Earlier this year, I left NYC to Solana Beach for a wedding and wanted to get a few workouts in. I ended up swimming at the Boys & Girls Club of San Diego and it was one of the nicest pools I’ve ever swam in. Outdoor pool, on a cliff, overlooking the bay. EPIC!
Could we crowdsource a public excel of the best lap swimming pools in America? Who is willing to do this?
My favorite pool to race in recently has been the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Amazing pool. My only complaint is that the showers in the locker rooms don’t get hot enough and you have to pay to park!
@Carson
IU is decent (raced US Open there in 1998) but it’s only 8 lanes and doesn’t come close to TPASC. IU is on par with Commonwealth Place in Victoria - nice, functional and reasonably fast.
For US pools I would say Georgia Tech is the best indoor.
@Echo
I swim para so 8 lanes is good. There’s not as many athletes at our meets so I prefer more time between meets and less people to create wake!
Carson said:
@Echo
I swim para so 8 lanes is good. There’s not as many athletes at our meets so I prefer more time between meets and less people to create wake!
It’s not on a cliff overlooking the ocean but I like my local community pool in Tempe, AZ. It’s clean, has friendly staff and is only $1.25/visit.
Whitney said:
It’s not on a cliff overlooking the ocean but I like my local community pool in Tempe, AZ. It’s clean, has friendly staff and is only $1.25/visit.
For that price, I also vote for your pool lol.
We have a plethora of beautiful swimming pools here in SD, my favorite is the La Jolla YMCA outdoor lap pool. The gym itself has an ocean view.
Rey said:
We have a plethora of beautiful swimming pools here in SD, my favorite is the La Jolla YMCA outdoor lap pool. The gym itself has an ocean view.
I was in La Jolla for work a couple of months ago and went there nearly every day. Fantastic setup with lap/rec pools. I’ve been to nearly two dozen different Ys this year, and this was by far my favorite.
I spent a summer in Berkeley, CA and the university had some very nice pools. My favorite was the historic old women’s pool.
If someone makes a collection of pools, I suggest including “historic” categories as well as university pools.
@Zade
Were the Berkeley pools open to the public? Or only university students? Thanks!
Merlin said:
@Zade
Were the Berkeley pools open to the public? Or only university students? Thanks!
They were open to the public at the time with a rec center membership. That was 12 years ago.
They appear to be open today if you buy day passes from the university.
Great idea.
A few of my favorites:
50 m Highland Pool in Saint Paul, MN
25 y Como Pool in Saint Paul, MN
50 m Buchner Pool in Waukesha, WI
25 m Jacobs Aquatic Center in Key Largo, FL (also has a very welcoming morning coached masters program)
50 m Ron Levy Aquatic Center in Islamorada, FL (Founders Park)
33 y MLK Community Pool in Key West, FL (free admission and fun length!)
50 m Fuller Pool in Ann Arbor, MI
25 y Buhr Pool in Ann Arbor, MI
Colman pool in Seattle is pretty great…
Eliot said:
Colman pool in Seattle is pretty great…
Came here to say this. Great views of Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.
That pool is one of my all-time favorites. Swam there daily when we lived in SD.
It’s not the closest pool to me but it’s so worth the drive to Rockville Swim and Fitness Center in Rockville, MD. Olympic sized outdoor pool open from May-October (mildly heated) and 2 nice indoor pools. The staff are amazing as well.
Los Banos del Mar in Santa Barbara is fantastic - also outdoor, also by the ocean, 50m. sbparksandrec.santabarbaraca.gov/pools/los-banos-del-mar
Carmody Rec Center in Denver. Super high arched wooden ceiling with tons of natural light, buncha lanes, and a deep diving area.
This site is ancient but it’s still online and a great resource.