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Why Splash Pads Are Worth a Spot on Your Summer Bucket List

Splash pads are a perfect low-key summertime activity for kids. Since they are FREE, you can plan a shorter trip or bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it in the park.

Splash pads entertain kids of diverse ages, from toddlers to grade school-aged children. 

Make the Most of Your Splash Pad Outing

• Sprinkler parks are ubiquitous in NYC, so keep a towel or bathing suit in your playground bag!
• Don't forget the sunscreen.
• Consider waterproof shoes: Crocs, Saltwater Sandals, and Native tennis shoes are all great for water play and romping on the playground, plus they keep tiny toes protected.
• If the splash pad in your favorite park isn't turned on when you visit, you can ask the park attendant to turn it on. If they are broken or otherwise consistently inoperable, call 311 to report the problem.
• Find more ways to keep cool on the NYC Cool It! NYC map provided by the Parks Department.

Best Splash Pads in Manhattan

1. East 110th Street Playground – Central Park

Enter at 110th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues
The Central Park Conservancy transformed this playground into one of the best play destinations in the entire 843-acre green space. One of its most impressive attractions is its splash pad. Geysers shoot up into the air, sometimes as high as 12 feet.
Special features: Kids activate the water with the touch of a button, and you're never sure how high or in what pattern it will gush out, so it keeps everyone guessing...and giggling.
Age range: Ages 3 & up
More fun nearby: The opening of the Davis Center brings a new splash pad to the pool deck of the Gottesman Pool on the site and admission is FREE.

2. Chelsea Waterside Play Area – Chelsea

23rd Street at 11th Avenue
Chelsea Waterside Play Area has been a mainstay on our list of the city's best playgrounds for years, and thanks to its $3.4 million overhaul in 2018, the aging play area received a whole new look—a 22-foot, rainbow-hued pipefish winds through the multi-level playground, bringing joy to kids of all ages.
Special features: The giant sea creature keeps a pair of dueling splash pads separated. One is for big kids, while a mild toddler-sized section with gentle springs entertains little ones.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: The action-packed Chelsea Piers is steps away and offers more fun for families.

RELATED: Central Park's Top Playgrounds Ranked for NYC Kids and Visitors

Ancient Playground's water feature flows from every angle, creating plenty of cooling mist. Photo by author

3. Ancient Playground – Central Park

Enter at 85th Street and Fifth Avenue
Situated next door to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this adventure-style playground is an excellent destination for kids of all ages. The play structure includes pyramids, catwalks, tunnels, slides, and water running along the bridges. Kids can splash through or stand under a mini-waterfall in a splash pad area with water jets.
Special features: Younger kids are fascinated by the water squirting from nozzles set into the walls.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: While The Met is an attraction unto itself, little ones will get a kick out of its 81st Street Studio play space on the ground floor, which is completely FREE to visit.

4. Heckscher Playground – Central Park

Central Park South and Seventh Avenue
The biggest playground in Central Park offers two ways to get wet. The first is on the giant climbing structures, which connect via small pathways with water flowing through them. The second is at the awesome sprinkler section, where water rains down from tall tubes and shoots up from jets in the ground. Little kids get a separate, gentle splash pad area adjacent to the awesome sandbox.
Special features: We love that there's a bathroom on-site, plus sprinklers for big and little kids.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: You're in the heart of kids' paradise here and near the Central Park Carousel, plus ice cream vendors abound.

5. Discovery Playground – Washington Heights

Fort Washington Park at 165th Street
This playground gets bonus points for its steps-from-the-Hudson location in Fort Washington Park. In addition to sprinklers, slippery rocks to climb, and tiny streams in which to splash. If not for the noise from the commuter trains or the Henry Hudson Parkway above, you'd forget you're in the middle of the city when you visit this uptown splash pad.
Special features: This spot is covered by old shade trees, and the river carries a nice breeze on hot summer days!
Age range: 3 & older
More fun nearby: Stroll north along the Hudson to find the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge.

6. Hudson River Park Pier 25 Play Area – Tribeca

Hudson River at North Moore Street
Near the southern end of Hudson River Park, you'll find this fabulous playground with one of the best splash pads in Manhattan. The water features range from passive, gentle sprinklers just right for little ones to tipping buckets that douse anyone who dares walk under their splash zone. Plus, there's a pair of water cannons that shoot sky-high...or right at your unsuspecting sibling, depending on how you aim them.
Special features: When kids tire of getting wet, there's a seasonal mini-golf course on the pier that costs just $6 for children and $14 for adults.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: Just steps away, you'll find the very cool Pier 26 playground

7. Imagination Playground – South Street Seaport

John Street between Front and South Streets
This innovative playground and splash pad, which was designed by architect David Rockwell, doesn't have a sprinkler, but it does have a fantastic water play area with a pool and fountain, surrounded by wooden steps on which parents can lounge. Kids manipulate the water with piping and other tools while getting drenched. It's a one-of-a-kind play experience and one of our favorite things to do at the South Street Seaport.
Special features: There's an on-site bathroom, and the playground is often staffed with play facilitators who keep kids engaged and interested.
Age range: 1 & older
More fun nearby: We can't resist a visit to Mister Dipps anytime we're in the neighborhood!

8. Teardrop Park – Battery Park City

Warren Street and Murray Street, East of River Terrace
Swooshing down the long, perpetually wet slide at Teardrop Park is addictive, so don't be surprised if your kids want to do it over and over and over again. In the splash pad area, jets spout water into the air as kids climb over the funky wet rocks in this sweet sprinkler park.
Special features: The water play area is a little hidden here, so it feels like a secret escape!
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: Rockefeller Park Playground is a few minutes in one direction (toward the river!) and Shake Shack is a few minutes in the other (back to civilization!)

9. Police Officer Moira Ann Smith Playground – Flatiron

26th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues
Be warned: Due to its proximity to multiple family-friendly neighborhoods, this playground—the only one in Madison Square Park—is always packed. The sprinkler park includes a neat spinning wheel that dumps water from the top of a 15-foot pole straight onto kids below as jets shoot water out of the ground.
Special features: Beyond the water playground, there's a huge jungle gym in this park.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: Eataly. Shake Shack. The Lego Store. Need we say more?

10. The Bosque Fountain – Battery Park

Battery Place and State Street
While I don't encourage my kid to play in fountains, this one was created specifically for frolicking. Kids love the jets of water that burst up from the ground, and parents appreciate the fact that the water drains, so kids don't end up jumping around in a pool of dirty water.
Special features: You can't beat the waterfront views here!
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: The Battery Playscape and SeaGlass Carousel are total kid-pleasers, and each is less than a five-minute walk away.

RELATED: 10 Play Fountains Where NYC Kids Can Get Totally Soaked

Domino Park's expansive water play area is always teeming with fun. Photo by Rosalind Muggeridge

Top Splash Pads in Brooklyn

11. Domino Park – Williamsburg

The architecture at this park was inspired by the historic Domino Sugar Factory that once occupied the site. While there's a cool playground, a separate kid-friendly splash pad is located just a bit further south. Stadium-style seating gives mom and dad a place to lounge and supervise while kids frolic in the sprinklers that shoot straight up from the ground.
Special features: The backdrop is hard to beat, and other amenities here include an open lawn, an urban beach, a taqueria from Danny Meyer, and more all packed into a tight, waterfront space.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: Grab a slice at Roberta's when you're done and let the train lull your kids to sleep on the way home!

12. Brooklyn Bridge Park Waterlab at Pier 6 – Brooklyn Heights

Enter at Furman Street and Atlantic Avenue
Ever since we first visited this spectacular sprinkler park when it opened in 2010, Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 has been one of our favorite kid play destinations. In the Waterlab area, one of four distinct sections of the sprawling playground, sprinklers shoot water all over a splash pad enclosed by small, manmade cliffs. It's gorgeous and fun, but also slippery. Kids can splash through the streams, climb around, and even try some of the interactive water features. It's always crowded and not the best choice for younger children.
Special features: We'd pay admission for all the fun in this sprinkler park, but it's completely FREE.
Age range: 5 & up
More fun nearby: There are four playgrounds on this pier alone, not to mention the rest of the action in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

13. Lakeside Splash Pad – Prospect Park

171 East Drive; enter at Lincoln Road and Ocean/Parkside Avenue entrances
There's water everywhere at the splash pad at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. While one rink is used for roller skating in summer, the other transforms into a water play area featuring dozens of jets shooting water out of the walls.
Special features: The sheer size of Lakeside's splash pad makes it irresistible.
Age range: Ages 1 & up
More fun nearby: Hit the nearby Zucker Natural Exploration playground for some drier fun.

14. Harmony Playground – Prospect Park

Enter at Prospect Park West between Ninth and 11th Streets
Taking its inspiration from the nearby bandshell, this Prospect Park playground has an interactive musical motif, including xylophones that kids can play. But, the real draw is the abundance of sprinkler park features. The designers covered all the splash pad bases here, including geysers, spraying animal sculptures, misters, and a shower.
Special features: There are bathrooms on-site and space for big and little kids to play.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: Summer means BRIC: Celebrate Brooklyn is in season, so pack a picnic and catch some live music after a day in the park.

15. Imagination Playground – Prospect Park

Enter at Ocean Avenue between Parkside Avenue and Lincoln Road
No relation to the aforementioned South Street Seaport spot, this charming, kid-lit-themed playground boasts a black-and-white play structure and a statue of Peter and Willie of Ezra Jack Keats' fame. But the hot-weather draw is the gorgeous bronze dragon fountain that gets kids good and soaked in the splash pad.
Special features: There's plenty of shade and places for parents to lounge while tots play.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: You're in the heart of all Prospect Park has to offer.

16. Pier 2 Uplands – Brooklyn Heights

Opened in July 2020 as part of Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 2 renovation, this tiered splash pad is constructed from remnants cut away during the construction of Pier 3. Its multiple levels feature sprinklers and sprayers at various heights and lots of room to run around.
Special features: A cool feature is the retention tank, which catches the run-off from the sprinklers and reuses it to irrigate the landscaping.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: There are five acres of fun to explore at Pier 2, including pingpong and pickleball, picnic tables, basketball, and more.

RELATED: 25 Things To Do with Kids in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Kids hit the beachside splash pad at 30th Street in Rockaway when the surf is too rough or cold. Photo courtesy of Rockaway Park

Top Sprinkler Parks in Queens

17. Beach 30th Street Playground – Rockaway

Beach 30th Street and the Rockaway boardwalk
This playground is a must-visit for young water lovers and Rockaway visitors. H2O sprays from several splash pad features, including circular pipes and built-in water guns. Plus, there's a play boat and traditional sprinklers of different heights.
Special features: This playground was built with sensory-friendly spaces and offers wheelchair accessible elements.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: You're steps away from Rockaway Beach, so the wet-and-wild fun doesn't end here!

18. Playground for All Children – Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Off of Corona Avenue and 111th Street inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park
This spacious playground includes a manmade river that flows to a contained splash pad.
Special features: If the splash pad isn't enough, there's also a kid-size village with a school and fire station, wheelchair-accessible jungle gyms, and basketball courts.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: NYSCI and the Queens Zoo make it easy to kill a day here!

19. Gantry Plaza State Park – Long Island City

Enter at 47th Road and Center Boulevard
At this state-of-the-art water play area, water shoots at kids from all over the place, making it one of the best splash pads in NYC. But, be warned, swimsuits are required, and hours are sporadic. If you drop by and it's closed, console your kids by exploring the rest of Gantry Plaza State Park and the Long Island City waterfront, which is fabulous.
Special features: This state-run park offers a full event schedule.
Age range: 3 & up
More fun nearby: The NYC Ferry stops here, so you can take it on an adventure to another waterfront park.

20. Travers Park – Jackson Heights

34th Avenue between 77th and 78th Streets
There is a good-sized splash pad in the big kids' area of this playground, with leafy spray showers and water jets. It attracts kids of all ages. This is the only official playground in Jackson Heights, Queens (other than school playgrounds), so it's often crowded, but there is a separate, gated section for toddlers.
Special features: An engaged neighborhood group keeps this park clean and filled with fun, FREE programming.
Age range: Ages 1 & up
More fun nearby: Walk over to Northern Boulevard to taste the world from a diverse selection of Jackson Heights eateries.

21. Fountain of the Fairs – Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Grand Central Parkway between 111 Street and College Point Boulevard
This interactive "mist garden" with specialized jets at the foot of Flushing Meadow Park's Unisphere is one of the most unique water fountains in NYC. The sprinkler park has been designed to create a refreshing cloud where kids can play and cool off on hot summer days.
Special features: Approximately 500 hidden jets shoot up into the air from an Art Deco-inspired pavement that has been constructed over the original pool, so there's plenty of room for everyone!
Age range: Ages 1 & up
More fun nearby: See No. 18! We also love searching for the collection of retired playground animals due north of here!

RELATED: Queens Museum: 6 Fun Things To Do with Kids

Run through the rainbow-hued arches at Roberto Clemente State Park's splash pad. Photo courtesy of NYS Parks

Great Splash Pads in the Bronx and Staten Island

22. Roberto Clemente State Park – Morris Heights, the Bronx

301 West Tremont Avenue
This state park boasts a pool-and-splash pad for kids and adults alike to frolic. Its season opens annually at the end of June, with two sessions daily. Entrance to the pools is FREE. In addition to a full-size pool, there's a kiddie pool with a shower at one end and an entire sprinkler park where kids can run through geysers and sprays in every shape and size imaginable. See a full list of pool rules here.
Special features: It's a pool and splash pad in one!
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: Summer means free programming abounds, including concerts and special events.

23. Seaside Wildlife Nature Park – Great Kills, Staten Island

Nelson Avenue and Tennyson Drive
Located along the shore, this playground features one-of-a-kind equipment such as a shipwrecked boat to explore, a shark to climb, and play units inspired by the Staten Island Ferry and a lighthouse. Of course, the nautical theme wouldn't be complete without actual water. Thankfully, splash pad features abound.
Special features: The playground sits within a 20-acre park with paths meandering through a seaside ecosystem.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: Marry a trip here with a visit to the nearby Crescent Beach Park.

24. Walter Gladwin Park – Tremont, the Bronx

175th Street and Arthur Avenue
This spot was named after Walter H. Gladwin (1902-88), the first Black elected governmental official in the Bronx, and has two playgrounds and one impressive splash pad. Kids love darting across the footbridge and pathways as water sprays at them from every angle.
Special features: There is a second sprinkler park located in the playground at the corner of East Tremont and Arthur Avenue. It's much smaller, featuring a fire hydrant centerpiece, but it gets the job done on a hot day.
Age range: 1 & up
More fun nearby: Pair your playground stop with a visit to one of our favorite Bronx destinations: The Bronx Zoo or Arthur Avenue.

You can find a comprehensive list of all the sprinkler parks in NYC on the Parks Department's website.

Originally published in May 2008.