Monday Park Playbook: Last Splash and Late Nights!

Pack up the kids, grab some towels, and lather on the sunscreen because this is the final week Mystic Waters Family Aquatic Center is open for the summer season. Mystic is open from noon to 7:00pm, August 12-18, and on August 24 and 25 from noon to 7:00pm. For those who are daring, make your way to Otter's Run and try one of our two 37 foot slides, some of the highest in the area. Your twisting, turning adventure ends with a refreshing splash into a 3-1/2 foot deep pool. Then, try one of the drop slides or cliff platforms in Sea Lions Falls. You can dive, jump, or cannon ball your way into the cool blue. Challenge your friends. Who can make the biggest splash?

Not much of a thrill seeker? Climb aboard one of the inner tubes in Crocodile Cove, relax, and let your cares just float away as you travel the 550-foot lazy river. Kids of all ages will love Dolphin Bay, a leisure pool with zero depth entry, sprays, geysers and a child-size dolphin slide. Parents and tots will enjoy Beluga Bay, a nonslip splash pad with a jungle gym, fountain, sprayers, and two kiddie slides. Beluga Bay is enclosed with a gate to keep children from escaping onto the pool deck, and has a shade structure to keep little ones from getting over heated. Next to Beluga Beach is our large sand play area. Sprayers go off frequently, keeping the sand moist, so kids can dig rivers, build castles, and sculpt fancy islands.

Ready for a night off and a night out for the kids? Saturday, August 24 is Late Night in the Park at Mountain View Adventure Center for kids in grades 5-10. Drop the kids off from 7-11pm and relax. They will enjoy an evening of fun with friends, time in the batting cages, unlimited mini-golf, and a chance to talk to their friends about the new school year.

Save the Date: Fall registration for classes, programs, and events begins on August 26 for residents and September 3 for non-residents. The Fall Spectrum is online now and mails this week. Browse through the pages, find all of the exciting new programs and events, and plan your fall classes.

For more information about programs and events at the Des Plaines Park District, visit www.DPParks.org or call 847-391-5700. Mystic Waters is located at 2025 Miner Street. Mountain View Adventure Center is located at 515 E. Algonquin Road.

See you around the parks.