Splash Pad
Bring bathing suit, towel to spray park in Powell
With so many innovative outdoor play areas cropping up around Columbus, it’s a good time to be a kid in the Capital City. Free, public recreation spaces, such as the Scioto Mile in downtown Columbus and Millstone Creek Park in Westerville, also make it a great time to be a parent.
On a recent sweltering-hot day – the temps well into the 90s – my two young children and I checked out the Splash Pad at a community park called the Village Green in the Columbus suburb of Powell.
Opened in 2005, the mini spray park contains a half dozen colorful water features on a circular squishy rubber surface. There are gentle geysers for bathing your toes and dumping buckets for those who really want to get wet.
My favorite, though, is a spray tunnel with water jets spewing from all directions. I giddily ran through it with my 2- and 4-year-old at least 10 times to keep cool.
We arrived on a Friday afternoon and stayed for three hours, leaving as the park grew crowded with parents bringing their children after work.
My children spent equal time at the water area and the adjacent playground. Their fun was punctuated by the occasional passing of a nearby train, exciting my son Max most.
We wore bathing suits, and I brought water bottles and towels for regular face wipings.
The water park is situated near the city’s municipal building at 47 Hall St. The new building resembles an old train depot and houses the Powell police department. It contains nice, clean bathrooms, a drinking fountain and a vending machine with cold energy drinks.
The attractively landscaped park, open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., also includes a bike path and a stage for community concerts.
We left feeling exhausted. But for those desiring a sweeter ending, there is a nearby Jeni’s, Rita’s and Handel’s for ice cream in the surrounding quaint downtown.
