The triple-digit heat has arrived. If you’re looking for a little relief from this sizzling summer, North Texas has plenty of water attractions to help you cool down. We’ve rounded up some of the area’s free splash pads and spraygrounds, plus several big paid water parks featuring slides, rides and lazy rivers. Check your city’s website for even more options such as municipal aquatic centers. Before you make plans, visit venue websites for schedules, possible weather closures and other updates. You can find more events at Go See DFW.
FREE SPLASH PADS AND SPRAY PARKS
ALLEN
Celebration Park’s large sprayground has water jets, raining buckets, misters and other kid-friendly water features. Details.
ANNA
The splash pad at Slayter Creek Park offers spray tunnels, raining buckets and interactive play zones. Canopies protect children from direct sun. Details.
ARLINGTON
Free splash pads with fountains and spray areas are at Don Misenhimer Park, 201. E. Lonesome Dove Trail; Brantley Hinshaw Park, 2121 Overbrook Drive; and California Lane Park, 2001 California Lane. Details.
CARROLLTON
Oak Hills Splash Park, at 1225 Royal Palm Lane, and W.J. Thomas Splash Park, at 1955 N. Perry Road, have water playgrounds with raining buckets, climbing features and shaded areas. Details.
COLLEYVILLE
McPherson Park, on the site of a historic Colleyville dairy farm, has a splash pad and playground nestled among historic structures. Details.
THE COLONY
The Kids Colony Splash Park offers several spray features, including a ship’s mast with buckets that dump water and a spraying fish named Finn. Details.
DALLAS
- City spray parks: There are free city-operated spray parks throughout Dallas. Check the website for locations. Details.
- Civic Garden: The downtown Dallas park on Main Street features an interactive fountain that shoots three arching sprays. Details.
- Klyde Warren Park: The Nancy Best Fountain, in the downtown deck park’s east end, is the park’s newest water feature. By day, it is an interactive play area with a 5,000-square-foot splash pad. After sunset, the fountain illuminates and a water show is choreographed to music. Visitors are encouraged to play in the water even during the lighted shows. You’ll find additional water features in the Children’s Park at the west end of Klyde Warren Park. Details.
- Main Street Garden: The park on the east end of downtown Dallas has a flowing layer of water on the bottom of its splash fountain, which keeps your feet nice and cool as you walk around. Details.
EULESS
The splash pad is behind South Euless Elementary School in the 5-acre South Euless Park. Spray elements include a raining bucket, a misting arch, a spray column and geysers. Details.
FORNEY
Cool off at the splash pad at Forney Community Park with spray features and a shaded area. Details.
FORT WORTH
Sycamore Spray Ground features include a raining bucket, spray columns and a geyser. Details.
FRISCO
There are three free water playgrounds in Frisco. Frisco Commons (8000 McKinney Road) is near the sprawling playground at Hope Park. There are also neighborhood spray parks at J.R. Newman Park (8211 Twin Falls Drive) and Shepherds Glen Park (12012 Shepherds Hill Drive, Frisco). Details.
GRAPEVINE
You will find free spray play at Parr Park, 3010 Parr Lane. Details.
IRVING
The city offers spray parks at Northwest Park (2800 Cheyenne St.) and Southwest Park (2800 W. Shady Grove Road). Details.
LEWISVILLE
The renovated Old Town Splash Park behind Wayne Frady Park features spray features including towers, jets and spinners that shoot water. Details.
LITTLE ELM
There’s a splash pad with a slide and other features at the back of McCord Park. Details.
MCKINNEY
Ten McKinney parks have free splash pads. They are: Al Ruschhaupt Soccer Complex (2701 N. Brook Drive), Ash Woods Park (10301 JFK Blvd), Aviator Park (1201 Monticello Drive), Cottonwood Park (212 McMakin St.), Dr. Mack Hill Park (1849 Reagan Drive), Horizon Park, (401 Flat Rock Drive), Inspiration Park (4212 Shawnee Drive), John M. Whisenant Park (3701 Hudson Crossing), Prestwyck Park (1651 Prestwick Hollow Drive) and Robinson Ridge Park (3900 Muscadine Drive). Details.
MESQUITE
The Spray Zone at Clay Mathis Park is an interactive playground with several water features such as nozzles that spray upward and showers that spray down from above. Visit the spray pad on July 29 from 9 a.m. to noon for a Pop Up in the Park with free ice pops and games. Details.
PLANO
Enjoy the splash pads at Liberty Playground at Windhaven Meadows Park (5400 Windhaven Parkway), the Plano Aquatic Center (2301 Westside Drive) and Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center (5801 W. Parker Road). Details.
PROSPER
Located in Frontier Park, the splash pad is near the windmill playground and shaded pavilion. Details.
ROCKWALL
The city of Rockwall has three free spraygrounds. They’re at Harry Myers Park (815 E. Washington St.), the Park at Foxchase (4475 Tubbs Drive) and the Park at Hickory Ridge (1910 Walnut Ridge Drive). Details.
SACHSE
The splash pad at J.K. Sachse Park (4310 Ranch Road, Sachse) has a slide, tipping bucket and water sprayers throughout. Details.
WATER PARKS
BAHAMA BEACH
This southern Dallas water park features aquatic attractions such as a winding lazy river, flume slides, high-speed inner tube slides, a splash pad and an interactive rainforest playground.
1895 Campfire Circle, Dallas. $11-$15 for ages 3 and up; Dallas residents receive a discount. Details.
EPIC WATERS
Grand Prairie’s 800,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor water playground has a UV-protected retractable roof. There are many water play options, including a 600-foot lazy river, daring slides, a FlowRider surfing simulator, an Aquanaut inner tube ride and Rascal’s Roundup, a special area for little ones. For more adventure, step into Epic Waves, an outdoor pool with 4-foot waves every 10 minutes.
2970 Epic Place, Grand Prairie. Tickets start at $29 for ages 4 and up but vary based on availability and date; Grand Prairie residents receive a discount. Details.
FRISCO WATER PARK
If you dare, take a ride on the Preston Plunge, a 45-foot-tall, four-lane mat racer. Play at the Treehouse, a multilevel water playground bursting with 85 water features and three slides. And the Lazy River is a pleasant place to bob along.
5828 Nancy Jane Lane, Frisco. $11-$13 for ages 3 and up. Details.
HAWAIIAN WATERS/HAWAIIAN FALLS
The Hawaiian-themed water parks in Garland (4550 N. Garland Ave.) and The Colony (4400 Paige Road) have rebranded as Hawaiian Waters. Hawaiian Falls parks can be found in Roanoke (290 W. Byron Nelson Blvd.) and Mansfield (490 Heritage Parkway S.). All include attractions like a lazy river, wave pools, slides, thrill rides, kiddie pools and cabanas.
$20.99-$35.99. Children 2 and under get free admission in Garland and The Colony. hawaiianwaters.com, hfalls.com.
NRH2O
North Richland Hills’ NRH2O is the perfect park for families looking for a smaller setting. Single and multirider thrill rides and slides, a wave pool and the Endless River are among the highlights.
9001 Boulevard 26, North Richland Hills. $22.99-$37.99 for ages 3 and older. North Richland Hills residents receive a discount. Details.
PIRATES’ COVE
Burleson’s water park accommodates big and little pirates with twisting slides, activity pools and a 750-foot lazy river. The park also offers an indoor Fun Zone with arcade, video and prize redemption games (games require an additional fee).
2461 S. Burleson Blvd., Burleson. $20.99-$28.99 for ages 3 and older. Details.
SAFARI SPLASH
The Fort Worth Zoo’s 14,000-square-foot splash park is equipped with slides, animal-shaped water cannons, a water dump tower and a play area for toddlers. Visitors can fill their water toys at the fill wall.
1989 Colonial Parkway, Fort Worth. $6 in addition to zoo admission for ages 3 and older. Details.
SIX FLAGS HURRICANE HARBOR
There are about 25 attractions at Hurricane Harbor, including the Geronimo, which drops screaming visitors six stories into a pool of water, and the Banzai Pipeline water coaster. There are also options for little ones such as the kid-focused Hook’s Lagoon Treehouse, a high-climbing aquatic jungle gym and Splashwater Beach. Catch your breath with a float in the lazy river, or soak up some rays at Suntan Lagoon.
1800 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington. Tickets start at $25. Details.
The Go See DFW calendar is a partnership between KERA and The Dallas Morning News.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
