Cooling Down the Dog Days of Summer
Where do you go when you want to beat the summer heat? Do you escape to a beach or go to the pool? It's been a long time since I liked the way I looked in a swimsuit, so I search for alternative means of cooling off and one of the best is fountains. Here are three of my favorites.
In my home town of Dallas, my favorite fountain is the frogs at the Dallas Arboretum. The Arboretum is grand to visit anytime of the year. Gorgeous gardens, a beautiful historical home and stunning vistas of White Rock Lake are reasons enough to visit, but if it's warm (and it usually is around here) no visit to the Arboretum is complete until you walk down Crape Myrtle Allee and enjoy the frog fountain. The gardens are full of lovely water features, but for cooling off, nothing beats the frogs.
Another fountain-full place is Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida; Epcot 
has my favorite fountain for cooling off. In the entry plaza sporadic spurts of water jump from one garden to the next. On the morning we arrived, I was too busy juggling handbags and cameras to even notice the fountains,but that evening as we exited we were enchanted by the serendipitous streams of water. Children of every age and ethnicity were involved in a conspiracy to discover a pattern in the spurts, calling out "Here it comes," when the fountain nearest them would shoot water from their station to another. It was the best show of the day.
Finally, I recommend Chicago, another destination with fountains to spare. My favorite is Crown Fountain, just a few steps away from the famous chrome coffee bean. Huge towers sport whimsical photographs of Chicago residents puckered to spew forth water. Between the towers a reflecting pool serves as a waiting area for kids anticipating the next spurt from the towers. The best way to enjoy the Fountain is while lunching al fresco at the Park Grill.
Where do you like to cool off? 
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