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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Village and SoHo Sprinklers Where Kids Can Find Relief From the Heat Wave

 Downtown water destinations for kids include a 3-foot pool and a water-spraying hoop to run through.
Cool-Down Sprinklers for Village and SoHo Kids
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GREENWICH VILLAGE — City kids might not run through lawn sprinklers, but they still have lots of spots where they can cool off in water.

Greenwich Village and SoHo have several playgrounds with water features, from an aqua oasis to a mini-pool just for kids. DNAinfo New York rounded up some of the best options:

Minetta Playground, Sixth Avenue and Minetta Lane

Reopened in early 2012 after extensive renovations, Minetta Playground has a fountain that shoots jets of water up from the ground, plus a hoop kids can run through that sprays water from multiple directions.

The playground on Sixth Avenue between Minetta Lane and West Third Street offers ample shade and has secure gates, said Jacinta Abdelghany, a caregiver for a Greenwich Village family with a 4-year-old.

"Even though this is Sixth Avenue, you feel very safe," said Abdelghany, a 49-year-old Lower East Side resident.

Vesuvio Playground, Thompson and Spring Streets

Kids can splash in their own little pool in SoHo. Vesuvio Playground features the Thompson Street Pool, which is 40 feet by 20 feet and 3 feet deep.

Park Slope mom Kristin Brady, 43, said she takes her 10-year-old daughter, Keli, to the playground about twice a week to romp in the spray sprinkler and swim in the pool. Brady said she likes that the pool and park are uncrowded and well-patrolled.

"There are no crazy teens and it's really clean," she said.

The pool is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a one-hour closure from 3 to 4 p.m.

DeSalvio Playground, Spring and Mulberry Streets

The playground at Spring and Mulberry streets is rundown, but it includes a water feature: Four small pillars in the park shoot out cool water.

Local parents are advocating for upgrades to the park that would cost as much as $1.9 million and give families all-new play equipment and a horizontal rock-climbing wall, as DNAinfo New York previously reported.

James J. Walker Park, Leroy Street and Seventh Avenue South

Alongside the kid-friendly Hudson Park Library and raucous outdoor pool of the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, kids can cool off in the calm playground area of James J. Walker Park. Located on Leroy Street near Seventh Avenue South, the park has spray showers.

Union Square Park Playground at East 16th Street

Families willing to travel a little farther from home can head to the playground at the northern end of Union Square Park. The 15,000-square-foot play space, reopened in January 2010 after renovations, features a spray shower and a soft play surface.

Parents at quieter playgrounds said this popular spot is sometimes too crowded for them.