My favorite Boston park has to be Artesani Park.  This little gem is one of the few parks that seem to have all the perks; a river side view, a splash pad, a bathroom, free parking, on yeah… and a free wading pool complete with life guards.  Every time we’ve come here we’ve had a blast and left eagerly looking forward to coming again.

Things to Note:

1) Price
Free.  Parking is free. The splash pad is free. The wading pool complete with life guards is free.

2) Park Features

• Free parking and a big parking lot
• A public bus that drops off right by the park
• A great splash pad (newly added 2015)
• Two different gated mini playgrounds, one for young children, one for older children
• Bathrooms and a shower
• A river view/ river walk
• A free wading pool with life guards

He was actually really happy, but impatient about having to wait for me to take a picture

3) About the Wading Pool

• You have to take a shower before entering.  There is often a life guard posted at the entrance to enforce that this actually happens.
• There is a limit to how many people can enter the pool at time, again this is enforced by the door guard on busy days (if the pool is full you can always hang out at the splash pad or parks and try again in a few minutes).
• You need a proper swimsuit and if your child is not potty trained they will need a swim diaper.
• There is no eating or snacking by the pool.
• The pool is fantastic for people of all ages, there is a gradient entry so babies can sit at any depth that is comfortable and the pools goes to depth just above your knees.
• There are different sized spray features in the middle of the pool keeping it interesting for older children.

4) Crowd Control
As you can imagine this is a pretty popular park, you can expect a decent crowd of people to be here any given day of the week and if you want quick entry to the wading pool I would suggest getting there when it opens.

Summary and Rating ★★★★★

Five Stars.  This park makes for a fantastic summer outing.  The wading pool is awesome and I have as much fun there as my son does.  We usually start out swimming/splashing for a while, then leave and play at the parks for a little bit while we eat our lunch and if we have any energy left we run through the splash pad on our way to the car.  Artesani Park is a great alternative to the Frog Pond on those hot summer days.

Artesani Park and Wading Pool
1255 Soldiers Field Rd.
Boston, MA 02135

Phone: 617.626.4973
Website: http://www.bostoncentral.com/activities/artesani_wading_pool/p1940.php

Hours: June 27-September 7 Open daily 9:30 a.m.- 7p.m.