Cool off in Chattanooga: the aquarium wading pools
I have a few favorite things I like to mention when I tell people about Chattanooga: free music, restaurants downtown, and free fun for the little ones.
This morning/ early afternoon my friend and I got to experience some of the best free fun for little ones in Chattanooga: the aquarium wading pools.
I don’t know if that is actually what they are called, but since they are only about a foot deep, you can’t exactly call them swimming pools.
Around the front of the Tennessee Aquarium, there are these wading pools and fountains as part of the architectural landscape. The are carvings and sculptures in the water, and the water moves like the river that is down the hill from the aquarium. And on a hot day, the water is cool and welcoming.
We took a picnic lunch and sat in the shade of the trees, keeping our eyes sharp on the little ones as they shrieked, yelled, and enjoyed themselves.
One of the reasons we like the wading pools so much is that you can contain the kids better than you can in the crowds and mist of the Coolidge Park fountains. While we like the fountains as well, it can be a bit intimidating for the smaller set. The wading pools are just what the kids needed to have fun in today’s heat.
And the moms liked it just as well.
[tags]Chattanooga, aquarium, Tennessee aquarium, wading pools, summer fun[/tags]
June 29th, 2007 at 7:56 am
I have seen these inviting pools at the aquarium, and wished I had little ones with me at the time, to have an excuse to get my feet wet! Since you are talking about things to do in Chattanooga, and since I am new to the area, where is a good place to see fireworks on the 4th,( preferably without getting in a monumental traffic jam)?
Have a good weekend!
June 29th, 2007 at 8:42 am
thanks for posting this entry. I’ve always thought it was ok to wade around there but I got some disapproving looks last time I went, I’m glad other moms think it’s ok. I’ll go with no fear next time!!
June 29th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
@ Susan, I will let you know about the fireworks.
@KatieK- there were lots of other moms and kids at the wading pools, many with the same idea that we had! And with The Passage being closed right now, I am sure there is overflow from visitors expecting to go there.