Places to Swim Near the Heights

Summer officially began this week, although it’s been feeling very summery in Houston for a while already. With temperatures soaring into the 90’s almost daily and private pools something of a rarity in the Heights, you’re in good company if you’re looking for a place to go for a swim. Fortunately, there are several options to keep you cool throughout the summer. Even better? All the city-operated public pools are free!

 

Stude Park

Located at 1031 Stude Street, off Studewood between I-10 and White Oak, this large park offers  running and biking trails, a playground, athletic fields, and great views of downtown, in addition to a swimming pool. Forester Street is the best place to park to get to the pool easily. 

 

Love Park

Situated at Shepherd Drive and 12th Street, Love Park is centrally located and offers a nice playground and outdoor pool with two water slides. Given the park’s located adjacent to Love Elementary, you might think it would be crowded with kids at all hours, but it’s actually pretty quiet most of the time. 

 

Memorial Park

Although it’s a little south of the Heights, Memorial Park is still very quick to get to and has one of the nicer public pools nearby. The pool is also located next-door to the Memorial Park Fitness Center, if you’d like to squeeze in a workout before or after your swim, and offers easy access to the jogging trails. Members of the fitness center can use the pool before general opening hours to swim laps. The pool is located at 6402 Arnot St. 

 

Jaycee Park

While it doesn’t actually have a pool, Jaycee Park gets an honorable mention because it has a splashed perfect for entertaining smaller children on hot days. A multitude of water sprayers go off at various intervals for kids to splash and play in the water, and the surrounding area is paved with colorful leaves and butterflies. Benches surround the area for the parents to relax while their kids run wild. Jaycee Park is just west of the Heights proper, at 1300 Seamist. 

 

All city pools are open Tuesday-Sunday from 1:00-8:00 pm. No glass containers are allowed, and all children under 8 must have a parent or guardian in the pool with them at all times. The city of Houston does not allow floats or inflatables in the pool. 


For more information, please visit: www.houstontx.gov

Source: City of Houston