If you build it, they will come—or so city leaders hoped in 1989 when they adopted the ambitious Rio Salado Master Plan, which converted two miles of the usually dry Salt River into a reservoir lake for boating, rowing, and fishing. The resulting Tempe Town Lake (620 N. Mill Ave., 480/350-8625, www.tempe.gov/lake [1], free) opened a decade later, created by inflatable rubber dams and encircled by five miles of paths for biking and jogging.
The adjacent Tempe Beach Park has become one of the Valley’s prime spots for festivals, concerts, and events, and little ones will love the $1.3 million Splash Playground (10 a.m.–7 p.m. daily Apr.–Sept., free) when the temperatures start to climb. The monsoon-inspired water park features rain showers, misters, waterfalls, and large squirt guns.
Links:
[1] http://www.tempe.gov/lake