Places to Go - The FANTASTIC Penrose Square Splash Park/Fountain (Arlington, VA)

As cliched as it sounds, the message of parenthood, as well as life itself, always seems to state: "be careful what you wish for."

As we know, I love a good spraypark (click here to check out my past review of the Rustico spraypark). So I was quite happy when Arlington county installed a brand-new spraypark/fountain in Penrose Square. First of all, since the splashpark also qualifies as an "interactive water feature", it runs constantly from 10 am to 8 pm (unlike Arlington's other splashparks which operate on a (somewhat confusing) schedule. Further, the spraypark is right next to Columbia Pike's newest dining destinations - Red Rocks, William Jeffrey's Tavern, Taqueria Poblano, etc. (we LOVE the revitalized Pike). And, best of all, the park is within seconds of my children's favorite place in the world - Menchie's frozen yogurt. Basically a huge win, right?

Well, not totally. Two weeks ago, I took P and T there, along with one of P's best friends. The girls ran into the spray and then ran out. And stayed out, proclaiming they were simply "too old for splashparks." Instead they spent the rest of the morning climbing the the weird egg sculptures and asking when we could go to Menchies. T, on the other hand, had the time of his life. The sprays are high, so you can really become quite wet and immersed. I think it's all rather wonderful. Five star. But the girls are not on board, so we haven't gone again.

For an extra special night out, on the third Thursday night of summer months, Penrose Square also hosts free movies and live music. August 15th is ET and September 19th you can see Toy Story live outside. Click here for more information.

Places to Go - The BEST SPRAYPARK ever (Arlington, VA)

A few weeks ago a good friend called me to tell me about the "best spraypark ever", I admit I was skeptical at first (sorry for doubting you, Julia) because, really, how great can a kids' spraypark really be? Now I know the answer - REALLY GREAT!

The new fountain/spraypark is privately owned and located between Rustico Restaurant and Buzz Bakery in Arlington on Wilson Blvd and Quincy St. So while your kids frolic, you (the adult) can sit outside and drink a glass of wine and relax (a small fence separates the restaurants from the park area, so if you have young kids this adventure may not work for you as a barrier exists between you and your children). But if you have kids 4 (3?) and up, relax and have a drink, especially with friends. Rustico doesn't open their patio until 5:30 (call to make sure, as this may change). After the patio opens, they have a great children's menu (only $5 per entree) and lots of wonderful "adult" food (especially the gourmet pizzas). The perfect "date" night with kids. I love this place. Plus, approximately 10 kids were at the spraypark when we visited, making it not nearly as crowded as the Arlington County sprayparks.




Um, yeah, they aren't supposed to climb the fence. But of course I had to take a picture before the rescue occurred.


Rustico has some seriously yummy food (and an extensive beer menu). A flash storm occurred on the night I took these pictures. Luckily we finished dinner first, so we hid under the overhang and waited for the storm to abate. I'm glad we waited out the storm, as we all loved watching the rainbow appear.

UPDATE - LOOKING FOR ANOTHER GREAT SPRAYPARK? CHECK OUT MY POST ON THE NEW PENROSE SQUARE INTERACTIVE FOUNTAIN/WATER FEATURE!

RANDOM LINKS:

*KidFriendly DC has a contest to win a Washington Mystics Family Fun pack. Click here to enter.

*Loving these photos of beautiful kids' rooms and houses.

*These DIY sailor's knot bracelets are really cute, for kids or adults.

*Kinfolk online magazine - gorgeous photos and words (link via A Day That Is Dessert).