Just Askin': What Nashville splash pads are open, closed this summer?
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The sounds of little feet running, kids laughing and water splashing encompass Nashville splash pads.
Kids like Eri’onna Waters enjoy this wet, fun, kid-friendly activity across the city. On this summer day, Waters, 6, played around circle-shaped equipment, dancing in the water and dodging the jets, her favorite feature of Franklin Park's splash pad.
Splash pads provide a safe outlet for smaller tikes, as well as adults looking to cool off during Nashville's hot summer months.
“It’s a good way to beat the heat in the summer time,” said Julia Osgood, a local mother of two who brought her kids to Kirkpatrick Park's wet playground. “The splash pad is nice and contained, and I’ve heard really good things from the mom crew that always talks about it.”
Question: What splash pads are open in Nashville?
Answer: The City of Nashville owns three splash pads: Cumberland Park, Watkins Park and Kirkpatrick Park.
As temperatures rise this summer, the demand for splash pads is expected to rise. Meanwhile, Cumberland Park, the home of the largest city-owned splash pad, is closed for the summer.
The site will undergo repairs in the future.
“An engineering assessment has to be done to determine the type of repairs needed,” said Jackie Jones, the director of Community Affairs for the City of Nashville. “No estimated time frame as of yet.”
That didn't stop Roseann Tracy. She brought her grandson, Charlie, to meet his best friend and schoolmate Slater Miller (Osgood's son) at Kirkpatrick Park’s splash pad.
Also splashing was Nashville native Cornita Waters, who has been visiting Kirkpatrick Park for more than a decade. Waters brought along her two children, Eri’onna (6) and Amir (3).
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“The park still looks the exact same,” Waters said as she reminisced.
Some of Water’s favorite splash pad features include “the freedom, the people are kind and when the recreation center is open they have food and other helpful items available."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Stay cool this summer in Nashville by splashing at these splash pads
