We’ve been to the spraygrounds at Edison Johnson and Forest Hills in Durham, but we wanted to try taking Griff somewhere that had a baby/wading pool as well, so we drove out to my old stomping grounds in North Raleigh this afternoon to check out the version at Millbrook Exchange Park.

I didn’t even sneak over to my townhouse to peek in the windows and see how the new tenants have decorated the place. Aren’t you proud of me?

In short, we highly recommend it! The pool complex consists of a year-round lap pool which is covered by a canopy, and the outdoor sprayground/wading pool area, which is only open in the summer. There are standard large changing rooms with toilets, showers, and lockers. They were clean, if about as damp and dank as you’d expect.

The sprayground is large and has a variety of different fountains, water cannons, and a pretty intense alternating bucket system that dumps a gallon or two right on your head if you’re standing underneath it. The wading pool was 10″-18″ deep, and was much larger than we expected. It was the perfect depth for mom and dad to sit in and cool off, while not being too deep for a little kid to navigate safely. There were lots of families there, but it didn’t feel crowded. There were lifeguards on duty in both areas and it seemed clean and well kept-up.

The main difference I noted is that the Durham spraygrounds have rubber surfacing. There’s nothing but hard concrete here, so when Griff took his first tumble, he skinned his elbow and both knees, and grazed his forehead. A couple band-aids later, he was back in business. There’s also a fee to use the pool. Non-residents pay twice what residents pay, so we were out $6/adult and $2/Griff. (Should’ve brought along that driver’s license with my Raleigh address!) Still, it was worth it to check the place out. I’m not aware of a municipal wading pool in Durham, but if anyone knows of one, let me know.