Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Fuquay-Varina sprayground

If you've been craving the refreshment of a big sprayground, you don't have too far of a drive now! The Town of Fuquay-Varina just opened one up and we went to go check it out.


Some details from the town website: "The 6,000 square foot splash pad... [has] more than 35 water features. The pentagon shaped facility (93 ft. by 89 ft..)... [has] flowing, jetting and misting water structures zoned for various ages ensuring everyone in the family gets in on the fun!"

I gotta say when we got there we were worried because it was crowded and there was a line outside the entrance. But we asked a Parks & Rec employee who was in charge of the facility how the line worked. She explained that there is a limit on the number of people allowed in at one time, 120. While those people play, others can wait just outside the simple barriers. The group playing has 16 minutes, then must leave and let the people waiting in line in. Good thing is that there are never 120 people in line, so the people that just played can get right back in the back of the line. Sometimes depending on when we approached we had to wait, but no more than 5 minutes, and sometimes we caught it right as groups were transitioning. Adults and kids are welcome, some people had shoes and some didn't. I personally recommend them because it can get slippery and.... well, athlete's foot.

There are several fun components to play in, from arching rainbow style tubes that spray downwards to a giant pelican that dumps water from it's mouth. There are a lot of nozzles in the ground that spray up as well as giant spray guns. The biggest attraction by far is the giant bucket that dumps enough to cover 20 people probably every 3 minutes. The whole thing is really well maintained and everyone was behaving and being safe.

It's also nice that if the kids get cold or bored with the water, there is a playground right next to it.

I'm sure there are bathrooms somewhere but we didn't need them so I didn't have an occasion to look. My companion noticed that Fuquay has a food truck rodeo on Thursdays, and there are cute restaurants nearby in downtown, so I suggest looking up town events before you go and making a day of it

Also the town website says there is a sprayground cam, but the link is down. I tweeted to them to ask when it'd be back up. That'd be a great way of seeing it in action before you go!

 the pelican spout
 the nearby playground (you can also see the fencing around the sprayground)
 the rainbow spouts, great for younger kids that can walk under)
the giant bucket mid-dump!

What we liked: It was the biggest sprayground my kids have ever been to. It was a blast and the size limits prevented it from being too crowded. A totally refreshing summer experience on a hot day, unlike anything else!

What we would change: Not much to do about this, but it can be a hike depending where you live. From South Durham (SoDu for those of you in the know) you can hop right on 540, but it's still a good 30 minute drive. That being said, Museum of Life and Science or Marbles aren't much closer from where we live. I still think it's worth the drive. :)

Where it is: 900 S Main St, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526. Look for the ballfields.



- Kat Benson, SoDu Parents Posse founder and Stir Crazy Lead Blogger

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