Splash pads in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Old Kona Airport Park (Makaeo) is the Big Island's leeward-coast family superpark — built on a former airport runway, now a sprawling complex with sports fields, walking loop along the lava coastline, a pavilion, and a water-play area that's a lifesaver during the bone-dry Kona summer. Free parking is plentiful, clean restrooms, picnic shelters. Best for toddlers through grade-schoolers; the splash zone is modest. Parent gotcha: Kona's leeward UV is intense, rashguards and reapplied sunscreen mandatory; vog (volcanic smog from Kilauea) can drift into Kona on south winds — check the Hawaii DOH air-quality page before going. Year-round operation thanks to tropical climate; Big Island drought conditions can occasionally trim water features. Pair with a stop at one of the Alii Drive lunch spots or push into Kailua town for shave ice.