Fun Orange County Parks

OC kids playgrounds and nature play trips

Splash Parks and Water Play in Orange County

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Orange County Splash Parks and Water Play

Updated for Summer 2019

One of Fun Orange County Parks’ regular readers asked about local “spray parks” for water play – and even gave some suggestions herself.  I keep hearing that Southern California, especially OC, lacks spray parks. My only explanation is our proximity to the beach and the good weather which allows us to make our own splash parks at home with sprinklers. Here are links to a few splash pad options if you are looking to get wet this summer:

FREE SPLASH FOUNTAINS

  • Heritage Park in Irvine is one of my personal favorites (see photo above).
  • Harry M. Dotson Park in Stanton has a “Wet Saloon” themed water play area – this one gets mixed reviews from readers, especially since the parking situation can be tough.
  • Stanton Central Park Splash Pad opened in June 2016 with a water play area and railroad themed playground.
  • Frontier Park in Tustin spray ground “features a state of the art recirculation system and special water conserving spray nozzles that ensures no wasteful water consumption.” It’s open 11am to 4pm M-F (although one reader tells me she went often last year and the water features were never on).
  • Pioneer Road Park in Tustin has a little splash park during the summer.
  • The Splash Pad in Westminster’s Sigler Park is at the corner of a large rectangular park area right off the main boulevard.
  • Lemon Park Spray Pool in Fullerton used to be a sparse playground with old equipment, although the water play area (below) hasn’t changed much the surrounding playground has new equipment.

List continues past this photo of Lemon Park . . .

lemon park spray pool fullerton

Always check the city or original source to make sure the parks are open. Sometimes they turn off the water without notice.

PAY FOR WATER PLAY

Other Southern California Water Theme Parks:

As I was updating this post, I noticed many of these parks offer spring discounts on annual passes. So if you’re ready to commit to one park, you could probably get your money’s worth.

I’ve never been, but the City of La Mirada Buccaneer Bay (Splash!) gets the best reader comments:

“We visited Splash in La Mirada on Saturday and “OH MY GOODNESS” it was sooo much fun!”  (See the rest of Lisa’s experience in the comments section below.)

“We visited La Mirada (all the way from Lake Forest) today – there’s nowhere we won’t drive! It was definitely worth it. The ‘common pool’ area in the middle is free, parking is free, my 2 year old son was free. That’s a bargain in exchange for the cost of gas. I like that locker rental only cost 50 cents and that you can swim for free or enter Buccaneer Bay for a fee. I thought that cost of the Bay was reasonable for all they had to offer. Can’t wait to go again sometime.” (-Heather)

SMALLER SCALE WATER PLAY FOR LOCALS

Southern California Hotels with Water Play

It basically has this list, but it’s organized so it’s a little easier to read. It’s useful to remember that this list is ONLY waterslides or water parks AT hotels — meaning (in most cases) you must be a registered guest and staying at the hotel to enjoy the amenities.

What did I miss? Please help me keep this list up-to-date. I’ve been maintaining it every summer for the past ELEVEN years.

BEACHES:

Don’t forget the BEACH! Kids can splash in the surf without going all the way in the water. Hold their hands and cool your toes, too. I have a ton of suggestions with details under my Beach category. And I wrote about the Best Toddler Beaches with no waves.

Originally published in Summer 2008.

About Michele Whiteaker

Writer mom and nature guide promoting play and encouraging families to prioritize nature time since 2008. UNOFFICIAL information provided as a FREE community resource to over 300,000 OC families each year. Subscribe to my FREE email inspiring you with creative play ideas.

Comments

  1. Cynthia C. says

    I live in Rancho Santa Margarita, and I have always had a great time in the open splash area next to Kohl’s, in front of Daphne’s/Baja Fresh/ Niko Niko Sushi.

    By 3pm the water is warm enough to stand in, areas are timid enough for toddlers, and it’s been really clean every time I’ve gone.

    Hope others have the same great experience.

  5. anah says

    we just had my son’s birthday party at Sigler Park’s splash pad yesterday! it was awesome! for $100, you get to rent it out for 2 hours and it was well worth it, we arrived during public hours and it was jam packed…they brought out the megaphone and cleared everyone out for our party. there are 3 benches for parents and chairs along the side… we bought BJ’s pizza down the street, i brought fruit and cupcakes and the kids had the pad to themselves!! there’s also a playground right next door too for some before/after play. it was the best birthday ever! we’ll be back again soon 😉 thank you so much for the recommendation – you truly made memories for me and my family!!

  6. MIchelle says

    I’ve seen the splash fountain at the Cerritos Library but we haven’t played in it because we visited during the cold weather. It looks fun, though!

  7. Jennifer says

    Hey girls, I hear that Pioneer Park in Tustin also has a splash pad! I’ve been to the park, but not while the splash pad was running. Check it out!

  9. Tammy says

    Since we live in RSM, I took my daughter to the fountain in front of the Baja Fresh (near Kohl’s) here in town. It’s right off the road that runs through the shopping plaza, so it is sooo dirty in there! There were cigarette butts and all kinds of debris my poor baby was literally covered with dirt. When we got home she went straight into the bath! Now I know why I rarely see kids playing in there!

  10. Heather says

    We visited La Mirada (all the way from Lake Forest) today – there’s nowhere we won’t drive! It was definitely worth it. The ‘common pool’ area in the middle is free, parking is free, my 2 year old son was free. That’s a bargain in exchange for the cost of gas. I like that locker rental only cost 50 cents and that you can swim for free or enter Buccaneer Bay for a fee. I thought that cost of the Bay was reasonable for all they had to offer. Can’t wait to go again sometime. Thanks for the recommendation.

  11. Lisa says

    We visited Splash in La Mirada on Saturday and “OH MY GOODNESS” it was sooo much fun! You see since our kids are little going places like Wild Rivers was just not good for our little one since it’s expensive, crowded and just not as clean as we would like it to be, but The City of La Mirada has absolutely out done themselves. They have the nicest Aquatics Center that includes two lap pools and a small water park that is perfect for little kids. When looking at the web site’s picture it shows the big slides for the bigger kids, but the younger kids play area was in a word awesome! The parking is free, use of Life Jackets and inner tubes are also free and lockers are only $5.00 per day. We were smart to arrive early they open at 10:30 AM and we arrived about 10:00 and were nearly the first people in the place, but let me tell you we were able to get a great place to sit right on the edge of the pool so we had a spot under a nice umbrella and small tables. It was fantastic! I cannot think of enough complimentary words to describe it. What I can tell you is that it’s extremely clean, they have a nice snack bar, they do not allow outside food in the Water Park, but you can keep lunch in the locker or in your car. You can come and go as you please so if you want to leave and return you can do that and just show your wrist band although you will not want to leave once you’ve gotten settled it’s just too much fun. As for activities they have a huge shallow pool with a large play structure in the middle with small slides for the little ones and a nice lazy river where you can relax in an inner tube and float if you choose. For the bigger kids they have much larger water slides, but this park really is great for the little ones. On the Lisa scale of 1 to 10 I give this place a 10+ and will definitely be going again soon.

  12. Anonymous says

    There is a water/splash park in Orange County! Pioneer park in Tustin has a fun water play area. as well as play equipment, bbq, walking trail, ect. It's a small park but but a lot of un. it's at 10250 Pioneer Rd., Tustin.