Splash Pad 1: Oak Park

This summer is the year of splash parks.

Josey loves water and I enjoy getting out of the house. Sadly, there is no splash park (or even public beach) in Cambridge, so we have to venture out for our water fun. The closest splash park is in Princeton, and we plan to head that way soon (braving the detour on Highway 95). A few weeks back we started our summer by visiting Oak Hill Splash Pad in St. Louis Park. What a fun place!

Josey and I were joined by two other moms. Our kids range from 14 months to 8 years. They all had a blast. The web site at http://www.stlouispark.org/neighborhood-parks/oak-hill-splash-pad.html boasts that the splash pad is like running through the sprinkler on a grand scale. There are bubbling hoses, water nozzles and spri

nkler arches, as well as the ever-popular buckets that randomly surprise kids by dumping water when they fill.

I most appreciated the fence around the Splash Pad that kept my little wanderer close by. Moms and kids were parked around the edges; someone planned it just right to be sure the water nozzles wouldn’t reach the shaded benches. That deserves a big thank you! Food isn’t allowed in the Splash Pad, so we set up our picnic just outside the fence.

The splash pad is in a park with two playground areas and a picnic shelter. When the kids got tired of the water, they headed for the swings. Oak Hill Park is located at 3201 Rhode Island Avenue South, about 5 minutes west of Highway 100. The entire area is free — what a bonus. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 28 to Sept. 12, weather dependent. There are changing rooms and restrooms, as well as an indoor pavillion. Little ones should wear swim diapers; rubber soled water shoes are recommended.