As a kid growing up in the 80’s, I spent the majority of my summers “swimming” in the plastic blue Little Tikes pool that inhabited my family’s backyard. When my sisters and I wanted to get really crazy, we would run through the sprinkler and take turns spraying each other with the garden hose. And the year my parents finally gave in and bought us a slip n’ slide is one that went down in history.
When it comes to summer fun in the water, kids today have a lot more options. Local pools have given way to community aquatic centers with slides and lazy rivers and play features my generation never could have dreamed of. And most area playgrounds now turn into “spraygrounds” during the hot, summer months, combining all the fun of a trip to your favorite park with one of childhood’s most treasured summer pastimes – getting wet.
Looking for a cool sprayground to visit with your kids this summer? Here’s our list of some of the neatest ones St. Louis has to offer:
Shaw Park in Clayton. The sprayground at Shaw Park in Clayton isn’t large, but as we all know, size isn’t always what matters. The water features are conveniently located right next to the playground structures – which happen to be entirely fenced in, complete with a gate for entering and exiting. For parents attempting to keep an eye on multiple children, this feature alone makes Shaw Park a sprayground worth visiting.
Citygarden. Citygarden in the heart of downtown St. Louis has several water features, but it is the spray plaza, where a total of 102 vertical jets shoot bursts of water up to eight feet into the air, that most appeals to kids. The garden also boasts shallow wading pools that are a popular destination for St. Louis families looking to beat the summer heat.
Vlasis Park in Ballwin. Great climbing features and several really long slides make the Vlasis Park playground a favorite among older children like mine. And during the summer months, there is a small area nearby where fountains of water – perfect for running through – shoot up from the ground.
The Fountain at Tower Grove Park. Built in 1914, the wading pool at Tower Grove Park is a St. Louis institution. The pool itself is only open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the Muckerman’s Children’s Fountain (which features multiple jets and a large central fountain spilling a curtain of water into the pool) is on daily throughout the summer. Two nearby playgrounds and plenty of green space make this historic park the perfect place to bring a picnic and spend the day.
Tilles Park. The spray features at the beautiful Tilles Park in West County are set to turn on at 10 in the morning and off at 6 in the evening. There’s a circular fountain area in the middle of the park where kids can play in the dancing water, and – added bonus – there’s even a stone ledge surrounding the area so parents can actually sit while supervising.
O’Fallon Sports Park. At the 2-acre adventure play area at Family Sports Park in O’Fallon, Illinois, the sprayground is the main attraction. Low flow and high flow water features spray from both the ground and the sky, and streams of water encourage children to engage in imaginative and interactive play. Add in the pavilions and playgrounds surrounding the water features and this park has everything you need for a full day of summer fun.
Jaycee Park in St. Charles. With lots to do and plenty of positive reviews, Discovery Playground at Jaycee Park is a fantastic place to cool off and play. The sprayground includes a waterfall and a shallow creek, as well as jets that spray water randomly into the air. And even if you don’t live in St. Charles, the playground's spinning rope merry-go-round may tempt you to make the drive.
For more information about dozens of area spraygrounds, Play St. Louis (a blog created by a St. Louis mom) is a great resource for determining which one is right for your family.
Or, if you’re feeling lazy, you can always go old school and send the kids out to play in your own backyard. Because as awesome as all of the above spraygrounds are, I still maintain that nothing says summer fun quite like a good slip n’ slide.
Photo of the sprayground at Vlasis Park courtesy of Eric Musial
Alyssa Chirco is a freelance writer, mother and margarita lover, not necessarily in that order. In addition to writing for STL Parent, she is Contributing Editor at Parenting Squad, and covers parenting, health and lifestyle topics for publications across the country. She recently moved from the suburbs of St. Louis to a small town in rural Jefferson County, where she is learning to survive with no Target or Starbucks in sight. Follow her on Twitter @AlyssaChirco
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