We've been going to the splash pad at Riverside Park like every other week during summer and honestly? It's gotten out of hand. Too crowded, the sprinklers never work right, and there's always some kid's parent just sitting on their phone ignoring them. Used to be a solid free option but I'm done wasting an hour there. Anyone else over theirs or is there a better one in the area?
Question - what time are you going? We've had decent luck hitting it right when it opens on weekday mornings around 10am. Weekends are a madhouse but weekdays are actually manageable.
I've noticed this trend at a lot of parks - they get one good review and then they're just slammed forever. It's like everyone found out about Riverside at the same time. The other splash pads in town are way less crowded if you don't mind driving like 15 mins.
Same boat. Riverside got way too popular after they renovated it two years ago. We switched to the splash pad by Lakemont Community Center and it's been so much better - half the crowd and they actually maintain the equipment.
lol the phone thing is REAL. Saw a dad last week literally not looking up while his kid was crying because the water was too cold. Like dude, you're already here, be present.
What specifically isn't working on the sprinklers? Like are they just low pressure or actually broken? Asking because my neighbor's kid works for Parks Dept and sometimes reporting actual equipment problems vs just general complaints makes a difference in how fast they fix it.
We gave up on splash pads entirely and just got a Costco inflatable pool for the backyard. $40 one time instead of $0 x 10 trips where nothing works. Best decision honestly.
The sprinklers not working right is a maintenance issue they NEED to hear about. Have you filed a complaint with Parks & Rec? Sometimes they actually respond if multiple people report it. Worth a shot before giving up completely.
Unpopular opinion but honestly the crowding is inevitable with public facilities that are free. You can either deal with peak times or pay for a pool membership/private swim class situation. We did the membership thing and our sanity improved 10x.
Try going in late afternoon like 5-6pm on a weekday. Everyone picks up their kids from daycare so there's like a 30 minute window where it's actually chill. We discovered this by accident and now it's our secret spot.
The parents on phones thing bothers me less than the ones actively preventing their kids from having fun. Saw someone yell at their toddler for getting wet yesterday. Like... it's a splash pad, buddy.
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Honestly just setting up the hose in the backyard has been my move. Costs nothing, way less chaos, and my kids splash around for 20 minutes then get bored. Win-win. Splash pads are way oversold as this amazing activity.