The Ankeny Brief
When it's 90° and the kids are climbing the walls, here's your cheat sheet: Ankeny's two aquatic centers, the free splash windows, and the neighborhood splash pads you don't have to pay a dime for. Hours shift a little each season, so we link the city's live pages for same-day details - but the essentials below hold year to year.
Ankeny has two outdoor aquatic centers - Prairie Ridge and Cascade Falls - open roughly Memorial Day to mid-August. Prairie Ridge admission runs $7 ($5 seniors, $3 for age 2 & under), and its splash park is free Mon-Fri, 10-11:45 a.m. Free neighborhood splash pads run Memorial Day through Labor Day. Weather hotline: 515-963-3575.
The bigger, newer of the two, at 1220 NW Prairie Ridge Drive. It's built for families: zero-depth entry (walk in like a beach), two water slides, a kiddie slide, a lily-pad walk, a splash park, and heated water. General hours run noon-6 p.m. daily in season.
Ankeny's original outdoor pool, on the east side of town - a summer institution with slides and open swim. Hours and admission run similar to Prairie Ridge and are posted each season on the city's page. Cascade Falls details →
If you just want the little ones to cool off for 20 minutes, skip the pool. Ankeny keeps free splash pads at several neighborhood parks, open Memorial Day through Labor Day. They're button-activated - press the pad and the water kicks on - so they only run when someone's using them. Locations and any closures are on the City of Ankeny Splash Pads page.
Pool hours change with the season, staffing, and swim lessons - and both centers close for storms. Call the cancellation hotline at 515-963-3575 if the sky looks iffy, and check the city page for that day's open-swim times. Season passes (a good deal for regulars) are sold through Ankeny Parks & Recreation.
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Yes - the neighborhood splash pads are free all summer. The splash park inside Prairie Ridge is free only during the Mon-Fri 10-11:45 a.m. window; otherwise it's included with pool admission.
You can pay daily admission at the gate. Season passes are available if you'll be going often, and they usually pay for themselves in a handful of visits.
The outdoor season runs roughly Memorial Day weekend through mid-August, when lifeguard staffing drops off as school starts. Splash pads run a little longer, through Labor Day.
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