MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for Orange Mound's new "splash pad" on Saturday.
The new pad is now officially open for kids and families to beat the Memphis summer heat in their own backyard. This area is part of the city's $100 investment in parks and Accelerate Memphis.
Jim Strickland was present at the ribbon cutting, which took place at the former site of a community pool within the historic neighborhood.
Last month, The Memphis Zoo opened their own splash pad as well.
Their pad has an Egyptian theme, paying tribute to the ancient city of Memphis, Egypt.
The play area at the Zoo includes slides, dump buckets, interactive toys and a special section just for toddlers. It is built in the former home of the hippo yard at the zoo. The old hippo house will be the Splash Park’s event center, and will be available for groups, birthday parties, and other events. There are also luxury cabanas for rent, new public restrooms, lockers, and a food cart. Coolers are not allowed.
All of the water from the splash park will be reclaimed and recirculated through a state-of-the-art filtration system. Zoo officials said they want to bring awareness to the importance of conserving water.
There are two sessions each day where the public can visit the Zoo's pad in the morning and afternoon (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m).