ST. LOUIS – After she spent 40 years as a teacher, this was one of the top things Pearlie Dawson wanted to do in retirement: spend time with her grandchildren.

“I brought my grandbabies out to keep cool instead of stuck in the house in this hot weather,” she said.

Zair, Dawson’s 1-year-old grandson, had a special day at the Citygarden splash pad on Tuesday.

Trying out the various splash pads around St. Louis is a summertime must for some grandparents, moms, and families.

“We really like it,” said Megan Sustar and Laura Sondag, enjoying the splash pad with their kids. “It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of kids playing. We’re used to the ones in Illinois, but this one is more natural kind of cool.”


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“We have one where we live in Swansea, and this is just a change,” Dawson said.

Whether it’s to the north, south, east, or west, whichever is best may simply be the most centrally located.

A busy respite in the sweltering city of St. Louis.

“The city background is different, and it’s neat to come downtown in a natural place to play,” Sustar said.

Most parents said trying out the family-friendly splash pads around the region is a fun way for a family to try and stay cool.

“I’d have to say Edwardsville,” said Laura Locke. “But this is a close second. We just did the Forest Park one. I would say Edwardsville and O’Fallon would be my top two.”