Be aware you have to pay $40 for a dog membership to even get inside . Insane . Nice people let me come in anyways and it's a nice dog park but not that nice where I should be paying for my dog to run in dirt .. read more

Still love coming here after all these years. The park includes a dog park, playground, water play area (open March 14-Sept 16), concrete and mulch walkways, ample parking, picnic shelter, and clean bathrooms. Dog park review: The town of Cary keeps the park clean and up to date. The gate now uses the same digital barcode that the other Cary parks use. The park is more crowded in the morning around 8 am, weekends, and evenings around 4/5 pm. It is less crowded mid-day, after sunset, and on hot or rainy days in case your dog prefers less stimulation. There is a fenced small dog area and larger area for bigger dogs. Overall great place to relax, attend events, tire out your dogs, and spend time with friends and family. read more

On the day I visited Jack Smith Park the day prior had heavy rain. I was not as impressed with Jack Smith as I have been with other parks close to my place. There was a lot of standing water in the park area. The actual dog park was covered with mulch and was clean with plenty of shade read more

Jack Smith Park - Parks Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

What an awesome park! We came during COVID so the majority was closed, but it was still a neat place to explore. When you pull in you'll see the dog park first. It wasn't too crowded and just had a few pups running around. Then when you drive through to the next parking lot, that is where the main playground is. The playground looks pretty new and had a ton of stuff for younger and older kids. The splash pad looked super fun as well. My son loved looking at the whirlygig art installation. I like that they have a plaque in front talking more about the artist- Vollis. They also have another art installation to the back of the playground area of sheep! My son is a very big fan of sheep so this was a big hit with him. If you follow the path from the sheep up to the parking lot you'll see a small unpaved trail. The trail was very peaceful and 1/2 shaded. It went around a small pond and was the perfect smaller trail for a new walker. Although it's unpaved I still saw another family roll their stroller on over it with no problem. It also has benches along the way that you can stop and relax at as well. Looking forward to heading back here when the playground and splash park is back open! read more

Jack Smith Park - Parks Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The splash ground at this park is my daughter's new favorite place on earth. It's usually packed full of kids since it's summertime. The grounds seem very well-maintained overall. We haven't ventured onto the playground yet because she is only 1, but everyone out there seems very happy! Some additional seating in the splash area would be cool. My only complaint is that we were there this past Saturday and they had several trucks and machines running to turn trees they had cut down into wood chips. Of course, the wood chipper was super loud. The kids didn't seem to care at all, but my ears did. Why Saturday afternoon, Cary? read more

MEMBERSHIP ONLY!! Please pick up the dog poop! Great friends and fun dogs! There's always plenty of tennis balls around. read more

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New to the area, brought our dog and baby to the park. We didn't do any research before we just looked up close park and went cuz the reviews were high. The dog park needs the dogs to be registered, great! They still let us in to check it out. A lady in a purple shirt runs up to us as soon as I put our son done screaming that *"children are NOT allowed in the dog park" *and how unsafe it was to put him down, she keeps repeating this over and over to everyone at the dog park yelling belittling me. I'm new to the area we come from a town that all the dogs are friendly and I have put my child down plenty of times so he can play with the dogs. He's great at throwing the ball and is gentle. I get dogs are unsafe! But don't come running and yelling at me and screaming it to everyone there. Talk to me, as a human, explain to me the rules of the dog park, show me where your signs are. She just laughed when I told her we were new and when I said I'd write a review she said I wouldn't. I agree I shouldn't of put him down since I didn't know these dogs, but she handled it poorly by being condescending and disrespectful. You don't need to embarrass someone in order to educate them. I'm sure the water and dry play grounds are wonderful but we didn't enjoy them today. read more

Beautiful park with something for everyone! There's a small dog park where your furry friends can play; poo bags provided. The kids can work up a sweat on the playground then cool off at the adjacent splash pad on hot summer days. There is plenty of sheltered spectator seating including a covered pavilion with picnic tables and several round umbrella tables located around the splash and playground areas. Restrooms with showers are nearby as well as a grill for hots and hamburgers. Rock on, Jack Smith. read more

This is a newly renovated park and spray ground. It is tucked in between some upscale housing developments in Cary. It has a neighborhood feel and I noted a few moms yelling at others kids. We will see how well the park tolerates out of community visitors over the summer. Hopefully, Wake county will continue to add much needed spray grounds around the different communities as to not overwhelm the few. The park is small and includes a dog park, playground and spray ground. Very clean and spacious. It was pretty full and accommodated the children and families well. It was pretty hot and there is not a lot is shade, but plenty of trees so this can change down the line. I think I saw some trails and a few bikes. The park is not really big enough to handle lots of bike traffic, so please take that into consideration. I live near Anderson Point Park and so trust me it can't handle a third of that traffic. I don't recall seeing bike parking, but sure it was there. There is a nice sized family restroom and it was fairly clean considering the amount of traffic at the park today. There was some noticeable damage from the recent rain storms, but nothing that won't be cleaned up quickly. Overall, we had a great experience and will be back this summer. read more

It's a nice park. Modern playgrounds with shade, some interesting sculptures that turn in the wind, a large green space with a walking trail, a few tables, a splashpad, and a large picnic area. The splashpad is the reason I came with my boy, and while he had a great time, I baked in the August sun. I expect that will change in the future as the trees get taller. I think everything else is nice in that has restrooms and shade for the picnic area and plenty of parking. read more

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What a blast! There's fun to be had for young and old alike, just don't break your ankle jumping from the climbing tower! I thought I was young enough to enjoy the tower with my toddler, made it to the top, and didn't have such a graceful landing. Oy, age!! Maybe I'll stick to the sheep field, or better yet, the nice benches at the splash pad. For the shorties in your life, there is a nice set of playgrounds!! And for the dogs, well you'll have to buy a pass to enter...hence the 4 star rating. I mean, come on Cary!! I suppose that means they maintain and clean it well though. Overall, great place for family fun!! read more

Jack Smith Park - Onward to Jack Smith's park, mama!! - Parks Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Loved! They had separate equipment for the toddlers, a huge field to run around in with adorable sculptures that encourage pretend play, and a splash pad area. Would definitely go back. read more

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One hot summer day I was wondering what to do to keep my busy year-old occupied and out of the heat. This place popped up on my google search for "splash pads". Jack Smith Park not only has a traditional playground, but also a water play "sprayground". This is a great place for kids to splash, play around and cool off. But the best part about it is that it's completely free!!! read more

Jack Smith Park - Great place for kids to cool off and burn some energy. - Parks Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Nice modern playground with splash area. Lots to do in this relatively small location. Splash pad, 2 play areas, rock climbing wall and some open green space. Restrooms are clean and overall a nice place. One draw back is it is very open to direct sun, not a ton of shade.. but there is a splash area read more

This is one of my favorite parks in Raleigh/Cary. It is a nice park with a climbing rock, great playground equipment for multiple ages, even a field if you want to play soccer or just let the kids run around. In the summer they have a splash pad! Facilities are nice as well. Just an all around pretty and fun park to check out for a few hours with the kids. read more

One of the nicest parks to date that I have come across in exploring different playgrounds with my little ones. Great place for walking, skating, rock climbing with older kids too. Bathrooms are very clean for kids too. read more

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After waiting for Jack Smith to open for ages, we finally managed to check it out a few weeks after it opened. It really is a beautiful new park with nice facilities and covered eating areas. There is a lot of green space (although it gets pretty wet after the rain), a rock climbing area, a decent sized playground, a splash pad (open May - mid-Sept according to the sign), and a dog park that is separate towards the main street. The playground itself isn't huge, but I think the main draw to this park will be the water zone during the warmer months. Note to parents/caregivers: there isn't a lot of shade in the kid play areas, so be sure to pack your sun protection. Everything seems really clean still, and there are lots of opportunities for kids to climb here. Only two little kid swings and two bigger kid swings. The dog park is "members only" and you must be 12 and up to go inside - heads up. I really liked the included art installations at the park. The sheep are really whimsical and the big wind structures are fun too. I enjoyed hearing other parents discuss how wind makes the pieces move -- fun quick learning opportunity! If you have children who are sensitive to loud noises, the bathrooms have air hand dryers which are audible from outside the bathrooms even when the doors are closed. Overall, this is a great addition to the parks in the area, and I'm sure it'll be a HUGE hit next summer when the splash zone is going again! read more

We love this park so much for our 1 yr old. Each playground space is padded with that foam ground stuff? I'm not sure what it's called but it's great since kids run and fall. The splash pad area is concrete but wonderful and my daughter had a blast running around and the older kids were respectful of her space too. There's a standard playground with baby swings and slides a older play area with tons of climbers and swings and even a rock climbing wall. There's a large grass space to play kickball or for running around in. Sheep sculptures to sit on and make great pics with. All around a great park, always kept clean and never had a had experience. read more

Fantastic Park! Clean! Plus at total blast of the kids. Best splash park in the Triangle. So spacious. Two separate play structures. A big field. And some shade. They do a covered shelter. So Much Fun. read more

We visited this park last week, on a Wednesday morning. From other reviews, it seems that this park only opened a few months ago and, from what I saw, its still in great condition. The play equipment was interesting and engaging for the kids. The main play area has a nice cork type 'flooring', which saves you from cleaning out mulch or sand. Unfortunately, it scuffed the heck out of the toes of my son's shoes as he crawled around. Not the park's fault, but just something to be aware of. There are a few tables with umbrellas and other places for parents/caregivers to sit, but not a ton. The playground is one big area but does have distinct 'big kid' and 'smaller kid' play structures, which is nice. Even though they aren't separated by any barriers, it still seemed that most of the smaller kids tended to stick around the structure designed for them, which was really nice as a parent. Maybe just a fluke that worked out for me that day, never to be repeated, but I'm counting it as a plus for this park! A giant (like really giant) climbing rock is between the playground and parking lot. I wasn't too nervous since my kid is too young to really take a big interest in it, but its definitely something parents with older kids may want to keep an eye on. I could see a kid over estimating their climbing skills and getting themselves into trouble pretty quickly, especially when it comes to getting OFF the structure. There is a small splash pad area between the bathrooms and the playground which, of course, wasn't open this time of year, but I imagine it gets crowded quickly. Kids don't really care about that though, so I'm sure its a blast for kids. I like that they could potentially run in the water to cool off a bit, even in their clothes and then go back to playing. Maybe there is some kind of rule against this but I'd totally let my kid do it. There are some really cute sheep statues and what looks like a short walking trail as well as some other art installations near by. Honestly, we didn't go much past the playground as it was plenty to occupy our kids for awhile. The bathrooms were clean and well maintained from what I saw. The people we met there were all pretty friendly, again, not something the park can control but it seems that some parks just have a snoodier clientele, so it was nice to see that it wasn't the case here (at least not that day). We will definitely be returning to this park. read more

It says a lot that I've been here twice (the first time it wasn't even on yelp yet; I told them to add it) and it hasn't even officially opened. Tomorrow is the big grand opening and I hope no one figures out that this wonderful place exists. First of all it's free! And your kids can truly get soaking wet. Bring them already in their swimsuits and don't forget the towels. Most kids play barefoot so I wouldn't worry about water shoes. But there are a couple drawbacks to a free sprayground. Nothing to retract it to 5 stars because I'm sure it is true of every park like this. I wouldn't recommend bringing itty bitties. I would make sure you had a solid walker ~2 before venturing out here. Two reasons: it's been pretty crowded both times I've been - and those were both during the workweek. Lots of kids are playing around and Littles might get pushed around. Also there really isn't anything designed for those Littles to play with. Another thing is shade. There's not much of it and what there is gets taken quickly. Three covered tables close to everything - and then a large shelter with 6 picnic tables beneath. The playground equipment is shiny and new, but not many chances for shade there either. I saw a parent with a beach umbrella this time - pure genius! The climbing wall looks great for the adventurous type, and would be great for older kids. Overall an amazing destination for kids that I wish I hadn't told anyone about. read more

This park is very nice with a lot to do for the kids. There is an assortment of equipment, but more swings would be nice as there are only two per playground. There was also a big field behind the playgrounds which were nice to play pass in, although wet from water drainage after the rain. The splash pad is nice too and looks like it could be a lot of fun on a hot day. The dog parks are big, but from what I understand you need a permit to use it, which is really a shame but understandable. Overall, a very nice addition. read more

Beautifully maintained park! The playgrounds are large and fun for kids. I don't have to worry about chasing my little ones around in fear of them falling off or missing a step like some of these weirdly built playgrounds. The water splash pad is great. It comes on right at 10am and such an amazing experience for kids. I would suggest getting there when they open as they pad fills up fast with little adventurers. read more

Beautiful clean park; loads of fun for the kids, and big open areas for sports and anything else you can imagine. Nice splash pad.

We came to the splash park when it first opened. It was great. My son absolutely loved it and the best part about it is that it was free. The towns around here should definitely consider opening more free water parks because all of the children in the area seem to absolutely love them. Maybe even make a covered playground that still outside for when there's inclement weather. Other than that, we all had a good time and would definitely recommend and come again. It would also be nice to put out some more picnic tables and benches for the parents and families to sit down while the kids have fun. Thank you read more

My kids love this place. Lots of space to run around and an interesting playground. We're excited for the spray ground in the summer!