City Living: Make a Splash
The concrete streets of Philadelphia are blistering hot in the summer. Luckily, our city has more free public pools than any other city in the country (70 outdoor and 5 indoor). We also have amazing swim clubs ranging from family friendly to fun for singles.
The best pool in the city is of course the one closest to your front door, and the city helpfully has a map of all of the municipal pools and spraygrounds to help you find the one nearest you.
Philadelphia is also beginning the Popup Pool Project to brighten up the civic spaces with built in seating, tropical planters, and lush lounging areas. The first pool featured in the series is the Francisville pool and they're hosting special events including poolside yoga, live music and aquazumba.
Before & after of the public pool in Francisville. Image courtesy of PhillyMag.com
This and the four additional pop up pools the city is planning on featuring are aiming to give private swim clubs a run for their money! There is also an instagram account for this project where they're posting photos of the progress that they're making on their other projects.
Some of our favorite public pools:
Kelly Pool in Fairmount park, just steps from the Please Touch Museum, is the largest municipal pool in the city (a regulation Olympic size pool to be exact) and the only one to feature a grassy area for Philadelphians to lounge and air dry after a swim.
O'Connor Pool is the most private of the public pools because it is surrounded by a high brick wall and located right on South and 26th. As an added bonus, they have family swim time and adult swim time. Also, make sure you bring chairs or towels if you're there otherwise you will be sitting on pavement.
Swimmo aka Lederer Pool is Fishtown's pool and conveniently located close to The Rec Center, Fishtown Community Library, an outdoor covered hockey rink, Penn Treaty Middle School, and Adaire Elementary.
NoLibs Rec Center Pool is quite the neighborhood gem in Northern Liberties. Hidden behind the playground and basketball court at 321 Fairmount is this lovely pool with regulated hours for children and adults.
Ready to make a splash? Head out to one of the amazing neighborhood pools or if you're still not sure about how to prepare yourself for such an incredibly adventure we're lucky to partake in as Philadelphians, PhillyMag has a useful guide. Basically all you have to do is show up in a bathing suit when it's open. It's free, there are no passes, fees, registration steps.
Outdoor public pools open in mid June and close at the end of August.
Some of our favorite private pools:
Private swim clubs also dot the city for those who are looking for a more luxurious sunbathing experience.
University City Swim Club features 4 pools including a lap pool, diving pool and a toddler pool. They even have grills for your poolside family cookout. Memberships begin at $1360 for the season for a family of 3.
Lombard Swim Club features an onsite restaurant, a stellar view and a very, very long waitlist. Membership starts at $1200 per person for the season.
Monarch (formerly North Shore) is located in Northern Liberties and is a popular spot for young singles and serves champagne poolside. Monarch's swim club memberships start at $300 per person for the season.
Germantown Life Enrichment Center features low membership costs and private and group swimming lessons for adults and children.