Water playground, oversized sprinkler system, spray park. Whatever you call them, splash pads have been as hot as the temperatures this summer. These aqua-centric play areas offer bubbling fountains, spray tunnels and even squirt guns — anything that'll help keep you cool. Just don't mistake a splash pad for a pool.
So what's the difference?
"There's no standing water," said Greg Stoks, managing director of Aquatix by Landscape Structures, a splash park design company.
Splash pads have become wildly popular in and around the Twin Cities because they can be less costly to build and maintain, and they're fun for the whole family.
Most splash pads are designed with three distinct users in mind: tots, teenagers and families. The youngest users prefer bubblers or low sprinkler features, while older children tend to gravitate to the interactive features, such as dumping buckets.
"I like that my kids of different ages can enjoy it," said Mindy Daitchman, a St. Louis Park mom who spends some afternoons at Oak Hill Park splash pad.
Daitchman gets to enjoy the splash pad, too, because she can relax.
"It's not like a pool where I have to be worried," she said. Here are our picks for fun-soaked splash pads in the Twin Cities.
