a-mad

Great TR, Derek. We may have been there the same day! Were you there on Saturday the 27th? Lagoon is my home park, and this TR really did a good job showing what a fantastic, unique park we have here. Yes, it doesn't have a major, large coaster (something that local coaster enthusiasts have been hoping for for quite a long time...) but the fact that it has a Schwarzkopf looper, a classic wooden coaster, and some smaller footprint newer coasters that are still loads of fun, and pack a punch - we really don't have a lot to complain about. Wicked is one of the best "smaller" coasters I've ever ridden. Add to that a fantastic selection of flat rides, two very unique dark rides, Pioneer Village and Rattlesnake Rapids (a well-themed raft ride at the very back of the park with a "Big Thunder" type of theme), and you really have a nice little locally-run park. One thing the park does well, if you couldn't already tell from the pics, was the landscaping and theming. Even their recent additions such as Jumping Dragon, OdySea and Bombora are thoughtfully themed and well landscaped. Their use of space in the park is really quite creative. One area that Derek didn't mention was the number of kiddie rides. They have a small land just off the Midway called Mother Goose Playland which has several kiddie rides (some of which have been in operation since I was little... and I'm 42). They've extended this land to the north of the park until it meets up with some of the newer rides such as Bombora, OdySea and The Bat. It really is a large, nice collection of rides - and they are well-maintained each year. So... if you aren't already convinced you should make it to this park, hopefully you are now. For those of you who don't feel a trip is worth it, or too out of your way - there is a ton to do here outside of Lagoon. Our ski resorts, including Park City, Deer Valley and Snowbird are consistently near the top of the "best resorts" lists each year - beating out better-known resorts in Colorado and California. Park City's Alpine Coaster (which Robb and Elissa have experienced) is open year-round! They also have Alpine Slides and ziplines at most of the resorts as well. If you venture south, towards Las Vegas you can hit 2 or 3 of the most breathtaking National Parks in the world - including Bryce Canyon, Zion, or Arches (in Moab). Derek - I'm glad you found Crown Burger... it really is incredible. There are other hamburger places around the SL valley that were founded by Greek immigrants whose ancestors are still running it today (Crown Burger, Astro Burger, Apollo Burger). There is never a lack for good food here. Thanks again for the great TR, and hopefully we'll see more of you TPR'ers at the park in the future!

I appreciate Myst3Exile's post, and the related responses. I'm a first-time poster, but frequent visitor to the site as I enjoy seeing the pictures and TR's. I visit SoCal at least once a year with my wife's family, and we typically make the DLR a priority... however once every five years or so, I am able to talk my wife into taking a day off from the beach and going with my bro's-in-law to SFMM. This year will be a first for me - I'm taking my daughter. She is barely 48 inches tall (and just rode Ca. Screamin' for the first time a couple of weeks ago), but can now ride about half of the coasters at SFMM, so now I can take my daughter as my riding buddy. Man, I feel old. She's thrilled (I guess that could refer to both my wife - who really doesn't want to go... and my daughter). Anyway... I had a few questions to make my trip a good one, and wanted to run some stuff by the experts: 1) We will be in SoCal the week of July 6th, and we have some flexibility as to what day we can attend. Is there a weekday that is better than others? 2) My daughter is 48 inches with a little help from the shoes. She is an easy 48 inches with her platform-ish flip-flops and borderline with her tennis shoes. Do the ride ops require her to take off flip-flops to measure, or would she be ok with them on? I don't want to take any chances here, obviously... 3) I think we'll hit In-N-Out on our way home, but are there recommendations for lunch in the park for a reasonable, good meal? ( I know that's asking alot). My girl loves Panda Express...so that's always a fall back. 4) Our game plan follows the advice given by the above poster: Hit X2 first right at park opening, followed by Tatsu, then stay on Samarai Summit for Ninja and Superman before heading down and hitting Terminator and moving clockwise through the rest of the park. Any other strategies out there? I doubt we'll ride Deja Vu (too long... daughter can't ride)... and there may be a couple of others I'll skip based on lines, and how we're doing. 5) We'll have a couple of other cousins there that can watch my daughter while I ride the over 48" coasters... I'm assuming she can stand in line with me, then wait in the station with them while I ride, correct? Thanks for any help any of you can provide.