John B. Kelly Pool

"The lady at the gate was a bit rude, and she gave us so many rules but was happy to ignore the group of extremely rowdy boys that were splashing wildly and play fighting. Also, the lifeguard seemed to be friends with the boys and did absolutely nothing despite my 9 year old getting splashed. Black kids deserve to come and cool off but it’s annoying when one group ruins it for everyone else."

"Had a great experience with my spouse. Water is crystal clean and there are nice shaded grassy areas. The pool is completely free. No food allowed on pool deck but there are nice shaded picnic tables right outside you can eat at. Also. There was no trash or food wrappers near the pool so that was nice. They have a capacity limit There was no line when we arrived (it was a weekday) but there was a short line by the time we left. The summer 2023 hours are posted below. Keep in mind free swim isn’t available the whole time they’re open. The bathrooms were clean but they only had a few toilet stalls, a changing table and two sinks. I was hoping for lockers, changing rooms and showers but it is a free public pool."

"Love this pool nice and big with more than enough space to sun bathe. Wish they had more lifeguards to stay open to 7 like before but 5 is good enough! Best pool in the city hands down"

"Great public pool in a beautiful location. Clean, ample free parking, and a lot of open space/picnic tables in the vicinity. Note: once they hit capacity you have to line up outside the gate. When there's a long enough line (maybe every hour or so) they ask everyone to leave and get in line so others have a chance to swim. Get to the pool right when they open to avoid the line. Also, with the lifeguard shortage, only a small portion of the pool is available for open swim. It can get a bit crowded. This is a great community resource! I will be going back many times this summer!"

"I swam in this pool August 2021, about the time the delta variant of Covid was gaining momentum. The staff - who were very courteous and professional - followed protocol. The pool is 50 meters with 3 lanes reserved for lap swimming. The most crowded it ever got while I there was 3 swimmer's per lane. Water temperature was ideal and consistently around 78-79º by my estimation. Parking was virtually unlimited and free. Kids take lessons in the other part of the pool and aren't disruptive at all. You can tell by the way the instructors interact with the kids that they care about them and the neighborhood; the latter is a park setting, very quiet, with the 'Please Touch' Museum next door. There is an outdoor shower, and 2 restrooms that are fine for changing clothes. Easy to lock your bike to the fence at the entrance where both you and the staff can see it at all times (I never worried about my bike while swimming.) Finally, swimming here is FREE! I've never encountered FREE lap swimming at an Olympic-sized pool! And this pool is a gem and much beloved by locals and fellow travelers like me. I hope the powers that be continue to invest in this pool; if only so more kids can learn to swim there. Here is just one reason this is so vital: Black children between the ages of 5 to 19 are 5.5 times more likely to die by drowning in swimming pools than white children are. Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death for all children and toddlers, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. I hope the powers that be invest in this pool for generations to come!"