Hooray For Parks with Water Features

The summer has been cruddy this year, with it being one of the most wet and humid ones that I can remember. Today was the first day finally above 85 degrees, and I had to take advantage by taking the boys to one of our favorite hot day activities: parks with water features. These parks are great because they have playgrounds for dry play and water for wet play. I also like it because it is just splashing about, so your little one doesn't need to know how to swim and can have safe water play. Did I mention they are free! Portland, OR has a ton of community parks and there are quite a few that have water features. I wanted to highlight my two favorites: Irving Park and Peninsula Park.

Irving Park on 7th and Fremont in North Portland: This is my favorite with a fire hydrant, shower, numerous fountains, and a cool new playground. There are tons of area for picnicking as well.

Peninsula Park on Rosa Park Way and Albina: This park has so much to offer. It has a community center, outdoor pool ($2.50 for kids) and was the original rose garden for Portland, OR. I highly recommend coming in late June/early July. The garden has a Alice and Wonderland feel that is great for picnics. The playground is pretty cool too. Plus it has a cute froggy and flower water feature that is fun for those hot days!