CT Mommy Blog

93 Cooke Street, Plainville, CT

I love finding new parks around Connecticut. Last week I found Paderewski Park and Splash Pad in Plainville, CT. We spent the day keeping cool at the splash pad and having fun on the playground.

The splash pad at Paderewski Park was built in 2014. It opens mid-June and stays open until the beginning of September. It is open daily through the summer from 10 am to 7 pm. It’s a small splash pad and has a very neighborhood park feel with many of the visitors walking from their homes nearby. I’ve visited the splash pads at Rockwell Park in Bristol and Wolcott Park in West Hartford. Both of those parks were fantastic but very busy. Paderewski was quiet. There were only a few other people when we were there.

Splash Pad

The splash pad has two main water features. One has buckets that fill with water and then topple over. The other had three “shower heads” that spray water. There were also several sprinklers that spray from the ground. My kids had a blast running through the sprinklers.

The water is set on a timer/sensor. You have to periodically go over and press the button on the ground.

There were five benches along the perimeter of the splash pad for parents to sit and watch. There was also a bathroom that was available to change.

Playground

We went to Paderewski Park for the splash pad, so the fact that they also had a small playground was a bonus. The playground is best for kids ages 5 – 12 but kids (ages 3 and 1) still had plenty of fun. I would be cautious about using the slides mid-day since they were really hot. Thankfully they do have a covered slide that we were able to use. They also have have swings, a sandbox, and spring ride-on toys.

Tip: I leave a bucket and sand toys in my trunk. You never know when they will come in handy.

Picnic Areas

There is a covered pavilion with several picnic tables. We chose to have our lunch under some tall trees on a picnic blanket (another thing that I always keep in my car).

Fields

Paderewski Park has several sports fields and courts: basketball, tennis, baseball, and soccer.

Pond

There is a pond located in Paderewski Park. It’s fenced off from the fields but easily accessible. When we visited there were several geese and ducks swimming in the water. There are signs posted that ask you not to feed the animals so leave the bread at home.

Paderewski Park is a great little park to visit with the family. There are lots of things to do for a fun summer day.