Category Archives: splash pad

Fantastic, Little Known, Cambridge Parks – 5 Things to Know About Dana Park (Includes a Petting Zoo and Drum Circle!)

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Dana park is a great little park and over the summer they have events going on all the time to make the park even more fun.  It’s got a nice green spaces, two different playgrounds – one for kids above 4 years old and one for kids younger than 4, a sand pit with an small water spout in it that makes it irresistible to sand lovers, a basket ball court, and a splash pad.  If you’re looking for a park that has it all this makes for a great destination.

Things to Note:

1) Parking
There may be street parking available, but there is not a dedicated parking lot for this park.

2) Splash Pad
This is a great intermediate age splash pad. The splash pad isn’t huge, but there are a few different levels of fountains making it fun for both toddlers and older children.

3) Sand Water Feature
My son loves playing in the sand here more than he likes just about anything else at the park.  There is a tiny little water spout that pours into the sand with a button that is easy for little hands to push.  Also the sand box is always loaded with community toys so my son has a blast filling up the little buckets with water and walking them around to pour them elsewhere in the sand.

4) Summer Fun
During the summer there are constantly new great events going on in this park.  There is a weekly craft day in the morning.  Each week there is also a drum circle where someone brings a bunch of African drums, sets them up in a big circle and leads any children who are interested through a mini drum lesson.  We also enjoyed a free petting zoo and carnival this past summer.

5) Day Care
It seems like there are often day care children using this park in the morning during the summer and they tend to be older children using the bigger 4+ part of the playground.  We didn’t find them to be overwhelming, but then again we were using the part of the playground for the very young.  In any case all the day care children disappear around lunch time so if you’re concerned about crowd control consider planning your visit a little later in the morning.

Summary & Rating ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  We have a ton of fun at this park, and it is obviously one of the more popular parks to attend during the summer.  It can sometimes be hard to find all the awesome events happening at the park over the summer but if you show up your bound to have a good time regardless.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Dana Park
Corporal McTernan and Lawrence Streets
Cambridge, MA 02139

Phone: 617.349.4640
Website: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/parks/parksinfo/Parks/danapark

Fantastic, Little Known, Cambridge Parks – 4 Things to Know About Artesani Park and Wading Pool

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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.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

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.

Touring Boston – What to Know About Visiting the Frog Pond Summer Splash Pad and Wading Pool

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One of my absolute favorite summer activities is visiting the Boston Frog Pond! The Frog Pond is a giant pond in the middle of Boston common with water that’s 6-8 inches deep.  There is also a huge geyser of water that fountains out of the middle and this pond that is meant to be splashed in.  (Posted life guards and everything!)

I took my son and he loved every minute of it.  He loved being there to play in the water, he loved having friends to play with and he loved following the other kids and trying new things like laying in the water on his belly and his back.

It was a really hot day and I was glad I came in my swimsuit because I was right there next to him sitting in the water to cool off.  We had a great time and were so glad we had friends to join us.

Things to Note:

1) Price
Free, free, free.  Just show up and start splashing.

2) Location & Amenities
Right in the heart of Boston, part of Boston Common.  The Red Line on the “T” stops pretty much at the park so you can get there without even having to bring a stroller. There is a bathroom located right next to the Frog Pond that has lockers you can use for the day.  There is also a snack bar attached to it if you need burgers and fries to get you through a busy day at the park.  Life guards are posted around the pond.  There is a carousel next to the pond ($3/ride) and an enclosed playground, not to mention plenty of trees and shade.

3) Hours
The Frog Pond opens in late June and seems like it usually open until about Labor Day.  Hours vary, and it’s closed if the weather is bad.  Generally its open 11am – 6pm.

4) Other Seasons
Even when the pond is closed there are all sort of events generally going on around the pond.  In the winter you can ice skate on it, in the fall they have pumpkin floating festivals and more.  All in all it’s a really fun place to visit.

Summary & Rating ★★★★★

Five stars.  I think the Boston Frog Pond is a blast and my son has adored it since the first time we let him put his toes in it about a 1.5 years old.  This past summer when he was 2.5 it was amazing to be able to sit on the side of the pond and let him run around in the water.  The water is shallow enough that I didn’t feel like I needed to shadow his every movement and he had so much fun playing with the other kids in the pond and splashing around.  This is one of our most favorite summer activities and if you’re around for the summer it’s something you shouldn’t leave Boston without trying.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Boston Common Frog Pond
Boston Common
Boston, MA 02116

Phone: (617)635-2121
Website: http://bostonfrogpond.com/

Fantastic, Little Known, Cambridge Parks – 5 Things to Know About Heritage Rose Park

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Heritage Rose Park is such a fun place to visit during the summer.  They’ve got a great splash pad dotted with raised piping that sprays outwards, perfect for toddlers.  There is a great gated playground with slides, swings, and a climbing gym and best of all there are so many activities that go on at the park all summer long!

This past summer every day from 11:30-12:30 there was a free lunch (like something you would get in a elementary school cafeteria) available for any child under the age of 18. On different days of the week there were different activities going on all summer long such as “Arts in the Park” and “Book Bike”.  (You can read more about Book Bike here, but know that it’s an awesome summer program that goes park to park during the summer providing both activities and free books for kids).

Things to Note:

1) Parking
There is street parking and metered parking in the area, but I think you have to have a Cambridge Resident sticker to use it.

2) Stroller Friendliness
Totally stroller friendly.

3) Water Feature
Great water area with raised, chest high sprayers that sprit in all directions.  Also the spray park is in a different area from the playground so you can bring you kids and still play at the playground without worrying about them getting wet if you don’t want them to.

4) Green Space
This park has a really nice grassy field, perfect for field games.  In fact during the summer there is a “Get up and Move” crew that often has field games going and is there to encourage anyone who is interested to join in.

5) Benches and Chairs
There are a bunch of benches surrounding the splash pad and a few tables located in the playground area.  There isn’t great shade in any of the places with tables/chairs so you’ll have to choose if you’d rather be in a real seat or sitting on the ground in the shade to enjoy you activities.

Summary and Rating: ★★★★☆

Four Stars.  I think this is great park, I love the splash area and the summer programs probably make it a five star park, the only pit fall is that all summer long this place is also swamped with day care kids, so there are tons of little ones running around which can be a overwhelming.  The day care kids all seem to clear out at about 11:30 but for us there was always a cross over and little bit of chaos which was both good (more kids to play with) and bad (more kids everywhere).

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

Green Rose Heritage Park

155 Harvard St,
Cambridge, MA 02139

Website: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/parks/parksinfo/Parks/greenrosepark

Fantastic, Little Known, Cambridge Parks – 6 Things to Know About David Nunes Park (aka Old Morse Park)

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This park is located one block over from Fulmore Park and is amazing for older children, (I would say it’s best suited for ages 5+).  The have a giant climbing structure made from thick rubber mats, a basketball court, ping pong/table tennis tables, a giant water sprinkler and lots of other fun stuff to keep your older children engaged and moving.

Things to Note:

1) Parking
There is no dedicated parking for this playground, though you might be able to find street parking near it.

2) Water Feature
There is a big geyser of water in this park that shoots ten or so feet into the air.  My two year old son was both fascinated and terrified of it, but the older kids seem to love it.

3) Climbing Structure
This park has a really unique and fun climbing area.  There are a bunch of thick black rubber pieces strung up that create small, wobbly platforms for the children to climb up and crawl on. There is also a thick rubber slide made out of the same material and a rope/net climbing area.

4) Seesaw
This park has a suspended seesaw and I have to admit I played on it with my husband and have not laughed so hard in a long time.  You climb onto a disk shaped seat that has a rope coming out of the middle of it.  That rope is attached to some mechanism high above your head and somehow it becomes a combo between a seesaw and a swing.  I would not dare put a young child on it, but it was a blast to swing on as an adult.

5) Courts
This playground has an enclosed basketball court as well as couple of enclosed table tennis/ping pong tables.

6) Pizza
Okay… not that you’re going to come here looking for food, but right next to the park is a little pizza joint and we have spent a couple of great evenings enjoying a pizza and playing in the park. Check out Cambridge Pizza for pricing and to learn more.  I happen to think they make a pretty good pizza myself…

Summary and Rating ★★★★★

Five Stars. Though I think my son is too young to fully enjoy this park we still had fun at it.  I love the uniqueness of the playground and I love that there are no swings (my son would happily sit on a swing for hours)  it’s all about climbing and playing, but it’s also a park for older kids.  If you have toddlers or children under five I would suggest checking out Fulmore Park, which is exactly one block south of this park, a super short walk, and it’s perfect for younger kids.

Have you been here before?  If so I’d love to know more about your experience and any tips or tricks you have in the comments section below. 

David Nunes Park/ Old Morse Park
129 Allston Street
Cambridgeport, Cambridge, 02139

Learn More: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/parks/parksmap