Splash pads and wading pools in Austin

A shaded splash pad with a small swing-and-slide playground about twenty feet away. Restrooms on site. Parking is the weak point.

A compact two-acre park that packs in a free pool, resurfaced courts, and a tree-shaded playground. Strong community upkeep.

A large district park with a pool, a shaded kindergarten play section, and a full set of courts.

A big district park with a pool and a skate park. The play equipment sits in full sun, which matters from May onward.

A north-side park with a seasonal splash area, a creek trail, and a full court set.

Built around a heated public pool open year-round, with shaded trails alongside. Restrooms exist but are dated, and the showers draw complaints.

A gated turf-surfaced play area under tree cover, with a small seasonal splash feature, bocce courts and a fenced dog park. Parking is two-hour limited.

A new park built around a splash pad with a shaded circle of seating stations for watching toddlers, plus a short zip line, covered picnic area and restrooms with a changing table. Young trees mean shade is still limited.

A shaded neighbourhood park whose playground sits under a purpose-built sunshade, with covered picnic areas, tennis and a community pool that opens for summer.

A large peaceful park packing in a pool, community garden, small skate area, free tennis and basketball courts, playscape and shaded picnic tables with grills.

A well-kept park on a crushed-granite trail network, with a rentable pavilion, sand volleyball and a paid pool complex. The splash pad features were largely switched off on a recent visit.

A rec-centre park with modern playground equipment, a pool and basketball court. Walkways are uneven enough to be flagged for strollers and wheelchairs, and the only restroom is inside the often-closed rec building.

Old oaks shade the entire playground and parts of the pool — one parent sums the park up as simply all the shade. Benches throughout for watching. Equipment is modest, and a longtime resident wants more.

A family pool with a zero-depth entry, baby slides and a partially shaded walk-in wading section, plus a 48-inch water slide and a diving well. Clean restrooms with showers; limited parking.

A heated municipal pool with depths from three inches to twelve feet, water slides and a beginners' area, free outside summer. Overcrowding is a repeated and serious complaint when other sections are closed.

A charming playscape under established trees with a decent amount of shade even at midday, a community pool open until 8pm, public restrooms and substantial parking.

An unusually accessible district park with multiple lots spread around it so you can park near the section you want, an Olympic-size pool, tennis and pickleball, and a modern playground with baby and regular swings. Restrooms are basic.

Several playscapes plus a rock climbing obstacle, sidewalks for bikes and huge grass areas, with tennis, sand volleyball and public bathrooms. The pool has been out of commission and the field is used informally as an off-leash dog area.

The only place in south Austin offering free indoor basketball, with five pickleball courts marked on the gym floor, a pool, playground and clean air-conditioned facilities. A daily-use neighbourhood anchor.

A recreation centre park recently improved with a swimming pool, new playground equipment and after-school programmes, plenty of shade and a bus line at the door. Some accounts still describe it as dated.

A well-maintained south Austin park built around a free-entry pool with a shaded area by the entrance, four picnic tables, a gaga ball court, a walking track and a playground.

One of the best-shaded community parks in the Austin hill country, thanks to live oaks, with a plethora of equipment, cement paths through a wood-chip playground, a lifeguarded summer pool and courts for three sports.

A small but well-stocked neighbourhood park with six swings, partial tree shade, many benches, tennis courts and a pool with a deep end and a baby pool. Litter, broken toys and ageing benches are recurring complaints.

A spacious neighbourhood pool with a splash pad visitors of all ages enjoy, good seating and staff repeatedly singled out as excellent. Parking is tight and the men's changing area draws consistent cleanliness complaints.

A broad range of equipment including a parent-child swing and support swings for babies, alongside a Texas wildflower garden, flower trail, pool and tennis courts. Always clean and mowed; more shade is the one wish.

A long trail network for walking and biking, a pool and basketball court, and play equipment graded across ages — the biggest slide is gated behind a rope course a child has to climb first. Plenty of tables and parking.

A well-maintained park with an adult exercise station, three tennis courts, a climbing rock and unusual manual excavator toys. The only bathroom is for pool members, and the tire swing is a lightweight imitation that tips over.

A solid metro park with a well-maintained decomposed granite trail winding through several segments, a pool with a big water slide and tennis courts. Parking is short and the courts carry years of accumulated dirt.

A newer neighbourhood playscape with two toddler swings and two regular swings, a residents' pool with lifeguards, vending and water fountains, and a bike lane behind. One slide is cracked and has been flagged as a hazard.

A quiet park with a pond, playgrounds, a well-regarded restroom, plenty of parking and shade to sit in — but no cover over the play equipment, which visitors called out as a strange omission for a new park. Shades were reported being installed.

A newly renovated park with well-kept basketball and tennis courts, a simple pool and a large open field with a backstop, used mostly for soccer and cricket. The playground suits older children and the baby swings are missing.

A fenced neighbourhood playscape with lots of shade across a wide age range, and a free pool. Technically residents-only, though visitors report nobody minding occasional outside use of the park itself.

A well-regarded Shady Hollow neighbourhood pool with plenty of shade and tennis — HOA residents only. The slide collects water at the bottom, so expect puddling for a day or two after rain.

A spacious HOA park with a gated pool needing a key, plenty of room for children and an outdoor basketball court. The pool is reported cloudy, the restrooms need a power wash, and the lot is a round-the-clock hangout.

A family retreat with a splash pad the kids adore and a playground on site, plus restrooms that need a fob to enter, though one visitor flagged litter around the grounds.

A shaded HOA green space with a basketball court, a swimming area that includes a shallow spot for little ones, and a pavilion for gathering, well suited to a family swim outing.

A neighbourhood park with a waterfall feature children play in and space for picnics, used for community events including a well-attended Mother's Day gathering.