Editor’s Note: In our Family Favorites balloting, readers vote for the businesses and organizations that go the extra mile to provide great services to families. Our Family Favorites results issue is due out the first week of July, but we’re highlighting category winners in articles throughout the summer. Watch for more Family Favorites winners!

It’s arguable that there is no business more universally equated with fun and entertainment in the state of Utah than Lagoon. It’s no surprise, then that Lagoon has been voted as the 2016 Favorite Outdoor Adventure by our readers. After all, “It’s what fun is!”

“We’re delighted that the readers of Utah Family Magazine love Lagoon!” states Adam Leishman, Lagoon Advertising Manager.

If you’ve been living your full life under a rock, or if you’re a recent transplant to the Beehive State, Lagoon is a traditional American amusement park with rides, games, food, and live entertainment. There are roller coasters for the adventurous, and gentle rides for the little ones just starting out. Lagoon also includes Pioneer Village, a pioneer heritage museum with authentic buildings and artifacts.

Lagoon’s winning formula for families is family-generated. “Lagoon is the largest family-owned amusement park in America,” states Leishman.

The fun at Lagoon goes way back, too! In fact, Lagoon is celebrating it’s 130th anniversary in 2016.

“Lagoon started as a bathing resort, called Lake Park, on the shores of The Great Salt Lake in 1886. The park moved to its current location in 1896 and the name became Lagoon in honor of the body of water that lay on the property,” says Leishman. He adds, “Lagoon has hosted some of the biggest names in music; Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Beach Boys, and The Doors, to name a few.”

Lagoon offers up fun for all ages, whether it’s rides for the young and young at heart, or family musical and stage performaces that the grandparents especially appreciate. It’s easy to see why the fabled theme park has finished at or near the top of the Outdoor Adventure category every year!

Favorite Outdoor Adventure

1st Place: Lagoon Amusement Park
2nd Place: Boondocks
3rd Place: Hogle Zoo
4th Place: Snowbird
5th Place: (tie) Red Butte Garden and Utah Olympic Park