Parks in New York City With Splash Pads
Central Park is the surest bet for a splash pad in New York City: NYC Parks counts 17 separate spray-shower spots across its 840.01 acres, more than any other park in the city. Outside Manhattan the leaders are Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Forest Park and Bronx Park with six spots each, then Prospect Park and Williamsbridge Oval with five.
Size is where these 21 parks part ways. The flagship parks hold the most water in total but spread it thin, so Pelham Bay Park's four spots sit somewhere in 2,771.75 acres and the sprinkler becomes a destination you plan a route to. Small parks like Herbert Von King Park (three spots in 7.82 acres) and Williamsbridge Oval (five in 19.75) keep the water close at hand, which suits a quick cool-off with toddlers better than a day out.
Our picks
- Keeping an eye on the kids from one spot: Williamsbridge Oval. Five spray-shower spots in 19.75 acres, laid out around a single basin with a recreation center on the rim, so a parent can sit down and still see the play.
- A whole hot Saturday in the Bronx: Crotona Park. Three spray-shower spots and eleven playgrounds, plus the largest pool in the borough at 300 feet.
- Small children who want a full water playground: Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Pier 6 Water Lab sits beside Slide Mountain, Sandbox Village and Swing Valley, and runs 10am to 7pm daily once temperatures hold in the 80s.
At a glance
| Option | Borough | Nearest streets | Category | Acres | Spray shower spots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattansource | 5 Av To Central Park W, 59 St To 110 Stsource | Flagship Parksource | 840.01source | 17source | |
| Manhattansource | 5 Ave, Waverly Pl., W. 4 St. and Macdougal St.source | Neighborhood Parksource | 9.75source | 3source | |
| Manhattansource | 1 Ave., FDR Dr., bet. E. 111 St. and E. 114 St.source | Community Parksource | 15.52source | 1source | |
| Manhattansource | W 110 St To W 123 St, Manhattan Av To Morningside Avsource | Community Parksource | 29.89source | 4source | |
| Manhattansource | W 155 St and Dyckman St, Edgecombe Av & Amsterdam Avsource | Community Parksource | 130.1source | 4source | |
| Brooklynsource | Prospect Pk W, Flatbush, Parkside, Ocean Avessource | Flagship Parksource | 526.25source | 5source | |
| Brooklynsource | Marcy Ave., Tompkins Ave., bet. Greene Ave. and Lafayette Ave.source | Community Parksource | 7.82source | 3source | |
| Brooklynsource | Myrtle Ave., De Kalb Ave. bet. Washington Park and St. Edward's St.source | Community Parksource | 30.17source | 2source | |
| Brooklynsource | Nassau Ave, Bayard, Leonard & N 12 Stssource | Community Parksource | 36.49source | 1source | |
| Brooklynsource | Brooklyn Waterfront From Washington St To Atlantic Avesource | Community Parksource | 21.38source | ||
| Brooklynsource | 15 River St, Brooklyn, NY 11249source | 5source | |||
| Queenssource | Grand Central Pkwy, Van Wyck Exwysource | Flagship Parksource | 870.76source | 6source | |
| Queenssource | Myrtle Ave, Union Tpke, Park Lane Ssource | Flagship Parksource | 506.86source | 6source | |
| Queenssource | 19 St. bet. Astoria Park S. and Ditmars Blvd.source | Community Parksource | 59.96source | 1source | |
| Bronxsource | Southern Blvd,Webster,Burke Aves,Bronx Pk E,180 Stsource | Flagship Parksource | 718.37source | 6source | |
| Bronxsource | Van Cortlandt Ave. East, Resevoir Oval Esource | Neighborhood Parksource | 19.75source | 5source | |
| Bronxsource | Bruckner Blvd, Eastchester, Hutchinsonsource | Flagship Parksource | 2,771.75source | 4source | |
| Bronxsource | Crotona Park North to South, Fulton Av to Southern Blvd and Crotona Park Eastsource | Flagship Parksource | 127.5source | 3source | |
| Staten Islandsource | Forest Ave., Victory Blvd., bet. Clove Rd. and Brookside Ave., Royal Oak Rd.source | Community Parksource | 193.42source | 1source | |
| Staten Islandsource | Holton Ave., Chisolm St., Luten Ave., Arbutus Ave. and Raritan Baysource | Community Parksource | 302.69source | 2source | |
| Staten Islandsource | Victory Blvd., Clove Rd., Forest Ave.source | Community Parksource | 205.98source | 1source |
Small parks where the sprinkler is never far
For a short cool-off, weigh spots against acres. Herbert Von King Park fits three spray showers into 7.82 acres, Washington Square Park three into 9.75, and Williamsbridge Oval five into 19.75. Set those beside Clove Lakes Park, with one spot across 193.42 acres, or Silver Lake Park, one in 205.98, and the difference is water close by against water you have to go looking for.
Compact does not always mean easy. Washington Square Park is one of the busiest, noisiest squares in the city, and Morningside Park's four spots sit at the bottom of a hillside, so a stroller does better coming in from Morningside Avenue than from the heights.
One sprinkler, but a real pool next to it
Several parks here have little spray-shower coverage and make up for it with a pool. Thomas Jefferson Park, McCarren Park and Astoria Park each have a single spot, and Astoria's pool is the oldest and largest outdoor pool in the city. Crotona Park adds three spots to its 300-foot pool, and Highbridge Park pairs four spots with a pool and recreation center running since 1936. On the hottest afternoons, treat these as swim trips that happen to have a sprinkler.
Brooklyn's waterfront fountains keep their own hours
Brooklyn Bridge Park and Domino Park are the two rows with no spray-shower count, because neither appears on the NYC Parks census: each park runs its own water play. The Pier 6 Water Lab opens only once daily temperatures are consistently in the 80s and shuts in heavy rain or thunderstorms. Domino Park's fountain runs daily from May through October, inside a park open 6am to 11pm.
Both are small next to Prospect Park (21.38 and 5 acres, against its 526.25), and Domino fills up on hot weekends. Parking at Brooklyn Bridge Park is very limited, so the subway or the ferry is the easier way in.
The options in detail
Central Park
Central Park has seventeen separate spray-shower locations, more than any other park in the city, so on a hot day you are rarely far from one. Most sit inside the park's 21 official playgrounds, which means climbing equipment, benches and shade are usually right there too. It is also the most visited park on this list, with over 25 million guests a year, so expect company on a July afternoon and pick a playground away from the main paths if you want room.
Washington Square Park
Three spray-shower spots sit in the playgrounds around the edge of this Greenwich Village square, along with the famous central fountain that everyone sits around in summer. At under ten acres it is a stop rather than a day out, and it is one of the busiest, noisiest public spaces in the city: buskers, chess players and NYU students all year. Restrooms, food and dog runs are all on site, which helps when you are out with small children.
Thomas Jefferson Park
An East Harlem park set up for a whole day with kids: a big playground with swings and slides, a spray shower, an outdoor pool that opens for the summer, and barbecue grills and picnic tables. NYC Parks describes it as only a few blocks long but packed to the brim with things to do, and there is a recreation center on the grounds with an afterschool program. Just one spray-shower location, so the pool is the better bet on the hottest afternoons.
Morningside Park
A narrow strip that runs thirteen blocks along the cliff between Harlem and Morningside Heights, with four spray-shower spots and multiple playgrounds clustered at the bottom of the hillside. There is a cascading waterfall and pond to look at, ballfields across from it, and a farmers market on Saturdays. The slope is the thing to plan around: the playgrounds are at the low end, so come in from Morningside Avenue rather than the heights if you have a stroller.
Highbridge Park
Four spray-shower locations spread through a long, cliffside Washington Heights park, alongside several playgrounds and ballfields and the Highbridge pool and recreation center, running since 1936. Older kids get the city's first mountain biking course and a well-regarded skate park in the same visit. The park is stretched thin along the ridge above the Harlem River, so it pays to know which entrance is closest to the playground you want.
Prospect Park
Brooklyn's flagship park, designed by Olmsted and Vaux, with five spray-shower locations spread across its playgrounds. Around them are a zoo, a carousel, the first urban Audubon Center in the country, a watercourse of manmade wetlands and the bulk of Brooklyn's remaining native forest, so a sprinkler stop can turn into a whole day. It takes about eight million visitors a year, and at 526 acres the walk from the nearest subway to the water can be a long one.
Herbert Von King Park
Three spray-shower spots in under eight acres, which is the highest concentration of water on this list. One of the oldest parks in Brooklyn, laid out from a design submitted by Olmsted and Vaux and now the town square of Bedford-Stuyvesant, built around a cultural arts center and an outdoor amphitheater that hosts free concerts. Playgrounds, restrooms, fitness equipment and barbecue areas are all on the grounds.
Fort Greene Park
Two spray-shower locations in a hilly 30-acre park that was a Revolutionary War fort before Olmsted and Vaux redesigned it in the 1860s. Playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts, restrooms and a nature center sit around the slopes, with the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument at the summit. The hills are the character of the place and also the catch: lovely for a picnic, hard work with a stroller.
McCarren Park
The shared backyard of Greenpoint and Williamsburg: 36 acres of ballfields and courts with one spray-shower spot and the McCarren Park pool and play center for a proper swim. NYC Parks calls it 35 acres of bustling activity, which is fair on a summer weekend when nearly every field is in use. With a single sprinkler location, treat this as a pool trip that happens to have a sprinkler rather than the other way round.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
The Pier 6 playgrounds hold the Water Lab, a purpose-built water-play area sitting next to Slide Mountain, Sandbox Village and Swing Valley, and it is the best-known place in Brooklyn to get a small child thoroughly soaked. The park says the Water Lab runs daily from 10am to 7pm once daily temperatures are consistently in the 80s, and shuts in heavy rain or thunderstorms. Entry is free, there are restrooms at Pier 6 and several other piers, and the harbour views are why the adults do not mind waiting. Parking is very limited, so plan on the subway or the ferry.
Domino Park
A Williamsburg waterfront park on the site of the old Domino Sugar Refinery, with a fountain built for children: eighty-eight individually programmed water jets and lights, open daily from May through October. A pyramid of wooden seating steps reclaimed from the refinery looks straight down on it, so you can watch from the shade, and the refinery-themed playground and the misting Fog Bridge are a few steps away. The park runs 6am to 11pm daily. It is small, and it is one of the most photographed parks in Brooklyn, so it fills up on hot weekends.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Six spray-shower locations, the most of any park outside Manhattan, spread over the old World's Fair grounds. The rest of the day fills itself: the Unisphere, lakes and trails you can walk, bike or kayak, cricket and soccer fields, an aquatics centre and ice rink, and several museums. At 870 acres it is not a park you wander into hoping to find water, so pick your playground and your parking before you go.
Forest Park
Six spray-shower locations across a 500-acre park that is really two places. The western end is the active half, with playgrounds, softball, tennis, bocce, handball and a par-67 golf course modelled on Scottish links. The eastern end is 165 acres of woods on knob-and-kettle terrain, with hiking trails and bridle paths and horses for hire from a private stable. Sprinklers first, then a proper forest walk, is an easy day here.
Astoria Park
Best known for the oldest and largest outdoor pool in the city, Astoria Park also has a spray shower, playgrounds, a running track, tennis and bocce courts and a skate park, all on the East River between the Triborough and Hell Gate bridges. The views along the shoreline benches are the reason people sit here year round. Only one spray-shower location for 60 acres, so on the hottest days the pool does the heavy lifting.
Bronx Park
Six spray-shower locations, the most of any park in the Bronx, in the 718 acres that also hold the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. Outside those two, the park itself is playgrounds, ballfields, courts, a skate park and a kayak launch, plus a two-mile stretch of the Bronx River running through a wooded gorge of red maple swamp and floodplain forest. Good for a day that mixes water, a playground and a river walk.
Williamsbridge Oval
Five spray-shower locations in under twenty acres, which for its size is the most water of any park here. The Norwood park sits in a bowl ringed by Reservoir Oval East, with a recreation centre on the rim and a running track, playgrounds, ballfields, pickleball and tennis courts inside. Because it is laid out around a single basin, it is one of the easier parks to sit in and still keep an eye on children.
Pelham Bay Park
The largest park in New York City, more than three times the size of Central Park, with four spray-shower locations scattered among its playgrounds. It also has Orchard Beach, thirteen miles of saltwater shoreline on Long Island Sound, bridle paths, hiking trails, two golf courses and the Bartow-Pell Mansion. At 2,771 acres the distances are real, so look up which playground you are heading for before you set out.
Crotona Park
Three spray-shower locations and eleven playgrounds, plus the largest pool in the Bronx at 300 feet, make this one of the strongest hot-day parks in the borough. There is also a 3.3-acre lake with turtles and ducks, 28 tree species, twenty hard tennis courts and five baseball diamonds across its 127 acres. Between the sprinklers, the playgrounds and the pool you can spend a whole Saturday without leaving.
Clove Lakes Park
One spray-shower location sits in the active corner of this Forever Wild park, next to playgrounds, baseball diamonds, a soccer field and a basketball court. The rest is lakes and ponds you can take a paddleboat out on, serpentine rock outcrops and a three-hundred-year-old tulip tree, the largest living thing on Staten Island. With a single sprinkler across 193 acres, treat the water as a bonus on a walk rather than the reason to come.
Wolfe's Pond Park
Two spray-shower locations, a beach on Raritan Bay, a playground, restrooms and hiking trails through a wildlife and plant preserve, all in one of Staten Island's largest parks. The mix is the appeal: sprinkler, sand and woods on a single 302-acre trip. It sits at the south end of the island, so for most of the city it is a drive or a long ride rather than a spur-of-the-moment stop.
Silver Lake Park
Laid out a century ago as Staten Island's answer to Central Park and Prospect Park, Silver Lake now covers 206 acres around a lake that once supplied the city's Catskill water system. One spray-shower location, a playground, baseball fields, restrooms and an 18-hole golf course. It is quieter than the flagship parks, which is the point, but with a single sprinkler it is a neighbourhood cool-off rather than a water destination.
How we researched this
This table is built on NYC Parks' census of spray showers, the city's own name for splash pads, which covers 583 park sites across the five boroughs. Most of those are small playgrounds with one sprinkler each, so instead of a directory we drew a shortlist of 40 parks weighted toward the sites with the most spray showers in each borough, and kept 21. Riverside Park, with seven spots, was dropped because the city records it as a park group with no acreage, and Brower Park in Crown Heights was cut to keep Brooklyn from outnumbering the other boroughs further. Brooklyn Bridge Park and Domino Park are not on the census and were added from their own sites, which is why their spray-shower cells are empty and Domino has no city category.
Nearest streets repeats the bounding streets NYC Parks prints for each park, since the city does not give its parks street addresses; Domino Park's is the one real address. Acreage is the city's figure, except Domino, whose own site says 5 acres in one place and 6 in another (the table uses 5). The Water Lab stops for storms and Domino's fountain stops after October, so check the park's own page before heading out on a hot day.