Our daughter Drew is quite the water baby, so this summer is all about aquatic adventures in the Puget Sound area. Here are some of our faves, but please leave yours in the comments! 

Magnolia "Pop" Mounger Pool

This is a great municipal pool, with really warm toddler pool, and a bigger pool and fun water slide with no height requirement! Get there at the beginning of the session, as there are a lot of popmongers out there on weekends.

Renton Aquatic Center

This is a fabulous town alternative to big water parks, and it's right off of 405, so pretty easy to get to. Wave pool, a lazy river, toddler splash and spray structure, and two most excellent water slides. Get there early, and the later sessions are less crowded. But hardly any lines if you get in!

Greenlake Wading Pool

A Seattle classic. Let us know your other favorite wading pools below.

Wild Waves

Loud, crowded, and not cheap. Look for coupons, the season pass is a good deal for addicts, and lucky Microsoft employees get a major deal with their Prime Card. If you go on off-days, and your children tolerate chaos, there are some excellent rides here. The pirate-themed splash and climb structure is major fun for younger kids. My favorite rides are the Zooma Falls bumper tube experience, and the semi-hidden 2 slides with big drops behind the zipwire. Under new management as of 2007, haven't been there yet, so we'll see how things evolve.

Mountlake Terrace Pool

Our favorite indoor pool - a great choice in the non-summer months. Excellent soft-bottom toddler play area, and a neat little lazy river. And a Jacuzzi!

We also hear Bainbridge has a aquatic center, similar to Mountlake Terrace's, and that there's an excellent Spray Park in Auburn. Where else should we go?

Love the Landmark Theater movie "crying rooms" for trips to the movies with infants, don't love how hard it is to find out what's playing, either in print or online. Here are some savvy phone-tree tips from Seattlest:

[The theaters] do not usually list which movies are playing with Cry Rooms because Auditoriums are subject to swapping for Special Advance Screenings... However, the following are the Cry Rooms:

• Landmark's Metro Cinemas - Auditorium # 1
  
• Landmark's Varsity Theatre - Auditorium # 1
  
• Landmark's Guild 45th Theatre - Auditorium # 2
  

Information on which Film is playing in which Auditorium can be obtained by calling (206) 781-5755. Unfortunately, you have to listen to a lot of gobbledygook before they tell you the cry room information. For the benefit of you, our readers with babies, Seattlest navigated through the phone tree and hereby passes on this quick guide:

• For the Guild 45th, press 3 and just listen. The cry room is attached to the blue theater, which they mention second.
  
• For the Metro, press 5 and then 3. This is a special cry room message.
  
• For the Varsity, press 8. The cry room is attached to the main, downstairs auditorium, which they mention first.

Every other child I see these days has just had their birthday party at Jump Planet, in Bothell. Mr. Chuck E. Cheese must be feeling a little neglected these days. I've noticed that this "inflatable party center of the universe" has a special needs night - how cool:

On the third Tuesday of each month from 6:00p - 7:15p Jump Planet is excited to be hosting a private and reserved session exclusively for children (ages 2-12) with special needs and their families. Our 11 giant inflatable game structures will be available to jump on, slide down, and explore in a safe and welcoming environment. 

Check their website for details, and please post any other excellent play opportunities below. I'm told it's wise to wear long sleeves and pants at Jump Planet to avoid "rugburn".