Outdoors Nearby

Splash pads: what they are, when they open and whether they're free

Updated: October 15, 2026

A splash pad is a water playground: nozzles in the ground and on posts spray, drip and dump water onto a flat, non-slip surface that drains immediately. There's no pool to fall into, so toddlers can play next to older kids, and you don't need to swim. Most city splash pads are free and open from late May to early September. In the South, many run from spring into October.

We've mapped 1,625 splash pads across the US from OpenStreetMap. 1,502 of them are inside a park, and 1,280 sit in a park that also has a playground.

Splash pad, spray park or sprayground?

It's all the same thing. Cities call them splash pads, spray parks, spray grounds, spraygrounds or splash parks, and the CDC uses the umbrella term "interactive fountains." New York City calls its smaller ones spray showers. What they share is the missing standing water. That's also why there's usually no lifeguard: most cities post signs that the pad is unsupervised and parents are in charge.

How a splash pad works

Many splash pads don't run all the time. You press a big button on a post near the edge, called an activator or bollard, and the water starts a sequence that runs for a few minutes on a timer. That saves water and gives kids something to do. In Phoenix, every pad also has a shut-off button.

Behind the scenes there are two systems. A flow-through pad uses fresh city water once and sends it into the sewer or storm drain. A recirculating pad collects the water in an underground tank, filters and disinfects it, often with chlorine and UV light, and sprays it again. Recirculating pads use far less water, but they need the same care as a pool.

When splash pads open

Every city sets its own season. These are examples from city websites:

CitySeason and hours
Dallas, TXMemorial Day weekend to Labor Day, daily, most 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; weekends only through September
Chicago, ILSpray features usually on from late June to late August
New York CitySpray showers run on days that reach 80°F or more
Austin, TX (Ricky Guerrero)May through October, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (6 p.m. in October)
Hillsborough County, FLYear-round: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. April to October, 9 a.m. to dusk in winter
Houston, TXSpraygrounds run year-round, closed a few hours for cleaning
Phoenix, AZSeasonal; the 2026 season ended October 4

Small towns often follow the school calendar, for example Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dates change every year, so treat the table as a guide and check your city's parks page before you go.

Why a splash pad might be closed today

Are splash pads free?

Most are. City and county splash pads are usually free, just like the playground next to them. A few towns charge, mostly to cover water and staff:

Splash pads at water parks, hotels and private clubs need a ticket or membership. If you search for a free splash pad near you, start with the ones inside public parks.

Is splash pad water clean?

Mostly, but don't drink it. The CDC warns that water at splash pads can carry germs, especially on recirculating pads where the same water sprays again. The biggest risk is Cryptosporidium, a parasite that survives chlorine for days. In 2005, an outbreak linked to a wet deck in a New York state park may have made more than 1,700 people sick.

The CDC's rules are simple: don't swallow the water, stay away for two weeks after diarrhea from Crypto and any time you're sick with diarrhea, use swim diapers and change them away from the water. Swim diapers are not leak-proof, so bathroom breaks every hour help.

What to bring

Leave pool floats, pets, bikes and scooters at home. They're banned at most splash pads.

Rules you'll see on the sign

Signs vary, but most combine these: no running, no glass, food or gum on the pad, swim diapers required, no pets, and stay out if you have diarrhea or an open wound. Many pads also have an age limit. Semmes, Alabama, allows kids 14 and under; Portland, Michigan, requires an adult with kids 10 and under.

Find a splash pad near you

Our splash pad map covers all 50 states. The states with the most mapped splash pads are New York (154), Texas (141), Illinois (103) and California (87). Cities with many: Brooklyn (49), Chicago (48), Houston (25), Tulsa (14), Louisville (13), Minneapolis (13).

Data from OpenStreetMap. Hours and seasons change, so check with your city before you go.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is a splash pad?

A splash pad is a water play area in a park where jets, sprayers and buckets shoot water onto a non-slip surface that drains right away. There is no standing water, so kids can play without swimming, and there is usually no lifeguard.

Are splash pads free?

Most city splash pads are free. Some towns charge a few dollars a day, especially for non-residents. Pell City, Alabama, for example, charges $4 per person age 3 and up, and Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, charges non-residents $3 a day.

When do splash pads open?

In most of the country splash pads run from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. In Texas, Arizona and Florida many open in spring and run into October, and some, like the spraygrounds in Houston, run year-round.

Is the splash pad open today?

Check your city parks department website or social media on the day you go. Splash pads close for thunderstorms (usually until 30 minutes after the last thunder), for cleaning and after a fecal incident, and some only run above a set temperature.

Do kids need swim diapers at a splash pad?

Yes. Almost every city requires swim diapers for children who are not potty-trained. The CDC points out that swim diapers are not leak-proof, so take kids for bathroom breaks often and change diapers away from the water.