The Booth Park Splash Pad, Honestly

Booth Park is one of those Birmingham spots that looks simple from the outside but rewards the people who actually go regularly. The splash pad is the main draw in summer, and it is genuinely good. Free, clean, and surrounded by enough shade that you can sit and watch your kid run through the water without melting yourself.

Here is what nobody tells you before you go the first time. Parking is easiest along the streets adjacent to the park, not in the main lot, which fills up fast on hot days. Go before 10 a.m. on weekdays and you will practically have the place to yourself. Weekends are a different story. By noon on a Saturday in July, it is a scene, and a fun one, but crowded.

The turf hill on the south side of the park is my kid's favorite part, and he has discovered that a flattened cardboard box turns it into a slide that is roughly ten times more exciting than it has any right to be. I keep a box in the car for this purpose. No shame.

There are restrooms, a playground, and enough open grass that you can spread out a blanket and make a morning of it. Bring sunscreen, bring snacks, and plan to stay longer than you think. That is the general rule with Booth Park.