsite campground. If that's not your thing, look for hotels in Farmington, Layton, Bountiful, or Salt Lake City.
The closest hotels are the Hampton Inn or Hyatt Place in Farmington. Both are on the free UTA shuttle line between Farmington Station and Lagoon.
Hampton Inn is closest to Lagoon. But Hyatt Place is located at Station Park, an entertainment district filled with shopping, dining, and a movie theatre.
Click the button to check prices and availability of local hotels on TripAdvisor.com.
Conclusion
Lagoon has fun attractions and local flavor that can't be found anywhere else. Be sure to:
- Look for discount tickets
- Pack a cooler
- Arrive early
to make the most of your day. Lagoon is a fun tradition for my family and I hope that your family will make great memories here too.
Good to Know
Where: Just east of Interstate 15 in Farmington, Utah. You can drive your own car or take a shuttle from Frontrunner.
When: Lagoon is open during warm weather months, from about Easter through Halloween.
How Much: $69 for adults. Check current pricing and details at www.lagoonpark.com/tickets.
How Long: One full day. Lagoon does not sell multi-day passes.
Amenities: Lagoon sells a variety of counter service meals and snacks throughout the park, including Subway and Arby's. Picnic areas and group spaces are abundant. Classic midway games can be found all over the park as well.
Website: www.lagoonpark.com
Photo credit: Featured photos courtesy of Lagoon.
jana
Never thought of a ziploc bag for R.R. Great “tip”.
Misty
Thanks for all your tips, this is great. We are thinking of going on 7/30, am I crazy? A few friends in the area said it is WAY too HOT!!
Allison
Thank you! July 30 will probably be crazy hot. However, it’s also a weekday. Between that and the heat, it may keep the crowds down. We visited Lagoon from open to close one day last week when it was nearly 100 degrees F, and it was OK. For most of the day, we enjoyed short lines on every ride.
I recommend that you bring a cooler full of drinks and snacks. Maybe a blanket or camp chairs too. Park it in a shady spot in the back of the park where you can rest and cool down when needed. Wear clothing that can get wet and take advantage of Rattlesnake Rapids, Log Flume, Cliffhanger, and the splash pad early and often. You could spend part of the day at Lagoon-a-Beach. Finally, you can get a tall cup of ice water from any food stand at Lagoon for 25 cents. If you plan it right, it’s not too tough to beat the heat at Lagoon.
Randi
Hello, We are coming this weekend, do we need to bring life jackets for some of my grandchildren???
Thank you 😊
Allison
Hi! If you would like your kids to wear life jackets, I would definitely bring them. You can also bring your own tubes for the lazy river if you would prefer not to rent them.
LagoonIsFun.com (@lagoonisfun)
Great article and awesome advice! Just wanted to make a correction. You have the North and South ends of the park mixed up. Wicked, Spider, and Colossus are on the South, while Air Race and The Rocket are on the North. 🙂
Allison
You’re right! Sometimes I get my right and left mixed up too. Thanks for the correction! I have fixed this information in the article.
Jessica
Great tips! Looks like a fun park!
Steve
This looks like a great park for my family. Lots of big attractions for my two daredevils, and plenty to do for the one who hates motion of any kind. Seems like a perfect way for us to spend a day in Utah.
Sherri
Can you bring a medium sized cloth wagon with wheels in the park? Is there a stroller to rent there?
Allison
Yes, you can bring a wagon to Lagoon. Stroller rentals are also available just inside the front gate.
Heather
Could you tell me where you usually set up your picnic area? We’re looking to see where the best ‘home base’ would be for three separate families going together. Thanks!
Allison
Hi Heather. There are lots of good picnic spaces and pavilions. We always put our blankets down on a grassy area behind Bombora, immediately south of the bathrooms. It’s shady and central, with easy access to Kiddie Land and Pioneer Village. Now that I’ve shared, hopefully it will still be there next time we go! 😉
Jon
Thanks for the information! I did a search for reviews and tips for this park and this was by far the most helpful.
Allison
Thank you so much for your comment! My goal is to share helpful information and this makes my day. 🙂
Jen
Knowing when these posts are written would be helpful too, to see whether this is current/relevant info! Thanks for the tips!
Allison
Hi Jen. The date usually appears below the title, but sometimes loads after the text. If it’s not showing up, please send me an email at allison@tipsforfamilytrips.com with details. I agree that it’s important information.
Ben
Thanks for these great tips. I worked at Lagoon twenty years ago and now live on the East Coast. I am taking my family there for the first time this Summer and these tips were great reminders of what to expect.
Allison
Thanks Ben! I hope your family has a great time at Lagoon this summer and that you enjoy all the updates since you worked there. We have season passes this year, so perhaps we will be there too!
Carolyn
So I was wondering what you can do that is on the ground I am afraid of heights and roller coasters but I am going soon
Allison
Do you still like rides? Tilt-a-Whirl is a classic, and still one of my favorite rides. There are a couple more grounded rides nearby. Rattlesnake Rapids is a popular raft ride with no heights. There are a few family rides that welcome all ages that you may find fun. You’ll find the spinning dragon ride in the center of the park. A teacup ride like the one at Disneyland is nearby. There are shows near the Carousel that I enjoy. If you bring your swimsuit, you can go to Lagoon-A-Beach and spend the day in the lazy river. You can also spend time exploring the shaded quiet of Pioneer Village. Hope that helps, and that you have a great time!
Maria Salt Lake City
This makes me miss SLC so much! My husband and I recently moved from Utah to Wisconsin, and this post brought me back to all the wonderful things Salt Lake has to offer! Beautiful piece <3
Allison
Thank you! I’m sure that you’ll find lots about Wisconsin to love, but SLC is certainly a great place to live and visit. I hope you’ll come back and visit soon. 🙂
Elizabeth Higgins
Thanks for this informative post, Allison! My friends are planning to visit us within a month’s time and I wanted to take them to someplace new. I have not been to the Lagoon yet so this will be a wonderful experience for all of us.
Heidi Thornley
Are we crazy to go over fall break? We’re thinking Thursday oct 18th.
Allison
Hi! That is a good question. I haven’t visited Lagoon during fall break, but if you plan for crowds, you can still have a great time. I suspect that Thursday will be less crowded than Friday or Saturday. I recommend that you arrive 20-30 minutes before opening time so that you can be among the first on your favorite popular rides before crowds get heavy. The park will be open late that night, and that might be a good time to plan your rides as well. Many visitors may head home early or fill Lagoon’s haunted attractions later in the evening.
Quin
Hi Allison, helpful article, thanks for posting. We’re thinking of going tonight, family of 6. Mom, Dad and four kids ages 9-17. As far as I can tell, the admission price for tonight, Friday night 5pm – 11pm is the same as a Saturday admission price, 11am – 11pm. Is 6 hours enough to see and ride everything? Or do you recommend a Saturday? I’m surprised the price for Friday wouldn’t be discounted at least a little below the Saturday prive given they’re only allowing you access to the park 1/2 day. Saturdays are tough for us with kids in football and cheer.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Allison
Hi! Whether a few hours is enough depends on how much you enjoy all the rides, in addition to the special Frightmares activities. There is certainly enough there to keep a family busy for a full day. However, if the price doesn’t put you off and you are OK with not having time to ride everything, you can definitely have a lot of fun in 6 hours.
On a Friday night in September, you may enjoy lighter crowds, plus the great weather. I can’t say for sure, because we haven’t tried it yet. We have season passes this year, and busy schedules complicate our weekends too!
talia skinner
hi thanks for the tips but i would like to know what would you say is the best time of year to visit cuz i’m debating going august 7th or around then but another time would be sometime in end of September/some time in October because i know they have the fright stuff but i don’t know if it will be too cold to really enjoy as much as august. please help!
Allison
Hi Talia. In my opinion, a summer weekday is the best time to go because crowds will be lighter, hours will be long, and everything will be open. Weekends in September might be less crowded and have better weather than weekends in October or August. The Halloween stuff can be really fun if you like haunted houses in addition to the rides. If you need to go on a Saturday, I think you can have fun in August, September or October. Just check the weather and park hours in advance to get the most for your money. Arrive before the park opens in the morning to enjoy the shorter lines.
Linzee Dunlop
do they still have the bounce back offer
Allison
I’m not sure that Bounce Back is still a thing. I didn’t see it when we were there last summer and I don’t see a reference to it on the official website. In the meantime, here’s the official Lagoon deals page: http://www.lagoonpark.com/tickets/deals-packages/ Lagoon opens on weekends next week and spring is a great time to go!