Splash pads in Roanoke, Virginia

Elmwood Park is downtown Roanoke's anchor — interactive splash plaza, amphitheater, summer concert series, and walking distance to the Taubman Museum. Free, with on-street parking and a paid garage nearby. Restrooms at the amphitheater and the surrounding restaurants. Best on weekday late afternoons or before concert nights. Operates seasonally May through September. Western Virginia humidity is more bearable than the Tidewater but afternoon thunderstorms close things briefly. Pair with dinner at one of the downtown Roanoke restaurants or coffee at Mill Mountain Coffee. The reinvented downtown Roanoke family afternoon — surprisingly polished for a small mountain city.