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As we near the end of summer and the weather gets hotter, swimming is a must. Here in Lakeland, the possibilities are endless when it comes to swimming! With two city pools and a splash pad, we are sure your family will find the perfect fit.
Open Swim
Lakeland is home to both the Gandy Pool and the Simpson Pool! The Gandy Pool is open year-round with lap swim and open availability throughout the week. The facility features a 10-lane, 25-yard short course heated pool, with three 4-foot-deep recreation pools attached. Featured amenities at Gandy include a diving board, vending machines, a locker room with showers and changing rooms, time clocks for lap lanes and handicap accessible equipment! Gandy’s hours are as follows:
The Simpson Pool is another option for your family, only open for the weekend after Memorial Day to the first and second weekends of August. Simpson’s open swim hours will be from 12 -5 p.m. and their lap swim hours will be from 10 - 5 p.m. It only takes $4 per visit per guest to make all your summer dreams come true, or you can opt for a guest pass. There are multiple guest passes available, including a $40 per 20 visits pass that can be used for just the pool, activity passes that can be used for weight rooms, cardio rooms, open/ lap swim, tennis and any Health and Fitness Class and family activity passes that can be used for any 2 adults and their dependents living in the same household! See below for a complete list of pass options:
City of Lakeland Pool Passes (can be used at both pools):
Swim Lessons
Looking to improve your child’s swimming skills, or maybe even your own? Both the City of Lakeland’s Pools and the Florida Southern College’s Wellness Center’s Pool have Summer Swim Lessons for all ages to explore! Starting with the Gandy Pool, patrons can enroll in adult beginner swim lessons, or enroll their children in levels based on age from 6 months to 12 years old. Each session, regardless of age, is $50 per participant. For more information on how to register, visit https://www.lakelandgov.net/departments/parks-recreation-and-cultural-arts/ swimming-pools/!
The Gandy Pool also has three classes to choose from, including:
Splash Pad
If you are looking for a place to cool off but you are not comfortable with a pool, head over to Barnett Family Park and enjoy the splash pad. Being located next to Lake Mirror makes this lake a prime location for everyone to enjoy. It is a wonderful way to let your kids have some fun in the beautiful Florida sunshine without letting them get overheated.
Park hours are as follows:
The splash pad is open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except for Wednesday when it is closed for maintenance. For more information about Barnett Family Park and the Splash Pad got to https://lakelandgov.net/BarnettPark
For more information about our local pools go to https://lakelandgov.net/swimming
If you are interested in learning more about Lakeland, go to ExploreLKLD.com and check out our blog posts under our different interest categories.
Written by Cassie Turczyn and Faith Carr
Photos by The City of Lakeland