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Ride this way: Find entertainment and fun for families of all ages at Utah’s amusement park

By Jessica Eyre | Www.Utahadventurer.Com - | Jul 29, 2011

If you have small children at home, you may think a trip to Lagoon means a day of fun just for them.

But don’t sell yourself short. Lagoon is a great place to entertain a group of kids and adults. We recently spent the day at Utah’s amusement park with my extended family. Eighteen people, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 80, we all took turns riding rides, waving from the fence line, and watching one or more of the three babies.

With all the thunderstorms we’ve had this summer, it wasn’t a surprise to find the sky cloudy on our visit. So we skipped the water park and headed straight for the Jumping Dragon, my 3-year-old son’s favorite ride. I couldn’t tell if it was more about the spinning or the fact that it was a giant dragon.

We spent most of the day in Mother Goose Land, with all the kiddie rides. The kids went from helicopters to Puff the Little Fire Dragon to the boats to the cars to the, well, you get the idea. A varying group of parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents would watch and wave as they went around in circles.

But a couple of adults were usually missing. We took turns breaking off in twos to ride Wicked, the Jet Star and the Rocket. And while we weren’t able to hit all the big rides, we got plenty of adult time in during the day.

The new ride, BomBora, is a smooth-sailing roller coaster that the 5-year-olds in our group loved. At 43 and 45 inches tall, they were able to ride without an adult, and that made the ride the favorite for them. They felt grown up as they boarded the car of the roller coaster, and really couldn’t get enough of it.

We brought coolers with a picnic lunch, and after relaxing on the grass for a while, we all headed to the Log Flume, leaving the three babies with the two grandpas. The line was long, and the air was muggy, and we weren’t sure we were going to last all the way to the front — but we did, and packed three separate logs with our group. A soaked ride later, and we were all revived and ready to hit the park again.

A ride to watch out for: Scamper, the kiddie bumper cars. If your kids are under 4 or 5, it’s entirely possible they will end up bumped up against a wall, unable to drive around. There may be tears and they turn the wheel, only to do a 360-degree turn and bump into the wall again.

Some rides that are a hit: Take advantage of the kiddie rides that allow adults to ride, too. Rides like Ladybug Bop and Dino Drop are miniature versions of the Rocket for adults. The kids in our group loved the ride, but definitely appreciated sitting next to a trusted adult. The previously mentioned Jumping Dragon allows for kids and adults, and the OdySea is a water ride that is great for Mom or Dad to put their 5-year-old right in the line of fire of a squirting fish — it’s great fun!

If you go:

Lagoon

Hours: Lagoon is open daily through Aug. 21, then on Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 29, plus Labor Day, and Friday evenings from Sept. 23-Oct. 28. Hours vary.

Prices: Range from $27.95-$43.95.

Info: (801) 451-8000, www.lagoonpark.com

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