With plenty of steamy summer weather still ahead, Alabama families are discovering a hot new option for cooling off.

They’re called splash pads, and they are popping up across the state – offering kids an adventurous way to get wet.

A splash pad, sometimes called a splash park, is typically an open area with a soft surface and playground features, but with an added attraction: fountains and spouts that spray water up, down and every which way, to the delight of children and adults.

The majority of splash pads in the state are maintained by county or municipal park and recreation departments, which means they are free to the public. In some cases, splash pads are taking the place of traditional, public swimming pools – because of their relatively low construction and operating costs and reduced risk for injury.

Lindsey Evans brought her children to the splash pad in Leeds, Ala.

“We were originally going to build a pool in the Gardendale Civic Center. But we were advised against it because it was too much liability,” explained Dari Walker, an administrative assistant with the Gardendale Parks and Recreation Department. Instead, the department built a splash pad at Celebration Park.

Gardendale’s splash pad, now in its sixth summer of operation, has been a rousing success – so much so that it has become something of a model for other public splash pad projects throughout the state. Walker said officials from two to three municipalities visit every year to admire and learn more about splash pads – with the idea of constructing one in their own communities.

“It has really been a positive for the community,” Walker said, and popular – particularly on the weekends when “the place is an absolute zoo.”

Here’s a sampling of splash pads in the state where you can bring the kids for some wet, wild and affordable summer fun:

Huntsville Splash Pad
3771 Ivy Ave., Huntsville
Hours: 10 a.m. until one hour after sunset

Gardendale Splash Pad
2191 Fieldstown Road, Gardendale
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. until dusk

Tuscaloosa Splash Pad
3701 Fosters Ferry Road, Tuscaloosa
Hours: Monday-Saturday 12 p.m. to -5 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Leeds Splash Pad
1035 Park Drive, Leeds
Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Riverfront Park Splash Pad
355 Coosa St., Montgomery
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Greater Gadsden Splash Pad
90 Walnut St., Gadsden
Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Memorial Park Splash Pad
610 10th Ave., Jasper
Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.