Now that summer is here, we know what it’s like to try and keep the kids cool, especially in this Texas heat. So, we thought you all would enjoy a fun list of FREE or low-cost splash pads around the Houston Area! Areas also include splash pads and spray grounds in and around League City, Clear Lake, Baytown, The Woodlands, Conroe, Katy, La Porte, Pasadena, Pearland and Sugar Land.
Splash pads and spray grounds:
Aron Ledet Park
Location: Houston
Address: 6500 Antoine Dr.
Cost: FREE
This 13-acre park features a water playground, traditional playground, walking and running trails, a pavilion, basketball courts and playing field.
Bellaire Town Square Family Aquatic Center
Location: Bellaire
Address: 7001 Fifth Street
Cost: $10, non-residents, children 2 and under are FREE
Clark Condon & Associates have designed the splash pad under shaded trees for families to enjoy. Lifeguards present and many activities throughout the day.
Blueridge Park
Location: Houston
Address: 5600 Court Rd.
Cost: FREE
Community park, small water park, ponds, athletic fields and a paved trail around the perimeter.
Burnett Bayland Park
Location: Houston
Address: 6200 Chimney Rock
Cost: FREE
Fun playground, water splash pad, a lighted sports field, hike/bike trail and outdoor basketball pavilion.
Brookglen Park Spray Ground
Location: La Porte
Address: 3324 Somerton Dr.
Cost: FREE
With picnic area, basketball courts, playground and baseball fields.
Children’s Museum of Houston
Location: Houston
Address: 1500 Binz
Cost: $12 per person
This isn’t technically a splash pad, but the interactive water exhibit is guaranteed to provide tons of fun – and get you and your kiddos pretty wet too.
Clear Lake Park
Location: Seabrook
Address: 5001 Nasa Pkwy
Cost: FREE
The Blue Dolphin Lagoon Splash Park at Clear Lake Park overlooks the bay near the boat ramps and features new outdoor fitness equipment, playground equipment and new restrooms.
Conroe Aquatic Center
Location: Conroe
Address: 1205 Callahan Ave
Cost: $7 per person
Awesome pool with a graduated beach entry, an interactive play structure with water blasters, mini slides, a water curtain, and giant tipping bucket spilling 400 gallons of water periodically. The older recreational swimmer can enjoy two 22-foot slides enclosed for a speedy drop into a 4-foot pool of water.
Cullen Park
Location: Houston
Address: 19008 Saums
Cost: FREE
North of Katy near Saums and Greenhouse, Cullen Park offers one of the best free public splash pads in the Katy area. The splash pad boasts misting flowers, surprise geysers, and other fun water features that will have your little one laughing in the water.
Dodson Lake Park
Location: Houston
Address: 9010 Dodson
Cost: FREE
The H-E-B Water Playground at Dodson Lake Park includes a unique concentric circle splash pad that creates the illusion of ripples with geysers, pop-up sprays, tulip sprays and a fan jet spray.
Edgewood Park
Location: Houston
Address: 5803 Bellfort
Cost: FREE
Nice an quiet spot to keep the kids busy and cool.
Ervan Chew Park
Location: Houston
Address: 4502 Dunlavy
Cost: FREE
Located in Houston’s Museum District this park is known as one of the area’s best dog parks, but it also has a great splash pad for kids. There’s also a playground, picnic tables, soccer and baseball fields.
Gutierrez Park
Location: Houston
Address: 7900 Flaxman
Cost: FREE
Located at the entrance to Gutierrez Park, the water playground features a large plaza with multiple ground sprays. The plaza is surfaced with colored concrete and features a seat wall along one edge.
Hackberry Park
Location: Houston
Address: 7777 S. Dairy Ashford
Cost: FREE
This spray ground features brightly-colored recreational areas equipped with turtles and lily pads that squirt and spray water and mist, as well as in-ground geysers.
Herman Brown Park
Location: Houston
Address: 400 Mercury
Cost: FREE
This frog theme spray ground has a vividly colored play surface, interactive water geysers and spray elements triggered by a push button spring up from the stream. A covered pavilion with restrooms is adjacent to the spray ground, as are some tables in the sun.
Hermann Park
Location: Houston
Address: 6001 Fannin
Cost: FREE
The Hermann Park water spray ground features in-ground sprays, poles, palm trees and a spiral provide a variety of water effects for all children to play in. Two large beaches create a sand play zone adjacent to the water play area.
Hidalgo Park
Location: Houston
Address: 7000 Avenue Q
Cost: FREE
This festive dimension of cool fun to one of Houston’s most venerable parks with a brightly colored play surface and geysers and water spray fixtures, all within easy reach of a curved seat wall.
Houston Zoo
Location: Houston
Address: 6200 Herman Park Dr.
Cost: FREE with zoo admission
This fun splash pad is located in the back of the zoo near the carousel and giraffe area, and admission is included with your zoo ticket. It has 37 water features and is open the entire season. I’d say see all the animals FIRST, and then visit the splash pad before you head out.
James Wiley Park
Location: Houston
Address: 1414 Gillette
Cost: FREE
It includes a multi-colored rubber surface and spray features such as a flower, rainbow, fire hydrant activator, raining buckets and an in-ground spray fountain.
Jaycee Park
Location: Houston
Address:1300 Seamist
Cost: FREE
This spray ground offers timed spouts are surrounded by colorful, oversized butterflies and leaves in the paved surface. There are benches around it for the enjoyment of parents who want to stay dry while watching their youthful charges run wild.
Lilypad Park
Location: Montgomery
Address: 101 Elk Trace Pkwy
Cost: FREE
A beautiful flower and leaf sculpture with embedded spray elements can be found here with a shaded pavilion to offer a cool place for watchful parents and a great space for picnics and birthday parties.
Marian Park
Location: Houston
Address: 11000 S. Gessner Rd.
Cost: FREE
The splash pad features three different areas with controllable features. It’s one of the easier parks to sun around in unencumbered, and is a perfect place to occupy a child while you take in an aerobics class at the community center.
Menard Park
Location: Galveston
Address: 2222 28th Street
Cost: FREE
This splash pad is great, especially when you are done hanging out at the beach. Just turn on the water and rinse off all the excess sand!
McClendon Park
Location: Houston
Address: 3770 Summit Valley Dr.
Cost: FREE
The multi-use park makes room for soccer and softball fields, 9-hole disc golf course, pavilion, rock-climbing wall, sand volleyball court, as well as a splash pad.
McElroy Park
Location: Baytown
Address: 4403 Craigmont Blvd.
Cost: FREE
McElroy Park offers more than 4-acres of fields, day shelters, trails, BBQ pits, basketball courts and a splash pad. http://baytown.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/56/754
Melrose Park
Location: Houston
Address: 12200 Melrose Park Road
Cost: FREE
The water playground at Melrose Park features a multi-colored rubber surface, with spray and ground features such as a flower, cactus, and an arch. Benches surround the water playground, so the grown-ups can sit comfortably and watch without getting wet.
Montie Beach Park
Location: Houston
Address: 915 Northwood
Cost: FREE
This neighborhood park offers tennis courts, a sports field and a playground with water play areas.
Nieto Park
Location: Houston
Address: 500 Port
Cost: FREE
This beach themed spray ground has a wave of stairs, a surfboard, real palm trees and plastic palm trees that spray water. It has a rubber surface with play items that also spray water.
Nottingham Park
Location: Houston
Address: 14205 Kimberley Ln.
Cost: FREE
This is touted as a “KID FIT PARK” complete with a playground, trails and one of the best splash pads in the Houston area. It’s one of the largest of it’s kind.
Park at Palm Center
Location: Houston
Address: 5400 Griggs Road
Cost: FREE
This neighborhood water spray ground also has a playground and picnic area.
Quillian Center
Location: Houston
Address: 3663 Westcenter Dr.
Cost: $5, members/person, $7, non-members/person
Noah’s Ark is a fun water play structure for kids with slides other water features. It’s part of the larger pool area with a special smaller swimming pool designed for the little ones with several water features. It’s shallow, and it provides a great area for splashing and playing.
Red Bluff Splash Pad
Location: Pasadena
Address: 415 Delta
Cost: FREE
Quiet neighborhood splash pad perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day.
River Park Splash Pad
Location: Sugar Land
Address: 5875 Summit Creek
Cost: FREE
This fun, colorful splash pad is located next to the River Park recreation center. Giant fountains, dumping buckets and a misting rainbow are only a few of the elements of this fun park feature. Just press the green button to start the water flow!
Settegast Park
Location: Houston
Address: 3000 Garrow
Cost: FREE
The water playground includes a multi-colored rubber surface and spray-ground features including a ground geyser, a bell-spray column, a misty arch, a magic touch bollard, a water trio, a donut, and a flower.
Shady Lane Park
Location: Houston
Address: 10220 Shady Ln.
Cost: FREE
The spray ground at Shady Lane Park ties in with the renovation’s bayou ecosystem theme with alligator heads emerging from the concrete among the water jets, and the water course motif carries throughout the park. It opened to the public on October 10, 2013.
Southdown Park
Location: Pearland
Address: 2150 Countryplace Pkwy
Cost: FREE
Fun playground and splash pad park for families.
Stuebner Airline Park
Location: Houston
Address: 9201 Veterans Memorial
Cost: FREE
All spray features are surface-mounted in a combination of sprays and jets. The surface pattern is a combination of multi-colored circles and semi-circles. This spray ground also sports two benches and a seating wall.
Texas Avenue Park
Location: Webster
Address: 17100 Texas Ave.
Cost: FREE
The area’s newest splash pad is located in Webster with 20-acres of fun!
Timarron Park
Location: The Woodlands
Address: 50 North Green Print Circle
Cost: FREE
This whimsical and floral-themed splash pad is the perfect place for a fun, cool and quiet place to take the kids this summer. The park is connected to the surrounding neighborhood with miles of walking/running trails.
Tony Marron Park
Location: Houston
Address: 808 N. York
Cost: FREE
This water spray ground has a variety of ground sprays. A seat wall curves around the area offers great views of the park and downtown, as well as access to the cooling water.
Did we miss any? We know our city is growing at a rapid pace. If you would like us to add a location, please contact our content manager at hello@houstonfamilymagazine.com and she will be sure to add it!
