First Splash Pad In Cache Valley - Alma Leonhardt Park, Providence, Utah

When I compiled my list of fun places to swim or get wet with kids in Cache Valley, I didn't know that the first splash pad in the Logan area had opened while I lived in Philadelphia. Three different people happened to mention it to me the next week, in different contexts. Talk about a message! I knew my little boys would love it, so I took them for a visit last week.

What: Splash Pad at Alma Leonhardt Park

Where: 310 West 250 North, Providence, Utah

Hours: Park open daily, dawn to dusk. Splash pad water feature available from 10am to 8pm.

Cost: FREE

FYI: Trees are small so you may want to bring your own shade (umbrella, beach tent, etc.), and of course towels!

Cache Valley's first splash pad opened at Alma Leonhardt Park in Providence, Utah in the summer of 2010. The pad is 1,200 square feet and has 63 jets, including a tall and powerful column spray in the center. The jets are activated by the push of a button at the side of the pad, and run on a cycle for a few minutes before the button needs to be pushed again.

The different jets and water features at a splash pad provide a lot of soaking wet fun for kids - much like running through the sprinklers, but with more variety and an element of surprise. For parents, it's a great spectator water activity that doesn't require them to get wet. Yay! (Some days you just don't want to put on your swimming suit, right? Or is that just me?)

Alma Leonhardt Park also has a fun playground that is partially wheelchair accessible, a large grassy area, restrooms, and a good-sized picnic pavilion. My boys enjoyed running back and forth from the splash pad to the playground, while I huddled in the rapidly decreasing shade of the restroom building. There are a few small trees that provide a minimal spots of shade around the perimeter of the splash pad, but in-the-know moms had come armed with pop-up beach umbrellas and tents.

In February 2012 the North Logan City Council heard a proposal from Public Works Director Alan Luce regarding addition of a splash pad to Mountain View Park. I haven't heard anything further about this possibility, but I hope it comes to fruition.

Willows Golf Park - Providence, Utah

I'm working on a great post about visiting Logan and Cache Valley with young kids, but it's not ready yet so here is info about Willows Golf Park miniature golf course, one of the many kid-friendly places in Cache Valley. My family and I played a round there last Monday.

Willows Golf Park

220 N. Spring Creek Parkway

Providence, UT 84332

435-752-4255

Hours: Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday - Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight, closed Sunday

Prices: Age 13 and up, $6; Ages 4 - 12, $4; Children 3 and under, free

FYI: Cash or check only. Credit/debit cards not accepted. The course can accommodate strollers as but might present some difficulty for wheelchairs.

Summary

The Willows Golf Park is an 18-hole miniature golf course in Providence, Utah, a community which adjoins Logan to the south. The Willows is one of three miniature golf places I can think of in Logan. They all have their virtues, and some of Willows' are its friendly employees, well-kept and shady course, and relaxing atmosphere. Prices can add up for a large family, but 2 for 1 coupons for return visits ease some of the sting. The place can be crowded on weekend nights, but the course design and mature landscaping afford some privacy from the other groups on the course. Late hours (open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays) make it popular with college students from Utah State University, but it's also a great family destination, especially during the day when it is much less crowded.

Sawyer, Tyson, and Beck enjoy complimentary popsicles at the Willows Golf Park in Providence, Utah

Review

When we arrived at Willows Golf Park on a Monday afternoon there were only a couple of other cars in the parking lot. We proceeded through some nice sitting areas featuring chimineas and brightly-painted benches and were greeted at the cabin-like pay shack by a friendly woman. She took our cash payment, assisted us in choosing the right size of clubs for our small children, gave us our score cards, and advised us that one of the holes was having new turf installed, so we would have to skip that one. She told us we could play the course twice, then looked at our children (ages 2 and 4) and added, "If you can handle it!" We definitely couldn't have handled it, but it was a nice offer!

Players proceed through 18 holes in a well-landscaped course that affords quite a bit of privacy from players ahead and behind one's own group. The course does not have novelty holes like miniature windmills and dragons who eat golf balls. Instead it features more standard golf course features like water hazards, "sand" traps, and gently sloping greens. Most holes are par 3. I may or may not have scored 8 on one of those.

The day we visited the fountains and "streams" were turned off, with the water in the large pond standing stagnant. In our case this was a good thing, because our toddler quickly lost interest in putting and took up playing in the water. More of it would have meant more trouble! Perhaps the water was off due to the workers applying new carpet in the park.

No outing with kids is complete without a visit to the restrooms. Willows Golf Park's restrooms, housed in another rustic cabin-like building, are clean and well-functioning.

When we finished our round and returned our clubs, the woman at the desk gave our kids popsicles and handed us a card good for 2 for 1 golf on a return visit. This has been my experience on previous visits as well.

Willows Golf Park is a great outing for families, groups of friends, awkward first dates, and good dates too!


LLL


P.S.: How competitive do you feel when you go MINIATURE golfing? I'll admit I want to win. Tyson beat me by 8 shots in this game after I got off to a rough start. Anyone have any great miniature golfing stories? Logan briefly had a glow-in-the-dark indoor miniature golf course that brought a whole new level of awkwardness to a miniature golf first date.