As a parent in the swampy heat of Washington DC, I cannot recommend taking your kids to a DC splash pad enough! My kids (ages 10 and 7 now) have loved splash pads since they were toddlers. Splash pads are a refreshing oasis of water-filled fun, with fountains and sprinklers providing endless entertainment.
It's amazing to me that almost every playground in DC has a splash pad component! There are over 30 operated DC Parks and Recreation plus The Yards Park Wading Pool and Georgetown Waterfront's Water Feature. All of the DC ones are open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day Weekend.
Table of Contents
- 2025 Hours and Info
- Northwest DC (19)
- Northeast DC (7)
- Southeast DC (9)
- Southwest DC (1)
- Beyond DC: Virginia and Maryland
- Swimming Gear We Use
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DC Splash Pads and Spray Pads 2025 Hours
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
2025 Operating hours:
- DPR Spray Parks operate 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM on WEEKENDS ONLY until Sunday, June 22, 2025.
- Spray Parks will be open daily starting on Monday, June 23, 2025, operating 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Certain spray parks are offline for scheduled weekly maintenance which you can check on their real time updates of what's offline here.
Northwest DC Splash Pads & Spray Parks
1) Chevy Chase Recreation Center Splash Pad in DC
One of my kids' favorites because there are a lot of fun toys that parents have left to play with! Shaded playground and restrooms in the rec center as well.
Address: 5500 41st Street, NW 20015
Link to Playground Post
2) DC Splash Pad at Guy Mason Recreation Center
Wonderful playground with interesting slides, sand pit and small splash pad.
Address: 3600 Calvert Street, NW 20007
Link to Playground Post
3) Lafayette-Pointer Recreation Center Splash Park
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 5900 33rd Street, NW 20015
Operating Hours:
DPR Spray Parks are open weekends only from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM through Sunday, June 22, 2025.
Starting Monday, June 23, 2025, they will be open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Please note that some spray parks may be temporarily closed for scheduled weekly maintenance. You can check real-time updates on closures here.
Link to Playground Post
4) Spray Ground at DC Macomb Recreation Center
Sweet neighborhood playground with lots of shade, small splash pad and small sand pit.
Operating Hours:
DPR Spray Parks are open weekends only from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM through Sunday, June 22, 2025.
Starting Monday, June 23, 2025, they will be open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Please note that some spray parks may be temporarily closed for scheduled weekly maintenance. You can check real-time updates on closures here.
Link to Playground Post
5) DC Spray Park at Columbia Heights Community Center
Opening Dates: May 15 - Labor Day (but sometimes extended by the Mayor)
Address: 1480 Girard Street, NW 20009
6) Splash Park at Kennedy Recreation Center
Large playgrounds near Shaw neighborhood!
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1401 7th Street, NW 20005 (DC Alley Museum is a couple blocks away!)
Link to Playground Post
7) Petworth Recreation Center Splash Pad
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 801 Taylor Street, NW | 20011
8) Harrison Recreation Center Splash Pad
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1330 V Street, NW 20009
Link to Playground Post
9) Park at LeDroit's Spray Ground in DC
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 319 Oakdale Place, NW 20001
Link to Park Post
Northwest DC Splash Pads
Georgetown Waterfront Park Splash Pad Fountain
Opening Dates: I'm not sure but I would believe Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Address: Intersection of Wisconsin Avenue, NW, and K Street.
Hours: Unknown
Link to Park Post
11) Hardy Recreation Center Spray Ground
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 4500 Q Street, NW 20007
Link to Playground Post
12) 14th & Girard Street Splash Pad in Washington DC
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 14th & Girard Street, NW 20009
13) 14th & Park Road (Columbia Heights Civic Plaza)
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 14th Street & Park Road, NW 20011
14) Palisades Community Center's DC Splash Pad
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 5200 Sherier Place, NW 20016
Link to Playground Post
15) Westminster Playground's DC Spray Park
So many fun neighborhood toys to play with in the water!
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 911 Westminster Street, NW 20001
Link to Playground Post
16) Friendship Recreation Center Splash Pad in Washington DC
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 4500 Van Ness Street, NW 20016
Link to Playground Post
17) Fort Stevens Recreation Center Splash Pad in DC
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1327 Van Buren Street, NW 20012
18) DC Splash Park Takoma Community Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 300 Van Buren Street, NW 20012
Link to Playground Post
19) Stead Recreation Center
Northeast DC Splash Pads and Parks
Northeast DC Splash Pads - Open Before Memorial Day
1) Turkey Thicket Recreation Center Splash Pad
Harder to see in this picture but the splash pad is just behind the playground where the blue and white lighthouse is.
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1100 Michigan Avenue, NE 20017
Link to Playground Post
2) Edgewood Recreation Center Spray Park Dates
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 3rd & Evarts Street, NE 20002
3) Marvin Gaye Park at Division Avenue
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: Division & Foote Streets, NE 20019
4) Marvin Gaye Recreation Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 6201 Banks Place, NE 20019
Northeast DC Splash Pads - 3 Open Memorial Day Weekend
5) Riggs-LaSalle
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 501 Riggs Road, NE 20011
6) Joseph H. Cole Recreation Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1299 Neal Street, NE 20002
7) Langdon Park Outdoor Pool with Splash Pad inside
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 2860 Mills Avenue, NE 20018
Hours: Pool Hours
Southeast DC Splash Pads and Parks
1) Fort Davis Spray Park
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1400 41st Street, SE 20020
2) Watkins Spray Park
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 420 12th Street, SE 20003
3) Canal Park Spray Park in DC
Canal Park is a fun park in Southeast DC that is a splashpad in the summer! They have restaurants (pizza and sushi) and a restroom inside.
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 200 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Link to Park Post
4) Yards Park Wading Pool, Waterfall, and Splash Pad
The Yards Park is the coolest spot for families in the summer! It includes a huge wading pool (about 2 feet deep?) and water fall and splash pad on top. All along the riverfront! fountain. We park in the Yards Lot Q right behind District Winery on 4th St. and Water St. SE. Weekdays it's $2-2.50 an hour and weekends it's $1.50-$3 per hour.
Opening Dates: Open Memorial Day to Labor Day I believe.
Address: 355 Water Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Hours: Thursday to Sunday. From their website: To keep the Yards Park Canal Basin clean and safe throughout the summer, the water features will be closed for up to 72 hours from Monday to Wednesday on a weekly basis for routine cleaning and maintenance.
Link to Park Post
5) Eastern Market Metro Park DC Splash Pad
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 20003
Link to Playground Post
6) King-Greenleaf Recreation Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 201 N Street, SW 20024
7) Potomac Avenue Triangle Park
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 1216 Potomac Avenue, SE 20003
8) Benning Stoddert Recreation Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 100 Stoddert Place, SE 20019
9) Hillcrest Recreation Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: 3100 Denver Street, SE 20020
Southwest DC's Only Splash Pad and Park
Fort Greble Recreation Center
Opening Dates: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
Address: Martin Luther King Jr. Ave & Elmira St, SW 20032
Link to Park Post
Beyond DC - Splash Pads in Virginia and Maryland!
Click here for 30 Splash Pads in Northern Virginia
Click here for 13 Splash Pads & Pools in Maryland
Swimming Gear for Splash Pads
#1 Water Shoes: Great to have water shoes to help your kids not hurt the bottoms of their feet. I always look for covered/reinforced toes which these have. Lots of colors and styles for girls and boys.
#2 UPF Rashguard Shirts: I purchased this one for my daughter because I like the mock neck. Tons of colors and sizes and a great price.
#3 Favorite Sun Hat: We've used these hats for 6 years! (Originally from REI bought found on Amazon) 2,700, 5-star reviews with UPF 50 and Smart Strap which is safer to help prevent choking.
