With temperatures rising and summer now here, the county’s spraygrounds and interactive water features are all now open except for Mosaic Park.
Arlington has four spraygrounds and two interactive water features that are typically open Memorial Day until Labor Day. Among them:
Spraygrounds
- Drew Park at 3514 22nd Street S. in Green Valley
- Hayes Park at 1516 N. Lincoln Street in Virginia Square
- Lyon Village Park at 1800 N. Highland Street in Lyon Village
- Virginia Highlands Park at 1600 S. Hayes Street in Pentagon City
Interactive Water Features
- Penrose Square at 2597 Columbia Pike in Penrose
- Mosaic Park at 544 N. Pollard Street in Ballston
As of this past weekend, they are all open with varying hours — save for the water feature at Mosaic Park. It’s currently closed for repairs, Department of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish says, but it should be open in about a month.
“We are still waiting for essential components to repair the Mosaic water feature,” Kalish writes, “It will be open before July 4th.”
The Ballston park underwent a $6 million renovation in 2019 after years of delays. It finally reopened to the public in late 2020.
Spraygrounds and water features are actually two different things, with spraygrounds specifically designed to be a play area for kids.
“A sprayground is a playground for children to get wet. An interactive water feature was designed for people of all ages to have fun viewing and getting wet,” Kalish notes. “Interactive water features do not meet Playground Safety Guidelines.”
The water features at Penrose Square and Mosaic Park are, despite the the all-ages designation, popular with children and families.
Of course, there are rules to follow while using the county’s spraygrounds and water features: No running, horseplay, or climbing on features is allowed. Pets are also prohibited and, please, avoid drinking the water, the parks department says. Enjoyment, though, is allowed.
“Having fun is permissible and highly encouraged,” reads the county’s website.
Just last month, Arlington’s park system was ranked number three in the nation by the non-profit Trust for Public Land. The availability of spraygrounds was cited as one of the reasons for the high ranking.