A Hot Time to Get Soaked

By Jessica McFadden
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, July 25, 2008

Swimming pools are tons of fun in summer -- for kids. For parents and caregivers, pools can be nerve-racking play destinations. Whether supervising an unsteady toddler in a baby pool or keeping track of big kids in the crowd of identically clad swimmers, relaxation is probably not the adult chaperone's dominant feeling at the neighborhood pool.

Thank goodness for spray parks.

A "sprayground" is a play area of fountains, jet streams and a variety of sprays that allow children to cool down in a safe, fun environment. Water is drained away before it can accumulate, reducing drowning hazards and parental panic attacks. Meanwhile, parents and caregivers can supervise play in (relatively) dry clothes and while seated on the sidelines.

The following parks throughout the area offer an array of interactive water features for local families to enjoy. All are free unless otherwise indicated.

The District

Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center Spray Park

501 Riggs Rd. NE

Open: Through Aug. 15. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday.

Riggs-LaSalle offers kids in Northeast a new facility in which to cool off. Open for the first time this summer, Riggs-LaSalle Spray Park is part of the $9.8 million state-of-the-art recreation center and is free to all. The environmentally conscious design operates all fountains on timers so water is conserved. With spray structures in a variety of intensities, the park is fun for toddlers through teens. Riggs-LaSalle is wheelchair accessible.

Friendship Park (a.k.a. "Turtle Park")

45th Street and Van Ness Avenue NW

Open: Through Labor Day, dawn to dusk.

Friendship Park in Tenleytown is affectionately called "Turtle Park" by locals, thanks to the turtle statues that grace the giant sandbox. Next to the shaded and enclosed playground is the sprayground. The sprayground is fenced, filled with communal water toys and ideal for toddlers and preschoolers. The water pressure is gentle, making the sprayground basically a big water table for little ones' enjoyment. Benches and picnic tables provide parents and caregivers spots to relax while the kids frolic.

"I bring my 3-year-old here four to five times a week. He loves it here. Turtle Park has a definite neighborhood feel," says Tenleytown father of three Neil Myer, 54.

Virginia

Hayes Park Sprayground

1516 N. Lincoln St., Arlington

Open: Through Labor Day, daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hours of operation might vary on holidays.

Hayes Park Sprayground and Lyon Village Park Sprayground in North Arlington are a hit with kids and parents alike. Hayes is the larger of the two and is partially covered by shade trees and surrounded by benches. The sprayground's design is based on the solar system, making the surface a kinesthetic learning experience. "We love going to Hayes Park in Arlington. It's a pretty cool place to hang out in the heat of the summer," says Suzie Phipps, 35 of Annandale.

Lyon Village Park Sprayground

1800 N. Highland St., Arlington

Open: Through Labor Day, daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hours of operation might vary on holidays.

Lyon Village Park's sprayground is smaller but also primed for water play. Monty Cox, 36, of Arlington quips that it's "a masterpiece of summertime playground fun. For all the kids not lucky enough to have access to a pool, it is a godsend. For all of us adults without children, it is a temptation. How . . . can I play in the water, too, without looking like a complete moron?"

Fairfax Corner

11900 Palace Way

Open: Through Labor Day, Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The nexus of the Fairfax Corner complex's "main street" is the water fountain feature. Updated this year by the same designer of the famous Bellagio Hotel fountains in Las Vegas, the fountain includes 48 dancing water jets. Water pressure is turned down during the day for younger children. In the evening, dramatic lighting transforms the fountain to art and the water shoots up to 30 feet in the air. However, the Fairfax Corner fountains are safe for play at all times.

Julie Tower-Pierce, 31, of Reston, says the fountains get "an A-plus from me for cleanliness, convenient location, lots of parking and upscale, attractive surroundings. My kids beg to play here when it's hot outside."

Maryland

Good Hope Sprayground

14715 Good Hope Rd., Silver Spring

Open: Through Labor Day, Tuesday through Saturday 12:30 to 7 p.m.

Surrounded by idyllic parkland in eastern Montgomery County, the Good Hope Sprayground is peaceful, as well as fun. There are multiple water umbrellas, randomly scheduled sprays for chasing and dozens of fountains. Bring a lunch to eat in the gazebo or your mitt for a game on the nearby softball field. Children tote their toys to Good Hope to share with friends, and the gentle slope of the sprayground and drainage system is perfect for racing small boats.

South Germantown Recreational Park Splash Playground

18056 Central Park Cir., Boyds

Open: Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through Sept. 1.

Cost: $4.50 per person ages 2 and older, younger free.

A massive waterfall, a rain tree and "tumble buckets" that tip over randomly delight the kids at the South Germantown Recreational Park Splash Playground. A water maze contains 280 ground level jets for extreme fun and hot weather relief. The playground is fully accessible for people with disabilities and is as fun for splashing babies as it is for teens.

"I don't have to worry about anyone, which is a big concern since my kids are too young to be secure swimmers. It's the only water place I will take my kids without having another adult along," says mother of four, Mary Jardine, 37, of Germantown.