Hanging Loose at the Park!

With summer winding down and the back-to-school season upon us, now is the perfect time to review some of summer’s most playful public places—parks!

My favorite part about visiting local public parks is how easily it fits into gaps in my schedule, however big or small. If I’m grabbing lunch for the kids on the road and don’t want to eat in the car, stopping at the park gives me the opportunity to spend one-on-one time outdoors with my kids while eating together and then take in the scenary while they play quickly.  For longer stretches of time, the park is the perfect place to let the kids run around, play on the playground, and get to know new friends.

This summer, two parks were our constant playgrounds—Draper City Park and Splash Pad (Rosecrest).

Draper City Park

The Northeast Corner of Draper City Park

Draper City Park is one of my favorites. Not only is it right around the corner from my house, but it has lots of shade trees. We always visit the northeast corner of the park, which sports three playgrounds, a sand volleyball court, a basketball court, a huge covered pavillion perfect for large gatherings, lots of benches and tables, outdoor exercise equipment all right next to a bridge-covered stream and lots of room to run and play.

Draper City Park Northeast Pavillion

When my oldest son’s school wasn’t built yet, we had our first school carnival at this park in this northeast corner. To give you an idea of how big it is, we brought in six bounce houses, served dinner to 400 as well as ran a silent auction under the pavilion, had a games section, and all the traditional carnival treats like snow cones, cotton candy, etc. This park was the ideal setting for such an event since it had enough space for everyone to roam about comfortably without too much space to lose the small community feel we wanted.

Splash Pad (Rosecrest)

This park is on 5600 West in Herriman and the reason it wins out as a favorite for my kids is because of the water feature. Kids in swim suits run on the rubber surface through spraying water and when that turns off, they move over to the traditional play grounds, pavilions, and grassy areas.

The Splash Pad at Rosecrest Park in Herriman

Today’s Open Mic Monday is brought to you by guest blogger Evonne Sell from Sell…Party of 3. I love Evonne and am so glad she agreed to write a post for SassyScoops.com–especially at such short notice (because I’m lame and seem to do everything last minute these days). And I’m really excited she’s featuring the new Cowabunga Bay in Draper, Utah. I’ve been dying to know more about this colorful, crazy-looking water park!
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The Inside Scoop on Cowabunga Bay
by Evonne Sell

Have any of you noticed the sa-weet new water park while driving down I-15? Curiosity got the best of me and I had to stop and get the “sassy scoop” on Cowabunga Bay for ya’ll! I was able to sit down with the owner of this family-owned business and get the inside scoop on the park before its grand opening on Friday, June 12th.

I love the look of Cowabunga Bay, and of course, so does my four-year-old. It looks like something straight out of a Dr. Suess book. There is plenty to do with eight slides and a lazy river to float all of your cares away–which is exactly what I will be needing by Friday.
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This is just what our community was in need of…a nice, clean, family environment that is pretty inexpensive, if I do say so myself. After browsing their website I realized why I fell in love so quickly. Do you ever feel like when you go to a place you have to stay all day long to get your money’s worth? Never fear! This place doesn’t charge you full price if you aren’t planning to stay all day. Nice, huh?

After I left I immediately wished that I had worked off those extra 20 pounds so I could look good in that cute bathing suit. Oh well! It looks like too much fun to pass up with or without the 20 pounds. I am SO there this summer–who is with me?

Emily’s note:

You can follow the construction of Cowabunga Bay by visiting the Cowabunga Bay Construction Blog. Check out the photo of the giant Yellow Tipping Bucket–have you ever seen such a large amount of water being dumped in one place at one time. Don’t get within 100 feet unless you want to get wet! For admission prices, park hours and other info visit the Cowabunga Bay website. The water park is located at 12047 S. Factory Outlet Dr. in Draper, Utah.