My kids and I love all the adventures summer brings, particularly those involving water. Since my kids are still young (both are under 3) we can’t get too adventurous with beaches or pools that go beyond 2 feet deep, especially when Daddy isn’t with us for the day. So what’s a mom of busy toddlers to do? Bring on the toddler havens of summer: the spray park!
While we love frequenting the Grayslake Spray Park and Barefoot Bay Spray Park in Mundelein, we were looking for a new place to check out this summer. On our way back from a doctor’s appointment, we passed by the Buffalo Grove Spray N’Play and knew we had to check it out.
Little Review: Buffalo Grove Spray & Play
The Buffalo Grove Spray N’ Play, run by the Buffalo Grove Park District, features over 20 water toys, sprays, and fountains, plus picnic tables, all within a large fenced-in area. There are plenty of shaded picnic tables away from the main water areas, but also a few round tables with umbrellas nearby the water action so you can stay close if your kids are little like mine. There are also plenty of patio chairs and benches throughout the spray park for parents or caregivers to sit while the kiddos play.
Also conveniently located within the fenced-in Spray n’ Play area are women’s and men’s restrooms and a family changing room.
Directly outside the spray park area is Mike Rylko Community Park, a great playground with a hard foam surface (read: NO Wood Chips!!). The park is not shaded and can get hot on a sunny day, but the two times we have visited my kids didn’t care and were more than content to play with the many interactive and fun features the park had to offer.
Overall, we love the Buffalo Grove Spray N’Play and will be adding it to our summer must-do list for many years to come. The cost is $3 per person (adults must pay, too) for ages one and up. Trust me when I say the $3 is money well spent! One thing I did notice on both visits was that the time block of 12-2:00 p.m. seems to be popular with daycares and summer camps, which can get a little crowded with big kids running around. When we went between 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. and 2-4:00 p.m., we pretty much had the place to ourselves except for a few other families with little kids.
Buffalo Grove Spray N’ Play
Located at Mike Rylko Community Park
951 McHenry Road, Buffalo Grove, IL | (847) 793-0570
Have you been to the Spray N’ Play? Tell us about it in the comments!
by Dawn T. (Volo)
Dawn is a former 1st grade and early childhood teacher turned to stay at home mom to 2 boys Dawn and her boys love journeying around Lake County and the Chicago suburbs to check out new places to play, restaurants, farms, gardens, museums, or anything that might be of interest to families with young children.
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