Location: Olympia/South Sound
Address: 325 Marine Drive, Olympia
Acreage: 1.6
Outside Olympia’s outstanding children’s museum sits an amazing use of public space and the best water feature for kids I’ve ever come across. Not a spray park, not a fountain and not a wading pool… so what is it? An artificial (but so realistic) wading stream with climbable rocks, fake pebbles, a tiny footbridge and continuously running water.
And unlike many water features that dry up and shut down at the end of summer, this park’s stream runs into October.
The entire plaza is well-thought-out with oversized benches, umbrellas, plants, small trees and restrooms. The stream is drained and cleaned every evening and refilled, so you don’t have to worry about cleanliness (although note the rules posted on site).
The stream uses reclaimed water from a water plant just across the street, providing fun and an element of education at the same time. You can cross the street to see the plant, its free “wet science center” and a (non-wading) pond, also beautifully designed with plants and seating areas.
Olympia also has a spray fountain less than a mile away.
#460 (Visited 8/21/16)