Austin has two seasons: five months of a relatively mild winter and seven months of very harsh summer. So it comes as no surprise that Austinites spend a good deal of those hot months swimming. Fortunately, there are a lot of pools to choose from.
Instructions
1. The most popular pool in town is Barton Springs. Located in Zilker Park just south of downtown, the pool is 1000 feet long. You can swim here all year round in bracing 68 degree water.
2. Deep Eddy Pool is Barton Springs' nearest competitor in pool popularity. It's also the oldest pool in Texas, having opened in 1915, and is north of Lake Lady Bird and west of downtown. The water temperature varies between 68 and 72 degrees and the pool's open ten months a year. Bring the whole family to Splash Park Movie Night and watch a film while floating in the pool.
3. If you're looking for something more serious and more state-of-the-art, head up to Cedar Park to Nitro Swimming. This 28,000-square-foot facility offers 27 lanes and caters to both competitive and non-competitive swimmers. Nitro stresses that it teaches swimming, rather than merely giving lessons. You can sign up any time of the year and take small classes or get private instruction. All levels of swimming are taught, for children and adults. Nitro is also the home to fitness, triathlon and US Masters Swimming groups.
4. If you like lap swimming outdoors but don't like water so cold you freeze your nethers off, make a beeline to Stacy Pool in Travis Heights. Stacy opened in 1935, charges no admission and in the winter is heated by a warm springs.
5. The Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the finest swimming facilities in the state, and is used by the UT Swimming and Diving teams, the Department of Kinesiology and Health, the Recreational Sports Department and Longhorn Aquatics. If you're a UT student or employee you can swim here, but public usage is limited.
