Last week we traveled to the spray park at Dorbrook Recreation Area in Colts Neck, New Jersey.  The sprayground is about an hour from our house, which seemed a bit far for a simple visit to a playground, but my friends assured me that this particular park would be worth it.

I am probably the last person in suburbia without a GPS. Naturally, we got lost.  Some of my readers might think that I’d run out and buy one after driving around in circles in Colts Neck for half an hour before finding the park.  Wrong.  If you ever get lost, Colts Neck is the place to do it.  We meandered down roads lined with estate after estate.  What was so amazing about these mansions and genteel horse farms was not that they were so gigantic.  It is just that there are so many of them.  One or two of these estates in a town would be impressive.  Hundreds of them is mind-boggling.

After seeing the sheer wealth in this beautiful area, it is not surprising that the county park almost seems like a country club.  The sprayground is large, well-maintained, and surprisingly, free.  The only downside is that it is very popular and a bit crowded.

The kids were so excited to enter the sprayground.  Leah went straight for the buckets that are about 8 feet off the ground.  She stood under one, waiting for it to dump on her head.  As soon as it did, she shrieked with laughter, and ran to the next bucket and waited for it to dump on her head.  She repeated this exercise the entire time we were there.  I encouraged her to check out the water tables or other sprinklers, but having a bucket of water dumped on her head was so much fun that she saw no need to venture past this area.

Luke’s experience in the park was strangely similar.  He found a water gun station and went from water gun to water gun, shooting anyone who crossed his path.  I also encouraged him to try the buckets or the other sprinklers, but these water guns commanded all of his attention.

Before we left Dorbrook, we stopped at the amazing playground.  The kids enjoyed it just as much as the spray park.  It was huge, and unlike the sprayground, my children found every bit of it enticing.  It was a great way to dry off before we got back in the car for the hour-long drive home.

The next time my children want to get wet, I suppose I could simply supply Luke with a water gun and Leah with a bucket.  But I think we will definitely make our way to Dorbrook Recreation Area again.  The sprayground provided a great afternoon out for the kids and the ride past the estates was fun for me, too.