August is officially in full swing, and as such it has been HOT HOT HOT in the city. Therefore, we've been searching for anything we can still do outside while staying (relatively) cool. The new Walter Sondheim Fountain, which opened July 28 at the West Shore Park in the Inner Harbor, fit the bill. Best of all, it's free (although there is a fund to help raise an additional $30,000 to finish paying for the fountain here).

We went for the first time last Monday evening, and the fountain was full of kids of all ages. We made a few key mistakes, however, which we corrected by our second visit this past Sunday. First, we did not dress our daughter in a bathing suit. She had a swim diaper on under a sunsuit but she was absolutely drenched--from head to toe--by the end of it. Thankfully, we did have a change of clothes on hand (but no towel). Second, I neglected to bring a bathing suit for myself, though my husband had one in tow from the gym and was able to go into the fountain with her. If you've got a little one, it's a good idea to plan on at least one parent suiting up, as some of the bigger kids can accidentally knock into the smaller guys.

The fountain itself ranges from small shoots of water to full-on geysers and all the kids we were with (age range 18 months to two years) seemed to really enjoy it, as well as big kids up to preteens or so. I probably would use caution, or at least plan on getting full emerged yourself, when going in with a new or unstable walker but that of course depends on the temperament of your child.

I couldn't find a schedule anywhere online, but this is from a press release issued by the Waterfront Partnership:

"This dramatic and fun-filled fountain incorporates water jets shooting up from the ground level, timed with the visual glow of changing colored lights and music every hour on the hour on weekends from 10:00 am - 10:00 pm and weekdays at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

Sure to be a favorite, the Waterfront Partnership is looking forward to having kids of all ages play in the fountain. The Waterfront Partnership will have towels available for a nominal fee close to the fountain for families not anticipating the unexpected water play."

We arrived just after 5 pm on both Monday and the following Sunday and missed the lights and music both times; however, the fountain was great fun even without it. I also did not see where you could purchase towels, though I did see many children in street wear who had obviously stumbled on the fountain with their families and decided to give it a go. It was so hot outside anyway that there was hardly a need for towels.

Finally, while the fountain held my daughter's rapt attention for a solid 15 minutes or so, both times she ended up ditching it for the nearby stairway and the stone penguin near the Science Center. She had to be coaxed back into the fountain, though she didn't object too much when her dad dragged her in for another round. Ah, toddlers!