Best Splash Pad (2017)

The International Fountain, a centerpiece from the World's Fair at the Seattle Center, has been transformed into a giant splash pad where kids (and adults) can splash in the fountain bowl or venture right up to the smooth silver dome at its center.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Center

When DC heats up, head to the Yards Park to cool down. This Capitol Riverfront favorite features popular dancing fountains where kids love to splash, all with a riverfront view.
Photo courtesy of Capitol Riverfront

The seven water features situated within the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston rank among the park's most popular attractions. Young visitors can dip their toes in the Canal Fountains or race through the jets at the Rings Fountain. The interactive Harbor Fog sculpture responds to movement around it with a cooling mist.
Photo courtesy of Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

For a small fee, visitors get access to New England's biggest splash pad, The Dinosaur Place. Situated within Nature's Art Village, this water playground includes 30 dinosaur-themed features – water cannons, dumping buckets and even a ribcage waterfall.
Photo courtesy of The Dinosaur Place

To cool off in Centennial, Colorado, head to Centennial Center Park. The free Nautilus water playground is packed with water features, including a shallow stream running through the middle. Little ones love running through the fountains or standing beneath the tipping bucket.
Photo courtesy of Centennial Center Park

Atlanta's Historic Fourth Ward Park is home to a splash pad featuring numerous water jets and plenty of space to play. Benches are a welcome addition for parents.
Photo courtesy of Hotlanta Voyeur / Flickr

The newly opened Mt. Elliott Park in Detroit includes a kid-favorite, schooner-themed water feature complete with water cascades and kid-activated water cannons among its many interactive features.
Photo courtesy of Detroit RiverFront Conservancy

One of the largest splash pads in the southeast, Piratesville centers around a pint-sized pirate ship outfitted with water slides, jets, water cannons, dumping buckets, fountains and water wheels.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Popular interactive water elements inside Houston's Discovery Green include fanciful Gateway Fountain with its 14-foot arching jets, as well as a sculptural Mist Tree in the middle of the Sarofim Picnic Lawn.
Photo courtesy of Adam Baker / Flickr

Opened in 2010, the playgrounds at Brooklyn Bridge Park include the summer favorite Water Lab at Pier 6, where kids can cool off in a field of water jets with big boulders to climb on (water shoes recommended).
Photo courtesy of Etienne Frossard