1905 Spring Forest Road, Raleigh, NC

It’s almost too hot to be outside right now unless it involves some kind of water.

Unlike Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center the Millbrook splash pad and pool is outdoors. Bring your sunscreen with you and come and have a blast!

What I like about the splash pad area is that it has a variety of spouts of varying heights and degree of soaking you. My water-shy toddler loves to hang around the little spouts since hey are not too intimidating. The buckets of cascading water are a bit too much for him.

Wading Pool

Millbrook also has a 15 inch wading pool that is a pretty big size! It’s perfect for the little ones since they can safely touch the bottom and can easily walk around. We usually spend most of our time in the wading pool. The kids always play for ages and never want to go home.

Pro tip: Bring some water toys for scooping and pouring!

Separated by a gate

Here’s my only complaint about this place: The splash pad and pool are both enclosed in a fence and there is a fence separating the 2. According to one of the workers, the separation is required by some sort of legal issue or building code. I am OK with the fence separating them but the gate to get from the splash pad is on the opposite end of the pool from the splash pad. If there was a gate between them, then I could easily move between areas and accommodate the wishes of both my children.

That may or may not be an issue for your family. Certainly if you were going with one child you could just pick which area to stay in…unless they want to switch frequently. It’s pretty inconvenient to drag all your stuff from one section to another.

But really, for the price that is a minor complaint. $2 for kids and $4 for adults. Or buy a 15 visit punch pass for $24 and $48 for children and adults respectively. If you are going to Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center the punch pass saves you lots of cash since daily admission to that facility is more.

Just a note, a punch pass can be used by multiple family members. So I can buy one children’s pass and use it for both kids. They expire in one year after purchase.

Big Pool Inside

There’s also a large regular pool inside, but we have never actually swam in it. I have found that the wading pool is more our speed and going to a deep pool with three kids is just a lot more work. I’m sure we’ll venture over here more as the kids get older and learn how to swim, but for now I’m happy with the outdoor section!

Looking for a playground? Millbrook exchange park is walking distance away from this pool. It also has a dog park, basketball courts, and a walking trail!