Though Miami has many beaches where you can stretch out your beach towel or relax in a lounge chair before taking a dip in the ocean, they’re not always a convenient drive away. Sometimes, you may want to take advantage of a low-cost neighborhood swimming pool, many of which offer swimming lessons or water aerobics classes. Some even feature water slides, lazy rivers, and other attractions that children (and the young at heart) can enjoy.

When the temperature is rising, here are some of the neighborhood pools in Miami you may want to visit.

Spend some time with the family down at the pool

Hialeah

Hialeah has many options for swimming, some featuring lap pools while others have water slides and other play-oriented features for kids. The McDonald Water Park features a water playground/tot lot, wave pool, lazy river, and a waterfall, along with party areas. The Bucky Dent Water Park features a zero depth entry swimming pool, activity pool with slide, and twin 30-foot-high water slides. For more traditional lap pool options, Hialeah is also home to the Babcock Pool, Bright Pool, Milander Aquatic Center, Rudolph Reid Pool, and Walker Pool. Some of the pools only operate seasonally and only some offer swimming lessons, so it’s best to research the pool to determine whether it’s the right choice for you.

Miami Springs

The Miami Springs Aquatic Center has a large water slide and beach entry play area, along with a six-lane swim area used for laps and open play. Daily rates for residents are $3 for children and seniors and $5 for adults, while memberships for residents cost $50 for children and seniors and $90 for adults. You can also rent umbrellas, shaded areas, or a multi-purpose room for parties.

Overtown

Gibson Park in Overtown was renovated in 2017 and has two public pools, a lap pool for adults, and a tot pool for kids. It’s located within the well-kept park that also has basketball, baseball, and soccer fields.

University Park

The Tamiami Park Pool is a 50-meter lap public swimming pool located in Tamiami Park. It is open year-round from sunrise to sunset and costs only $2.50 for children or adults or $1.50 for seniors. Lifeguards are on duty.

Entrance to the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables / Shutterstock

Coral Gables

If you plan to visit the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, you’ll be treated not just to an aquatic experience but also a historic one. Created in 1923 from a coral rock quarry, it’s the only swimming pool in the country listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 820,000-gallon pool is fed with spring water from an underground aquifer and, in the spring and summer seasons, it’s filled and drained daily. During the peak season (Memorial Day through Labor Day), admission costs $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 3-12. Resident rates are $5.75 for adults and $4.75 for children. Annual family memberships cost $580 for residents and $1,300 for non-residents, and single memberships cost $300 for residents and $655 for non-residents.

Miami Beach

The Flamingo Park Aquatic Center in South Beach features two separate pools. The main pool is a lap pool that’s aerated in the summer and heated in the winter to maintain a consistent 79 to 84 degree temperature. The water playground is a zero to 15-inch deep interactive/play pool. The facility features locker rooms with showers, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. Admission is $3 for residents and $6 for non-residents, but annual and seasonal passes are also available.

Further north at the Normandy Isles Park & Pool there’s a four-lane lap pool, a play pool with water toys, changing rooms with showers, and a concession stand. An illuminated deck enables the pool to be open in the evenings, although the pool is closed on Wednesdays. 

North Miami

The Thomas Sasso Pool in North Miami features six, 25-meter swim lanes and a water playground for young children. The pool also offers swimming lessons for children ages 3-14 as well as water fitness classes for adults. Open swim times are Monday through Friday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The open swim fee is $3.